IOWA CITY, Iowa – Indiana State swimming and diving made school history on Saturday night as the Sycamores posted their first top-two team finish at the 2023 Missouri Valley Swimming & Diving Championships.
 
The Sycamores finished second overall with 1200.5 points to snap a stretch of four consecutive seasons finishing third in the team standings. Indiana State was runner-up to Missouri State as the Bears took home the team championship with 1326 points. Illinois State (997), Northern Iowa (881), and Southern Illinois (854) rounded out the top five in the team standings.
 
Marni Gray highlighted the final day of the championships as the senior claimed the 200-yard Fly championship. Gray was fourth overall in the field through the first 100 yards in the event before the Toronto native pulled away from the field with a personal-best 2:00.75. It marked the second time Gray won the 200-yard Fly at the MVC Championships after previously topping the field in 2021.
 
Alexa Szadorski (100 Free) and Zoe Smith (3M Diving) finished second overall in their respective events to add podium finishes on the field day. Szadorski shattered the ISU school record in the 100-yard Freestyle finishing second in the field in 50.24 to earn All-Conference recognition. Smith became the first diver in ISU history to earn All-Conference recognition in the 3M diving event after finishing second with a score of 276.90.
 
Overall, Indiana State featured six All-Conference honors and 10 All-Conference Honorable Mentions as the Sycamores saw success from across the roster throughout the championships.
 
"I'm so proud of and thankful for every member of this team and coaching staff," head coach Josh Christensen said. "This weekend and this season have been a huge leap forward for our young program. We've put so much work into developing our program culture and identity. This weekend solidified what it means to be a Sycamore. We're excited to keep growing and taking this program to new heights."
 
The Indiana State Sycamore senior class was recognized prior to the start of Saturday evening's finals as a part of the conference's recognition of all the seniors across the MVC. The 2023 ISU senior class has special meaning to Christensen as the group was a part of his inaugural recruiting class.
 
"This senior group means the world to me and this program," Christensen said. "It's been rewarding to watch them grow and become the women and leaders they are today. They are leaving a tremendous legacy and their fingerprints will be all over the future success this program has."
 
Saturday Evening Finals
Olivia DiRuzza and Madie Rutan paced the Sycamores in the 200-yard Backstroke event to open up Saturday evening's finals at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. DiRuzza led the way finishing sixth overall in the A-Finals in 2:01.07, while Rutan touched the wall in 2:05.72 to place eighth in the field. Kalli Agapios (2:02.40, 11th), Carmen Alard Vegas (2:02.53, 12th), and Alexandria Cotter (2:05.86, 16th) took on the field in the B-Finals to add to the Indiana State point totals.
 
Alexa Szadorski took a full half-second off the Indiana State record in the 100-yard Freestyle as the sophomore finished second overall in the field in the A-Finals. Szadorski touched the wall in 50.24 to get her first podium finish, while Chloe Farro placed fifth in 50.54 in a new personal-best. Peyton Heagy (51.76, 20th) and Sarah Moreau (52.36, 23rd) competed in the C-Finals for the Sycamores.
 
Dorotea Bukvic finished seventh in the 200-yard Breastroke field in 2:15.19 to lead the Sycamores in the A-Finals of the event. Kaimi Matsumoto finished second in the B-Finals and 10th overall in 2:16.68 to highlight her evening.
 
Marni Gray recorded her second career conference championship in the 200 Fly as the senior touched the wall in 2:00.75. Katie Dougherty added a top-five finish in the A-Finals after touching the wall in 2:03.02. Haley Halsall (2:05.59, 12th) and Raine Boles (2:06.72, 15th) finished among the leaders in the B-Finals to wrap up the individual swimming events on the weekend.
 
Zoe Smith took on the field in the 3M Diving A-Finals as the junior battled her way to a second-place finish in the field. Smith became the second ISU diver to earn All-Conference recognition and first diver to earn the honors in the 3M event after scoring 276.90.
 
Indiana State set a new school record in the 400-yard Freestyle Relay as the Sycamores cut nearly two full seconds off the previous mark set at the Tim Welsh Classic. Chloe Farro, Kaimi Matsumoto, Peyton Heagy, and Alexa Szadorski combined to touch the wall in 3:22.09 to set a new school mark in finishing third in the event.
 
Saturday Morning Prelims
Four Sycamores finished in the top-10, while five athletes advanced to Saturday evening's 200-yard Backstroke finals to open up the competition on the final day of the 2023 MVC Championships. Olivia DiRuzza was the top finisher for the Sycamores in 2:00.54 placing fourth, while Madie Rutan also advanced to the A-Finals in 2:01.49. Carmen Alard Vegas (2:02.90, 9th), Kalli Agapios (2:03.05, 10th), and Alexandria Cotter (2:03.34, 15th) all moved on to the B-Finals to cap the first event.
 
Chloe Farro took down the ISU record in the 100-yard Freestyle as the sophomore eclipsed her previous-best mark by finishing fifth in the field in 50.82. Alexa Szadorski joined her teammate in the A-Finals with a time of 50.95 to place seventh, while Peyton Heagy (51.82, 19th) and Sarah Moreau (52.10, 23rd) both advanced to the C-Finals.
 
Dorotea Bukvic was back in the A-Finals in the 200-yard Breaststroke as the sophomore placed seventh in the field in 2:16.33. Kaimi Matsumoto also advanced to the B-Finals for the Sycamores finishing 11th in the field in 2:18.97.
 
Marni Gray was the top overall finisher in the 200-yard Fly as the senior finished first in the field in the event in 2:01.54. Katie Dougherty joined Gray in the A-Finals after finishing eighth in the field in 2:04.35, while Haley Halsall (2:05.54, 12th) and Raine Boles (2:07.56, 16th) advanced to the B-Finals.
 
Advanced to A-Finals
200-yard Back: Olivia DiRuzza (2:00.54, 4th), Madie Rutan (2:01.49, 7th)
100-yard Free: Chloe Farro (50.82, 5th), Alexa Szadorski (50.95, 7th)
200-yard Breast: Dorotea Bukvic (2:16.33, 7th)
200-yard Fly: Marni Gray (2:01.54, 1st), Katie Dougherty (2:04.35, 8th)
 
Advanced to B-Finals
200-yard Back: Carmen Alard Vegas (2:02.90, 9th), Kalli Agapios (2:03.05, 10th), Alexandria Cotter (2:03.34, 15th)
200-yard Breast: Kaimi Matsumoto (2:18.97, 11th)
200-yard Fly: Haley Halsall (2:05.54, 12th), Raine Boles (2:07.56, 16th)
 
Advanced to C-Finals
100-yard Free: Peyton Heagy (51.82, 19th), Sarah Moreau (52.10, 23rd)
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Swimming and Diving, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from the both the App Store and the Google Play Store.