TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State Swimming & Diving team finished the regular season with a win over Southern Illinois and a loss to Ball State on Saturday afternoon at the Vigo County Aquatic Center.
 
The Sycamores topped the Salukis by a final score of 204-96 and fell to the Cardinals, 150-148. After today, Indiana State finished the regular season with a record of 13-1, tied for the most wins in a single season in program history.
 
Surging Sycamores
Four Sycamores earned individual victories at the double-dual meet, with three claiming multiple wins.
 
In her last meet at the Vigo County Aquatic Center, senior Martina Marks picked up a pair of victories, starting with the 200-yard freestyle where she clocked a time of 1:54.82. Later in the meet, the Israel native raced to a win in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:09.98.
 
Junior Kendall Hansen also claimed two wins on Saturday, sweeping the backstrokes for ISU. Early in the meet, Hansen edged out Ball State's Audrey Schank in the 100-yard backstroke by .22 for the title, touching the wall at 56.42. She then won the 200-yard backstroke by over four seconds at 2:02.79.
 
The youngest Tree to earn multiple wins was sophomore Vivian Kritikou. Kritikou dominated the distance events during the afternoon, starting with the first individual event in the pool, the 1000-yard freestyle. The Greece native outlasted Ball State's Cassidy Blackwin with a one second victory at 10:37.12. She finished her competition by placing first in the 500-yard freestyle where she clocked a time of 5:08.42.
 
Alex Malmborg recorded the seventh win of the day for ISU, taking the 50-yard freestyle title with a final time of 24.00.
 
Coach Christensen's Corner
"We had some really good swims today, but unfortunately we also had some places we just didn't execute like we are capable of and that cost us," Head Coach Josh Christensen said. "Hats off to Ball State, as they swam and dove very well. We have a little over three weeks until conference and we're in a great place right now. From here we turn our focus to final championship preparations. I'm really excited to see what this group can do at the MVC Championships."
 
Coach Christensen on Senior Day
Today was a really exciting meet with a great atmosphere," Head Coach Josh Christensen said. "You have to love that environment, and I'm definitely proud of Joelle and Martina, our two seniors and it was nice to take the time to honor them before the meet."
 
Coach Chen's Remarks
"It was a tough meet for us and we faced some very strong divers, but I was glad to see them dive well comparing themselves. There is still a lot of room for our divers to improve until conference and I'm looking forward to that," Diving Coach Fengting Chen said.
 
Top ISU Performers In Each Event
200 Medley Relay: Second Place, Kendall Hansen, Megan Schade, Martina Marks, Alex Malmborg, 1:47.90
1000 Freestyle: First Place, Vivian Kritikou, 10:37.12
200 Freestyle: First Place, Martina Marks, 1:54.82
100 Backstroke: First Place, Kendall Hansen, 56.42
100 Breaststroke: Second Place, Megan Schade, 1:07.56
200 Butterfly: Third Place, Cierra Campbell, 2:08.34
50 Freestyle: First Place, Alex Malmborg, 24.00
100 Freestyle: Second Place, Martina Marks, 53.65
200 Backstroke: First Place, Kendall Hansen, 2:02.79
200 Breaststroke: Second Place, Anna Maria Nasiou, 2:26.59
500 Freestyle: First Place, Vivian Kritikou, 5:08.42
100 Butterfly: Fourth Place, Joelle Borchers, 59.02
200 IM: First Place, Martina Marks, 2:09.98
400 Freestyle Relay: Second Place, Alex Malmborg, Marlene Pavlu Lewin, Cierra Campbell, Joelle Borchers, 3:32.88
One-Meter Dive: Fourth Place, Keara Shelton, 199.20
Three-Meter Dive: Fifth Place, Keara Shelton, 220.50
 
Up Next
All that awaits the blue and white now is the Missouri Valley Conference Championships from Feb. 20-23 in Colombia, Mo.
 
For the latest information on the Sycamore Swimming and Diving team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.