Courtesy of Missouri State's Sport Information Department
Missouri State 217, Indianapolis 153
Team Results
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Missouri State's men's and women's swimming and diving concluded Sunday's final day of competition at the Sycamore Invitational with team victories against the University of Indianapolis and host Indiana State at the Vigo Schools Aquatic Center.
Each squad checked the win column at the invite, as the men edged past the University of Indianapolis 217-153 while the women compiled a 214.5-154.5 rout of host and fellow Missouri Valley Conference member Indiana State. UIndy narrowly passed the Bears, 187.5-179.5, splitting the women's results in their second-consecutive double dual.
"I was pleased with our groups' effort this weekend," said head coach Dave Collins. "Excited to see both squads continue to train and improve as we prepare for a home meet stretch."
Arthur Cury captured MSU's first individual win of the second day, besting UIndy in the 100 butterfly by less than a tenth-of-a-second at 49.72. Throughout Sunday's two sessions, Cury picked up a pair of winning short-distance freestyle finishes in the 100 (45.34) and 200 freestyle (1:37.75), respectively.
"I am happy with my performance at the invite, almost matching my best times," said Cury. "Looking forward to a break to continue training and work on my technique before our two home meets in November."
MSU strung together three deciding efforts, first taking the men's 400 IM before sweeping the 200 freestyle events.
Newcomer Tyler Lewis touched the wall four seconds ahead of runner-up, and fellow Bear, Antonio Thomas for the 3:57.58 victory in the 400 IM. James Vaughn also squeezed onto the top-five leaderboard with a fourth-place time.
"Glad to have lots of team support at the meet," said Lewis. "I am excited to continue working hard so that I can stay on track and reach my goals as the season progresses."
Moving onto the 200 freestyle portion of the sessions, Libby Howell produced the deciding swim for the first of many times throughout day two with a 1:48.98 mark in the short-distance race. She also collected key points for MSU with the top spot in the 1650 freestyle (16:55.92). Samantha Hietpas followed Howell's lead for the runner-up finish in the long-distance event.
"The freestyle group had a great meet, showing lots of mental toughness," said Howell. "I'm pleased with the energy coming from the group and cannot wait to see us improve moving forward."
Not to be outdone, the men's side landed three in the top-five of the 1650 freestyle, with Thomas pacing the Bears with a dominant time of 15:19.27. Pawel Krawczyk and Sebastian Odentcompleted the event with second and fourth-place times, respectively.
MSU assembled another win streak across the 100 freestyle and 200 breaststroke races, with Anna Miller and Cury collecting first-place points for both sides while reigning Mid-American Conference swimmer of the week Michael Hampel extended his stretch of individual titles with the deciding swim in the 200 breaststroke.
"Seeing quick times early in the season makes me excited for what our team can accomplish in the mid-season meets," said Miller. "We had a great team dynamic, which helped tremendously throughout the three sessions."
The men logged the Bears lone relay win of day two in the 400 freestyle, seeing the team of Cury, Samuel Senn, Noah Witzki, and Thomas Heye combine for the 3:02.94 top time.
"I am proud of our team's performance throughout the invitational," said Witzki. "Being able to represent MSU and contribute is something I take immense pride in."
Diving made a splash in the final day of events as Ashley Yarbrough led the 1-2-3 formation for the Bears on the 3-meter boards, tallying a 275.40 first-place total. Dayana Popa (254.55) and Adriana Avila (249.15) rounded out the diving trio. Michael Claunch clinched second on the 1-meter boards with a 315.30 dive.
"This meet provided us with a great opportunity to showcase new dives that we have incorporated into our lists," said Yarbrough. "We'll continue to train and improve as we approach mid-season and begin preparation for the Missouri Valley Conference Championships."
Up next, the Bears play host to Missouri on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Hammons Student Center Pool beginning at 1 p.m.
