ST. LOUIS -- The Missouri Valley Conference announced its men's and women's swimming and diving weekly honors on Wednesday. The men's honorees included Alex Cimera (Southern Illinois), Storm Opdahl (Missouri State) and Caleb Smesko (Valparaiso). On the women's side, Southern Illinois' Liseska Gallegos-Gutierrez and Livia Munkacsi-Nagy were recognized.



SWIMMER OF THE WEEK: Alex Cimera, Sr. - Ravenna, Ohio
Alex Cimera delivered a standout performance for SIU against Missouri State, earning four event victories. On Friday, he clocked a winning time of 45.37 in the 100-yard freestyle event before winning it again on Saturday with a time fo 45.50. After a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle on Friday, he shaved more than three seconds off his time to win it in 1:40.42 on Saturday. He was a part of SIU's 400-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams that each turned in winning performances in the dual meet event, as Cimera accounted for 28 of Southern Illinois' total team points.

DIVER OF THE WEEK: Storm Opdahl, Sr. - Chicago City, Minn.
Missouri State's Storm Opdahl was named the MVC Diver of the Week after his standout performances on the boards in the Bears' dual-meet win over Southern Illinois. On Friday, he scored an event-winning score of 303.15 in the 1-meter event, before returning on Saturday with a victorious score of 310.88 on the 3-meter. 

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Caleb Smesko, Fr. Valpo - Green, Ill.
Valparaiso's Caleb Smesko made an immediate impact in his collegiate debut, recording the sixth-fastest 100-yard backstroke and eighth-fastest 200-yard back times in Valpo history. He finished ahead of returning NIC postseason competitor Jackson Oostman in both events and posted a relay lead-off leg nearly a second faster than any other swimmer. Smesko's performance helped lead Valpo to its first dual meet victory over Eastern Illinois since 2017.



SWIMMER OF THE WEEK: Liseka Gallegos-Gutierrez, So. - San Luis Potosi, Mexcio 
Sophomore Liseska Gallegos-Gutierrez was a key contributor in SIU’s win over Missouri State, claiming first place in every event she entered. She won both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke with times of 55.57 and 2:00.86, respectively, and helped the Salukis capture first in the 400 medley, 200 freestyle, 200 medley, and 400 freestyle relays. The reigning MVC Women’s Freshman of the Year earned her first Swimmer of the Week honor with the dominant performance.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK: Livia Munkacsi-Nagy, Fr. - Budapest, Hungary 
Freshman Livia Munkacsi-Nagy made an outstanding collegiate debut, helping lead SIU’s women’s team to a win over Missouri State. The Budapest native captured titles in the 1000 freestyle (10:24.92), 400 IM (4:25.00), and 500 freestyle (5:03.70), while finishing second in the 200-yard backstroke (2:05.37). She also swam on the Salukis’ winning 400 freestyle relay team and tallied 31 points towards the team total, the second-highest of the meet.