Carbondale Reporter

The Women's NCAA Championships commence today in Federal Way, Washington, with Southern Illinois University (SIU) represented by swimmers Celia Pulido and Olivia Herron. The duo will compete in five events from Thursday to Saturday.

Head coach Geoff Hanson expressed enthusiasm about the participation of multiple SIU qualifiers for the first time since 1992. "It is very exciting for SIU to have multiple NCAA Championship qualifiers for the first time since 1992," said Hanson. "Celia and Olivia have worked all year to get to this meet, and are looking forward to the opportunity to race against the very best swimmers in the world. This is truly the fastest meet on earth and these two Salukis belong here and I know they will make us all proud. Go Dawgs."

The event schedule includes preliminaries at 10 a.m. PST and finals at 6:03 p.m. PST each day from Thursday through Saturday.

Pulido and Herron recently competed in the Missouri Valley Championships, where SIU was runner-up as a team. Herron secured six gold medals across various events, setting eight records along the way, earning her First-Team All-MVC honors. Pulido also excelled, winning six finals events and breaking six records, culminating in her being named MVC Swimmer of the Year.

Herron's schedule begins with the 200-yard IM on Thursday, followed by Friday's 100-yard breaststroke and concluding with Saturday's 200-yard breaststroke. Pulido will participate in Friday's 100-yard backstroke and Saturday's 200-yard backstroke.

Fans can follow updates on SIU swim teams via social media platforms or download their mobile app for more information.