TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State starts off the 2023-24 spring season with one of its toughest tests of the year as the Sycamores make the trip to Southern Illinois and the Dr. Edward J. Shea Natatorium as ISU takes on both the host Salukis and the Quincy Hawks in a tri-meet on Saturday afternoon. Events are scheduled to start at 2 p.m.
 
The meet features two of the top teams in the Missouri Valley Conference as both teams continue their preparations for the upcoming 2024 MVC Championships held in Evansville, Ind. over February 21-24. Indiana State finished second overall in the team standings at the 2023 Championships, while Southern Illinois was fifth overall in the field. Quincy competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference and has posted a win over Maryville to date this season.
 
The Sycamores are undefeated in dual meet action on the season with their last competition coming in early December at the Miami (Ohio) Invite. Southern Illinois topped MVC preseason favorite Missouri State earlier in the year in Springfield, Mo., and are coming off a trip to Tucson, Ariz. where they took on Arizona and Northern Arizona in a tri-meet.
 
"The team has been putting in great training since we returned from Christmas," head coach Josh Christensen said. "We're excited to get back to competition and to use this meet as part of our process and preparation for the MVC Championships. SIU is a talented, well-coached team. They definitely provide a major challenge for us. We're looking forward to a very competitive meet that brings out the best in everyone."
 
The Sycamores suited up for the first time in the 2023-24 season in their last meet and the record book reflected that with four school records going down in Oxford, Ohio. Chloe Farro broke the school's 100-yard Freestyle record with a time of 50.02, while freshman Claire Parsons set new school marks in both the 500 Free (4:51.86) and the 1650 Free (16:52.20). Fellow freshman Kaleigh Kelley added the fourth ISU mark with a school-record 57.36 in the 100-yard IM continuing to show her versatility in the pool for the team.
 
Overall, 34 new marks have been made on the Indiana State top-10 performance list on the season as the Sycamores continue to showcase their depth on the year. Parsons, Erin Cummins, Haley Halsall, Farro, and Peyton Heagy have all popped up multiple times in the freestyle events, while Kate Reeves, Alexandria Cotter, and Olivia DiRuzza have set new marks in the backstroke. Ali Pearson and Kelley continue to move up in the breaststroke top-10, while Kelley and Cotter have both set new marks in the IM events.
 
Indiana State's depth is also apparent across the top-10 performance list in the MVC this season with 15 different athletes sitting in the top 10 in 18 different events on the year. The full list is below:
 
Sycamores in the MVC Performance Top 10s

• Chloe Farro – 50 Free (23.17, 3rd), 100 Free (50.02, 3rd)
• Erin Cummins – 200 Free (1:49.71, 3rd), 500 Free (4:56.33, 5th)
• Claire Parsons – 200 Free (1:50.49, 6th), 500 Free (4:51.86, 1st), 1000 Free (10:14.67, 3rd), 1650 Free (16:52.20, 1st), 200 Back (2:02.18, 8th)
• Peyton Heagy – 200 Free (1:51.07, 7th)
• Haley Halsall – 500 Free (4:56.47, 6th), 1000 Free (10:22.94, 5th), 1650 Free (17:12.14, 6th), 200 Fly (2:01.89, 3rd)
• Alexandria Cotter – 50 Back (26.48, 10th), 200 Fly (2:05.55, 9th), 200 IM (2:03.46, 9th), 400 IM (4:21.89, 3rd)
• Olivia DiRuzza – 200 Back (2:01.61, 6th)
• Ali Pearson – 50 Breast (29.31, 4th), 100 Breast (1:02.76, 4th), 200 Breast (2:16.38, 4th)
• Kaimi Matsumoto – 50 Breast (30.00, 10th), 100 Breast (1:03.87, 10th), 200 Breast (2:17.87, 6th), 50 Fly (25.62, 5th), 100 Fly (55.31, 6th)
• Dorotea Bukvic – 200 Breast (2:18.76, 8th), 200 IM (2:02.93, 4th), 400 IM (4:28.14, 10th)
• Kaleigh Kelley – 200 Breast (2:18.85, 9th), 100 IM (57.36, 3rd)
• Raine Boles – 100 Fly (55.67, 10th)
• Raz Harel – 200 Fly (2:05.36, 7th)
• Zoe Smith – 1M Diving (278.93, 2nd), 3M Diving (298.95, 3rd)
• Bailey Betzer – 1M Diving (266.40, 5th), 3M Diving (267.75, 10th)

 
Following the SIU meet, the Sycamores will travel to South Bend, Ind. over January 26-27 for the annual Tim Welsh Invite hosted by Notre Dame. ISU closes out the regular season at home with a dual meet against Illinois State on February 2 as the Sycamores celebrate Senior Day at the Vigo County Aquatic Center.
 
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.