COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Indiana State Swimming & Diving team solidified their best finish in program history at the Missouri Valley Conference Championships with a third place finish on Saturday.
 
The Trees recorded their highest point total at an MVC Championship in program history, finishing with 511.5 points en route to the third place finish. Missouri State won the title for the third consecutive year with 759 points while Southern Illinois placed second with 619.50. ISU defeated Northern Iowa (497.50), Illinois State (438), Little-Rock (273.50), Evansville (269) and Valparaiso (115).
 
Surging Sycamores
Three more school records fell on Saturday at the Mizzou Aquatic Center on a phenomenal final day of competition. Kendall Hansen perhaps had one of the best performances of the day, taking second in the 200-yard backstroke for First Team All-MVC honors with the best time in school history of 1:57.91, which broke the school record she set in prelims of 1:59.25.
 
She wasn't the only Sycamore to earn First Team All-MVC honors in the 200-yard backstroke, however, as Marlene Pavlu Lewin touched the wall in third during finals with the second-fastest time in ISU history of 1:59.48. Madison Brand earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors as well by finishing in eighth with a time of 2:04.72.
 
Also earning First Team All-MVC honors on Saturday was senior Martina Marks who clocked the second-best time in school history in the 200-yard butterfly of 2:02.44 en route to a third place finish. Cierra Campbell and Elisabeth Peskin also brought some points to the blue and white in the event, taking ninth and 15th at 2:04.93 and 2:08.95, respectively.
 
During the preliminary round, Alex Malmborg broke her own school record in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.28 before finishing fifth in finals for All-MVC Honorable Mention honors with a time of 51.45. Joelle Borchers also earned Honorable Mention All-MVC honors with an eighth place finish, clocking a time of 52.63. Freshman Ashleigh Sinks also scored for the Trees, placing 10th at 52.61 for the fifth-best time in school history.
 
The third school record to fall came from the final event of the entire championship, as the 400-yard freestyle relay team composed of Marks, Malmborg, Borchers and Pavlu Lewin raced to a fourth place finish with the best time in school history of 3:25.80.
 
Megan Schade was the top finisher for Indiana State in the 200-yard breaststroke as she earned All-MVC Honorable Mention Honors with an eighth place finish and a time of 2:23.05. Kerry Tepe swam to the third-overall time in ISU history en route to a 10th place finish, recording a time of 2:23.06. Freshman Anna Maria Nasiou finished right behind Tepe in 11th with the fourth-best time in school history of 2:23.45.
 
Distance standouts Cierra Campbell and Vivian Kritikou led the Sycamores in the 1650-yard freestyle, as both earned All-MVC Honorable Mention honors with Campbell placing fourth at 17:10.37, a new personal-best and second-best time in school history, and Kritikou placing seventh at 17:17.15. Peskin also scored in the event with a time of 17:38.28, good for 11th.
 
Coach Christensen's Corner
"I'm really pleased with this meet and this season," Head Coach Josh Christensen said. "This is a tremendous group of young ladies that overcame some big hurdles this year. I'm proud of who they are and how they represented our program and Indiana State University. The future for this program is very bright and we're all excited to get back to work so that we can continue to improve and compete for a conference championship in the near future."
 
MVC Final Scores:
1. Missouri State - 759
2. Southern Illinois - 619.50
3. Indiana State - 511.50
4. Northern Iowa - 497.50
5. Illinois State - 438
6. Little-Rock - 273.50
7. Evansville - 269
8. Valparaiso - 115
 
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.