Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Recap

SIUC divers Karla Gerzema and Alex Wright met the NCAA qualifying standards as the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated Drury College Saturday at the Recreation Center.

Wright, who qualified last year as well, and Gerzema will compete in the NCAA qualifying meet on March 13-14 at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas.

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The men’s team defeated Drury by a score of 137-104 in its season opener, while the women’s team rebounded from an Oct. 18 loss to the University of Notre Dame with a 136-105 victory.

Gerzema won the 3-meter women’s diving competition with a score of 278.85, well ahead of her closest competitor, who finished at 193.72. Wright won the men’s 1-meter competition with a score of 305.70.

SIUC diving coach Dave Ardrey was pleased with his divers’ finishes.

We had two key performances, and I’m very proud of them, Ardrey stated in a press release. They are seniors, and I expect them to perform at that level. They did a great job. We’ve got a long way to go, but I’m impressed with them.

The men’s swimming team was led by Ryan Gallager, who placed first in the 1,000-meter freestyle (9:44.46) and the 500-meter freestyle (4:42.13), while Jasson Velez took first in the 200-meter individual medley (1:55.28).

Men’s coach Rick Walker said his team defeated a tough competitor in Drury, but it still has areas it needs to improve on.

I’m pleased with the meet because we beat a good team, Walker stated in a press release. I saw some weaknesses in some areas, but I saw some strengths in some areas I haven’t seen in awhile.

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The women’s swimming team featured several first-place finishes, including Kiki Sidiropoulou in the 1,000-meter freestyle with a time of 10:32.36, Niki Michalidou in the 50-meter freestyle (24.93) and Nicole Freda in the 200-meter individual medley (2:12.13). Daniela Muniz and Freda finished No. 1 and No. 2 in the 200-meter butterfly with times of 2:10.68 and 2:12.68, respectively.

Women’s coach Mark Kluemper said the team showed improvement from the Notre Dame meet.

We had a good meet, and I’m pleased with how well we performed, Kluemper stated in a press release. This was a much better meet for us. We were in it all the way.

The Salukis’ next meet is Friday at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.