SDSU heads to Summit League Championships

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SIOUX FALLS – The South Dakota State swimming and diving team is set to compete in the 2020 Summit League Championships on Wednesday through Saturdady at the Midco Aquatic Center in Sioux Falls.

This will be the third consecutive year that the swimming and diving championship is held at the Midco Aquatic Center.

On the men’s side, Denver, Eastern Illinois, South Dakota State, South Dakota, Valparaiso and Western Illinois will be competing.

The women’s side will have Denver, Eastern Illinois, Omaha, South Dakota State, South Dakota and Western Illinois.

SDSU

Last year’s conference championships saw the Jackrabbit men place third and the women fourth while Denver took first on both sides.

The SDSU men’s and women’s teams were picked to again finish third and fourth, respectively, in the preseason coaches’ poll.

The Jackrabbits have 23 swimmers that rank among the league’s top ten in their respective events. Freshman Alyssa Eckstein holds the second-best league time in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.44), fourth-best in the 400 IM (4:27.03), fifth-best in the 200 breaststroke (2:19.65) and the seventh-best time in the 200 butterfly (2:06.25). Junior Jared Miller ranks fifth in the league in the 200 backstroke (1:50.89), seventh in the 50 backstroke (23.82) and 10th in the 100 backstroke (51.16).

Noteworthy

The Denver men and women enter this year’s championship having each won the last six team titles. Last season, both Pioneer squads scored over 1,000 team points. A year ago, the Pioneers won 18 of the 19 swimming races on the men’s side, and return the men’s back-to-back championship MVP, Colin Gilbert. On the women’s side, Denver won all 19 swimming races.

Wednesday – Diving prelims, 2:30 p.m.; swim and dive finals, 5 p.m.

Thursday-Saturday – Swimming prelims, 10 a.m.; diving prelims, 1 p.m., swim and dive finals, 5 p.m.