CARBONDALE, Ill. – The Illinois State swimming and diving team continued the 2021 Missouri Valley Conference Championships on Thursday. Six Redbirds took the podium in two different individual events and a top-three relay performance.
PODIUM APPEARANCES
Emily Keebler was Illinois State's first podium appearance of the evening, as the sophomore turned in a season-best performance of 4:26.49 in the 400-yard IM to take home the silver medal. Fellow sophomore Madyson Morse clocked in a season-best time of 1:02.39 in the 100-yard breaststroke to earn her first collegiate All-MVC First Team honor, finishing third overall in the event.
REDBIRD RELAY
The freshman quartet of Olivia Gonder, Raegen Follis, Diana Walker and Mikayla Jasek earned bronze medals in the final event of the session Thursday night – the 800-yard freestyle relay. The group took seven seconds off ISU's season best time in the event to finish third overall, clocking in at 7:31.62.
TOP PERFORMANCES
Two Redbirds collected all-conference honorable mention nods in their respective individual events. Haley Rivera finished eighth in the 400-yard IM (4:31.21), while Raegen Follis just missed the top-three in the 200-yard freestyle, turning in a season-best time of 1:51.05).
UP NEXT
Illinois State, who currently sits in fourth place in the standings, will conclude the 2021 MVC Championships tomorrow. Preliminary rounds begin at 10 a.m., while finals will start at approximately 5 p.m. The 3-meter diving final, which will feature senior Caroline Lecoeur, is slated to begin at 2:30 p.m.
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