McLean County Times

The Illinois State Swimming and Diving team is set to compete in the 2025 Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) Championships, scheduled from February 26 to March 1. The event will take place at the newly constructed Waukee CSD Natatorium in Iowa.

Senior Mia Snow recently broke the school record in the 100-fly with a time of 54.03 at the 2024 Purdue Invitational, surpassing Kierston Farley-Sepe's previous record of 54.70 set in 2020.

In terms of current standings within the MVC, several Illinois State athletes hold top-10 positions. Emma Feltzer ranks fifth in the 50-free and eighth in the 100-free. Chloe Tyler is tenth in the 50-backstroke and ninth in the 100-backstroke. Sydney Hoff holds sixth place in the 200-breaststroke. Mia Snow is fourth in the 100-fly, which also marks her school-record time.

In relay events, Illinois State ranks sixth for both the 200-free and 400-free relays, as well as tied for fourth with UNI in the 200 Medley relay.

Diving has been a strong point for Illinois State with Eva Reyes leading first-place finishes on both one-meter and three-meter boards, followed by Selena Corona, Emma Thompson, and Isabel Poggenklass securing top spots as well.

The pre-championship poll places Southern Illinois at the top with a score of 75 points followed by Indiana State and Missouri State with scores of 72 and 69 respectively. Illinois State currently stands seventh with a score of 33 points.

Reflecting on past performances, senior Emma Feltzer claimed gold at last year's championships by breaking her own school record in the 200-yard freestyle. Diver Eva Reyes earned First Team All-MVC honors with a bronze medal performance on day three of last year's championship.

Illinois State has historically won five MVC titles since its inception but finished as "Valley Runner-Up" seventeen times, most recently achieving this position in 2022.

For ongoing updates about Illinois State swimming & diving activities or information related to tickets or merchandise purchases fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow their social media channels including "X," Facebook, and Instagram under RedbirdSwimDive handles.