McLean County Times

Illinois State University's Swimming and Diving team is set to host its final home meet of the year at Horton Pool on Friday, welcoming Quincy University and Saint Louis University (SLU). The event will begin with diving competitions at 11 a.m., followed by swimming events at 1 p.m.

In conjunction with the meet, Illinois State will celebrate Senior Day. Eight seniors will be recognized for their contributions to the program. These athletes include Cassidy Carey, Emma Feltzer, Ella Glaspie, Lauren Hervey, Sydney Hoff, Mia Snow, Lauren Wisdom, and diver Eva Reyes.

As the team moves into 2025, two swimmers from Illinois State are ranked in the top five in their respective events within the Missouri Valley Conference. Mia Snow holds fourth place in the 100-fly with a time of 54.03 seconds, while Emma Feltzer is fifth in the 50-freestyle event clocking a time of 22.99 seconds.

In diving competitions, several Illinois State divers hold top-five rankings on both the 1-meter and 3-meter boards within the conference. Notably, Eva Reyes and Selena Corona have performed well in platform diving events at Purdue.

The upcoming meet marks the first NCAA competition between Illinois State and Quincy University. SLU last faced Illinois State during the 2000-2001 season when they were outscored by the Redbirds in Peoria.

The Redbirds have been on a break since participating in November's Purdue Invitational where they achieved numerous personal bests. During that event, Mia Snow set a new school record for the 100-fly. Additionally, senior Lauren Hervey and freshman Hailey Fris also set personal records.

Quincy University competes in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and recently participated against Missouri-St Louis last month. St Louis University is part of the Atlantic-10 Conference and competed at UIndy’s House of Champions event in November.

Following this meet, Illinois State will travel to Cedar Rapids for a two-day competition against Missouri Valley Conference rival UNI starting January 17th.

For updates on Illinois State Swimming & Diving activities visit GoRedbirds.com or follow them on social media platforms including "X", Facebook, and Instagram.