EVANSVILLE, Ind. – Indiana State closed out the second day of the 2026 MVC Swimming and Diving Championships by securing the 1M Springboard and the 200-yard Medley Relay titles to claim the team lead heading into Friday.
Jecza Lopez (285.40) bounced back from a prelim session that saw her sixth in the field heading into the finals by putting together a dominant performance on the 1M Springboard to claim her second consecutive 1M Valley title by nearly 25 points.
The Sycamores relay teams closed the night out in style with
Raine Boles (50 Fly) and
Kaleigh Kelley (50 Free) putting together a blistering pace in the comeback in the 200-yard Medley Relay as Indiana State posted a 1:39.68 to top Southern Ililnois (1:40.02) for the relay title.
The Sycamores lead the team standings with 639 total points, while Southern Illinois (634) and Missouri State (631.5) both sit within 10 points.
Thursday Evening Recap
Indiana State opened the evening in the 100-yard Fly with four Sycamores taking on the field in the A-Finals.
Raine Boles was the first Sycamore to the wall in 54.54 to place fourth, while
Kaleigh Kelley (54.78) was one spot back in fifth.
Addison Johnson (55.11) and
Sophia Diaz (55.74) finished seventh and eighth respectively.
Maria Saldana Riebeling and
Gemma Dilks both advanced to the A-Finals in the 400-yard IM with the duo both placing in the top five in the field. Riebeling was fourth in 4:21.74, while Dilks finished one spot back in 4:23.81.
The Sycamores put three in the 200-yard Freestyle finals on Thursday night with
Erin Cummins and
Claire Parsons competing in the A-Finals, while
Peyton Heagy advanced to the B-Finals. Cummins was fifth in 1:48.22, while Parsons was 1:49.48 to place seventh. Heagy finished 15th overall in 1:52.27.
Jecza Lopez repeated as the 1M Springboard MVC Champion as the junior topped the field. Lopez totaled 285.40 to win the event by nearly 25 points over UNI's Avery Hogan (250.90) to secure her first win over the week.
Sofia Dansereau took on the field in the 1M Springboard consolation bracket finishing eighth in the B-Finals with a six-dive score of 202.25.
The Sycamores closed out the day with the second-fastest time in school history in the 200-yard Medley Relay in securing their first relay win of the week. The team of
Sahara Visscher,
Ali Pearson,
Raine Boles, and
Kaleigh Kelley went 1:39.68 with Boles going23.68 in the 50-Fly split, while Kelley went 22.29 in the 50-Free split to come back and secure the win.
Thursday Evening Results
100-yard Fly: A-Final –
Raine Boles (54.54, 4th),
Kaleigh Kelley (54.78, 5th),
Addison Johnson (55.11, 7th),
Sophia Diaz (55.74, 8th):
400-yard IM: A-Final –
Maria Saldana Riebeling (4:21.74, 4th),
Gemma Dilks (4:23.81, 5th);
200-yard Freestyle: A-Final –
Erin Cummins (1:48.22, 5th),
Claire Parsons (1:49.48, 7th); B-Final –
Peyton Heagy (1:52.27, 15th)
1M Springboard: MVC Champion –
Jecza Lopez (285.40); B-Final –
Sofia Dansereau (202.25, 16th)
200 Medley Relay: MVC Champion –
Sahara Visscher,
Ali Pearson,
Raine Boles,
Kaleigh Kelley (1:39.68)
Thursday Morning Recap
Indiana State started the morning session off strong putting four swimmers in the 100-yard Fly event A-Finals following the preliminary rounds.
Kaleigh Kelley (54.84),
Raine Boles (54.92),
Addison Johnson (54.99), and
Sophia Diaz (55.30) all finished inside the top seven in the field to advance to the evening's top finals session. Allie Barasch took on the field in an exhibition swim finishing in 56.29.
The Sycamores followed up with two more in the 400-yard IM A-Finals field as
Gemma Dilks (4:23.86) and
Maria Saldana Riebeling (4:24.74) both dropped time off their season bests to finish inside the top six in the preliminary field.
Ella Moustgaard (4:31.36) and
Elle Santucci (4:33.86) both took on the field in the morning session.
Indiana State added three more swimmers advancing to the evening's 200-yard Freestyle finals.
Erin Cummins (1:48.87) and
Claire Parsons (1:50.25) both advanced in the A-Finals field, while
Peyton Heagy (1:52.39) secured her spot in the B-Finals.
Grace Cummings (1:53.88) and
Addison Johnson (1:54.30) both narrowly missed out on the finals field, while
Rachel Stutz (1:55.04) competed in an exhibition swim.
Jecza Lopez led the Sycamore divers in the early afternoon 1M Springboard prelims as the junior placed sixth overall in the field with a score of 238.15.
Sofia Dansereau will compete in the evening's consolation bracket with a score of 215.70, while
Brenna Woodruff placed 19th with 190.75.
Bree Cleary competed as an individual with a score of 207.10.
Thursday Morning Finals Qualifiers
100-yard Fly: A-Finals –
Kaleigh Kelley (54.84),
Raine Boles (54.92),
Addison Johnson (54.99),
Sophia Diaz (55.30);
400-yard IM: A-Finals –
Gemma Dilks (4:23.86),
Maria Saldana Riebeling (4:24.74);
200-yard Freestyle: A-Finals –
Erin Cummins (1:48.87),
Claire Parsons (1:50.25); B-Finals –
Peyton Heagy (1:52.39);
1M Diving: A-Finals –
Jecza Lopez (238.15); B-Finals –
Sofia Dansereau (215.70); C-Finals –
Brenna Woodruff (190.75);
Up Next
The Indiana State swimming and diving continues the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Swimming and Diving Championships inside the Deaconess Aquatic Center over February 25-28 in Evansville, Ind.
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