Carbondale Reporter

The Southern Illinois women's swimming and diving team ended their Friday meet against Illinois and Illinois State with mixed results. The Salukis triumphed over the Redbirds with a score of 227.5-72.5 but were narrowly defeated by Illinois, scoring 157-143.

Olivia Herron was a standout performer, setting a new school and Missouri Valley Conference record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:58.80. This achievement meets the NCAA "B" qualifying standard and surpasses the previous MVC record by more than a second.

The Salukis secured ten first-place finishes during the meet. The team won the 200-yard medley relay, clocking in at 1:38.75, with Celia Pulido, Olivia Herron, Bea Padron, and Susana Hernandez breaking both school and pool records.

Susana Hernandez set a new school record in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:47.30, while Celia Pulido established a new pool record in the 100-yard backstroke with her time of 52.06.

Herron claimed victory in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke events. Zaria Terry emerged as the fastest in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.45, while Hernandez also won the 100-yard freestyle, finishing at 50.04 seconds. Pulido took first place again in the 200-yard backstroke with her time of 1:56.58.

The meet concluded with another win for Southern Illinois as Terry, Ava Rines, Hernandez, and Pulido teamed up to take first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:21.05.

In diving events, Farida Moussa secured third place finishes for both dives, earning scores of 238.15 points in one-meter and 253.30 points in three-meter categories.

Southern Illinois' women's swimming team remains undefeated within the Missouri Valley Conference as they move into November's competitions. Both men's and women's teams are set to compete again from November 16 to November 18 when Southern Illinois hosts the A3 Performance Invitational.

Fans can stay updated on Salukis' performances through social media channels on X (@SIU_SwimDive), Instagram (@SIU_Swimdive), Facebook (facebook.com/SIUSwimDive), or via the "Salukis" Mobile App available on app stores.