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CARBONDALE, Ill. – Following impressive displays at last Friday’s Indiana State Tri-Meet, Southern Illinois’ Alex Santiago and Celia Pulido were awarded Missouri Valley Conference Weekly Honors on Wednesday afternoon. Santiago earned the MVC Men’s Swimmer of the Week title, while Pulido was honored as the conference’s Women’s Swimmer of the Week.

This marks the fourth time this season that Santiago has received the Swimmer of the Week accolade. For Pulido, this is her inaugural Swimmer of the Week recognition of the season.

“It’s wonderful to see both of our returning NCAA Championship qualifiers acknowledged for their performances last Friday,” remarked head coach Geoff Hanson. “Both Celia and Alex are poised to achieve remarkable feats in the weeks ahead.”

Santiago played a significant role in guiding the Salukis’ men’s squad to a 155-142 triumph over UIndy and a 198-96 victory against Ball State on Friday. The senior secured four first-place finishes throughout the competition, which included two individual victories and two relay wins. His day commenced as a member of Southern’s 200-yard medley relay team, which claimed first place with a time of 1:28.88. Santiago subsequently earned individual gold in the 50-yard freestyle with his time of 19.81; he was the sole swimmer at the event to finish the 50-yard freestyle in under 20 seconds. His other individual first-place finish occurred in the 100-yard freestyle, achieving a time of 44.04. To conclude the event, Santiago anchored the first-place 400-yard freestyle relay team in the final event of the afternoon.

Meanwhile, SIU’s women’s team triumphed over Indiana State 153-147 and UIndy 215.5-84.5 last Friday, largely due to Pulido’s standout performance. Pulido captured four gold medals on Friday, securing two individual victories and two relay wins. The senior participated in the first event of the day, aiding SIU’s 200-yard medley relay team to a first-place finish following their 1:42.08 race. She then dominated the 100-yard backstroke, finishing first with a time of 54.85. The senior excelled in the 200-yard backstroke, with her time of 1:58.54 being over three seconds superior to that of the event’s runner-up. Lastly, Pulido contributed to SIU’s success in the final women’s event of the day, anchoring the team’s first-place 400-yard freestyle relay.

Further details on the MVC’s weekly awards can be accessed at mvc-sports.com.

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