The Saluki men were able to set the 10th fastest time of the year in the NCAA 200-meter relay, but they ultimately fell to Missouri and Kentucky at the Lancaster Aquatic Center in Lexington, Ky.

Both the men and women’s swimming teams lost to Missouri and Kentucky Universities Saturday. The men lost 168-126 to  Missouri and 173-127 to Kentucky, and the women lost 235-65 to Missouri and 218-81 to Kentucky.

Head coach Rick Walker said the men’s races were closer than the final score indicated.

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Senior swimmer Steve Wood works on his breaststroke Monday during practice at the Edward J. Shea Natatorium. The Saluki men faced off Saturday against the University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky, setting the 10th fastest time of the NCAA for the year in the 200-meter relay before losing the meet. The Salukis will compete Nov. 16 in the Tennessee Invitational at Knoxville, Tenn. Pat Sutphin | Daily Egyptian

“They were very competitive with Kentucky … it was just four points here and 10 points there,” Walker said. “We had a couple of races that kind of got away from us. Other than that, we were right there with them.”

The combination of seniors Justin Wolfe and Matt Parsons, along with sophomore Juan Arbelaez and freshman Shaun Wolfe, won the 200-meter relay with a time of 1:22.10.

Even with the top time, Wolfe said he was not satisfied with his team’s performance.

“During the meet as a whole, it was not as good as I wanted because we’re in the middle of training, so you’re not suppose to feel 100 percent,” Wolfe said. “The relay, I thought, was good. We all swam really fast … and it came together really well.”

The women’s team returned from a three-week competition break and wasn’t as successful.

Junior Kirsten Groome finished first in the 1,000-meter freestyle, which was the women’s only top finish of the meet.

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Walker said he doesn’t think the loss was because of the break.

“I think they came out and swam real well — tired, but that’s where we are,” Walker said. “They were competitive in every race. Kentucky and Missouri were just stronger.”

He said this is the point in the season when a swimmer’s body can be tired from the mix of training and meets, but junior swimmer Jessica Anderson said her team did a good job of not letting fatigue affect it.

“I think our team is really good at pushing through that pain and being ‘mentally there’ and ready to go, no matter what circumstance we’re in,” Anderson said.

She said her teammates are the driving force behind her willingness to continue swimming, even during trying times.

“We’re all in the same boat, and we all know what we’re going through,” Anderson said.

Anderson said she sees a silver lining in the team’s performance.

“The reason we compete against teams that are better than us on paper is to prepare us for the end goal of the conference tournament,” Anderson said. “So we’re ready to go when we have tough competition. We know we can step up and compete at that level.”

The Salukis will return to the water Nov. 16 for the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn.