The Missouri State swimming and diving teams have repeated last year's performance by sweeping the Missouri Valley Championship. The MSU women's team picked up their fourth straight Valley title with a final score of 875 points. Host Southern Illinois finished second with 824 points, followed by Illinois State with 765 points, Evansville with 398 points and Northern Iowa with 273 points. The MSU men turned in great performances on Saturday's final day to earn their second straight championship title with 713 points. Southern Illinois finished second with 688 points and Evansville finished third with 300 points.

Missouri State's Francy Palma earned her first individual win of the meet in the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 2:03.55. Her time lowers the MSU varsity record of 2:05.04 that Palma set in December at the Delta State Christmas Invitational. Kyla Meuer also had an individual win for the Bears, by conquering the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:20.66. Marcy O'Neil added a third-place finish for the Bears in the event, touching wall in 2:26.11. Andi Rojas picked up her third individual conference championship win in the 200-yard butterfly. Rojas finished over two seconds faster than Illinois State's Tracy Deyell to earn her the win with a time of 2:05.11. This time lowers the MSU varsity record that Rojas set last year at the MVC Championship in 2:05.62. Freestylist Liz Geisler finished second in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a final time of 17:12.35.

The MSU 400-yard freestyle relay team, consisting of Ericka Norgren, Rojas, Jordan Hawkins, and Meuer, finished second to Southern Illinois in a time of 3:28.04. The time breaks the MSU varsity record previously held by Norgren, O'Neil, Rojas, and Chauntelle Johnson, set at the 2004 UALR Invitational in 3:28.66.

Senior diver Stacey Arkovich won the three-meter diving competition with 283.65 points. Arkovich has already qualified for the NCAA zone diving meet from her score of 326.15 that she earned at MSU's last home dual meet against Webster University.

On the men's side of the meet, Matt Beasley was the first individual winner on the night for the Bears in the 100-yard freestyle. Beasley finished the race with a time of 44.99. Greg Temple was also a winner for Missouri State in the 200-yard breaststroke. Temple finished in a time of 2:00.68 and teammate Seth Johnson earned second place in the race with a time of 2:02.06. Temple's time surpasses the NCAA provisional mark of 2:01.21. MSU's Victor Serra added a second-place finish for the Bears in the 200-yard butterfly. Serra finished the race in 1:48.01 and lowered his previously owned MSU varsity record of 1:48.74 that he set at December's Delta State Christmas Invitational. Ryan Bullock finished second in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 15:48.49.

Rojas was named Co-Swimmer of the Meet along with SIU's Julie Ju. MSU's diving coach, Jim Huelskamp, was named the women's Diving Coach of the Meet and MSU's head coach Jack Steck was honored as the MVC women's Coach of the Meet.

Missouri State ended the MVC Championship meet with 11 all-conference winnners including Arkovich, Jennifer Burchard, Geisler, Hawkins, Meuer, Norgren O'Neil, Palma, Courtney Phillips, Rojas and Zeller. The MSU men earned 12 all-conference winners including Beasley, Ryan Bullock, Tony Freeman, Ignacio Gayo, A.J. Goertzen, Johnson, Ryan Maeker, Eduardo Pajares, Mitch Richards, Victor Riffel, Serra, and Temple.

Ryan Maeker and Stacey Arkovich will next compete in the zone diving meet on Mar. 10-12 and Mar. 16-18, respectively, for the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship. The women's NCAA championship meet will be in Athens, Ga., Thurs.-Sat., March 16-18 and the men's championship meet will be in Atlanta, Ga., Thurs.-Sat., March 23-25.