Southern Illinois University seniors Alex Cimera and Susy Hernandez have been named the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Men’s and Women’s Swimmers of the Week. The announcement comes shortly after both athletes were recognized during Senior Day.
Head coach Geoff Hanson commented on their achievement, stating, “Susy and Alex have done such a wonderful job during the winter training to lead and elevate our team, and this honor is well-deserved for both of them.”
Cimera’s recent performances included winning the 100-freestyle at Purdue with a time of 45.34 seconds and finishing second in the 200-freestyle. He also contributed to relay teams that placed second in the 400-medley relay and third in the 200-freestyle relay. During Senior Day against Evansville, Cimera won four gold medals: individually in the 100-backstroke, 100-freestyle, and 100-butterfly, as well as being part of the first-place 200-freestyle relay team. This marks his second MVC Swimmer of the Week award this season.
Hernandez excelled in SIU’s meet against Evansville and Indiana State by securing first place in both the 100- and 200-freestyle events. She was also part of the winning 200-medley relay team and helped her squad achieve second place in the 200-freestyle relay. This is Hernandez’s first time receiving MVC Swimmer of the Week honors.
With these recognitions, Southern Illinois swimmers have now received swimmer of the week honors ten times this season. Other Salukis who have earned this distinction include Liseska Gallegos Gutierrez, Carter Ruthven, Willem Huggins, and Olivia Herron—the latter having claimed it four times.
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