Southern Illinois Salukis Men's Swimming & Diving | Southern Illinois University Athletics
Southern Illinois Salukis Men's Swimming & Diving | Southern Illinois University Athletics
After strong performances at the Indiana State Tri-Meet, Southern Illinois University swimmers Alex Santiago and Celia Pulido have been recognized with Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Weekly Honors. Santiago was named the MVC Men's Swimmer of the Week, marking his fourth such award this season. Pulido received her first Women's Swimmer of the Week honor for this season.
Head coach Geoff Hanson expressed his satisfaction with their achievements, stating, "It's great to see both of our returning NCAA Championship qualifiers be recognized for their efforts last Friday. Both Celia and Alex are on track to do exciting things in the coming weeks."
Santiago contributed significantly to the Salukis' men's team's victories over UIndy and Ball State, securing four first-place finishes. His achievements included wins in two individual events and two relays. He participated in Southern's 200-yard medley relay team, which finished first with a time of 1:28.88. Santiago also won gold in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 19.81 and another individual win in the 100-yard freestyle at 44.04. He concluded his performance by anchoring the winning 400-yard freestyle relay team.
On the women's side, SIU defeated Indiana State and UIndy largely due to Pulido's outstanding contributions. She earned four gold medals by winning two individual events and participating in two victorious relays. Pulido was part of SIU's first-place 200-yard medley relay team with a time of 1:42.08 and led in the 100-yard backstroke at 54.85 seconds. She dominated the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:58.54, over three seconds faster than her closest competitor, and anchored the winning team in the final women's event of the day, securing victory in the 400-yard free relay.
For more details on MVC's weekly awards, visit mvc-sports.com.
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