Missouri
2024 MVC Championship Fan Guide: Missouri State Fighting for 8th-Straight Title
2024 MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Dates: Wednesday, February 21 – Saturday, February 24
- Location: Deaconess Aquatic Center, Evansville, IN
- Defending Champions (women): Missouri State (6x)
- Live Results (via MeetMobile)
- Live Video
- Championship Central
- Teams: Evansville, Illinois State, Indiana State, Little Rock, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Valparaiso, UIC
SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY (2/21)
- 200 medley relay
- 800 free relay
THURSDAY (2/22)
- 500 free
- 200 IM
- 50 free
- 1-meter diving
- 200 free relay
FRIDAY (2/23)
- 100 fly
- 400 IM
- 200 free
- 100 breast
- 100 back
- 3-meter diving
- 400 medley relay
SATURDAY (2/24)
- 200 back
- 100 free
- 200 breast
- 200 fly
- 1650 free
- 400 free relay
2023 RECAP
Final Team Scores:
- Missouri State – 1,326
- Indiana State – 1,200.5
- Illinois State – 997
- Northern Iowa – 881
- Southern Illinois – 854
- Marshall – 791
- UIC – 718.5
- Evansville – 390
- Little Rock – 351
- Valparaiso – 187
Awards:
- Swimmer of the Year: Madyson Morse, Illinois State
- Freshman Swimmer of the Year: Olivia Herron, Southern Illinois
- Swimming Coach of the Year: Dave Collins, Missouri State
- Diver of the Year: Eva Reyes, Illinois State
- Freshman Diver of the Year: Kerry-Leigh Morrison, UIC
- Diving Coach of the Year: Susan Bromberg, UIC
- Elite 17: Kelly Sego, Missouri State
Missouri State won their 7th-straight Missouri Valley Conference team title last year, beating runner-up Indiana State by 125.5 points.
STARS
Celia Pulido, Southern Illinois
Celia Pulido, a Southern Illinois junior, is without question one of the fastest swimmers in the Missouri Valley Conference, and a top mid major swimmer in the NCAA currently. Last year, Pulido was a bit down from her performances as a freshman, but she still managed to win the 100 back (52.88) and 200 back (1:56.01).
Pulido is the MVC Record holder in both backstroke events, holding careers best of 51.82 in the 100 back and 1:54.26 in the 200 back. That 51.82 100 back was swum at mid season this year at the Purdue Invite. Pulido also leads the 200 back this season with a 1:55.30.
Madyson Morse, Illinois State
The reigning Swimmer of the Year, Illinois State’s Madyson Morse, took her fifth year of NCAA eligibility to return to the Redbirds for one more season. Morse swam exceptionally well at the MVC Championships last year, winning the 200 IM (2:00.61), 100 breast (1:00.34), and 200 breast (2:11.58). Additionally, she broke the MVC championship and conference records in both breaststroke events as well.
Morse has been very good so far this season. She leads the MVC in the 100 breast heading into the meet, having gone a 1:00.80 at the Purdue Invite. Morse has also been 2:14.10 already in the 200 breast this year, which comes in at #2 in the conference. Meanwhile, she’s down the list in the 200 IM, having only been 2:05.48 this season, which ranks her 17th.
Olivia Herron, Southern Illinois
Southern Illinois sophomore Olivia Herron returns to the Salukis after winning Freshman Swimmer of the Year last year. Last year, Herron came in 3rd in the 200 IM (2:01.55), 2nd in the 400 IM (4:18.34), and 2nd in the 200 breast (2:12.44). While Herron took 2nd in the 400 IM last year, it would seem she’s probably going to do the 100 breast this year. She currently ranks 2nd in the conference in the 100 breast with her career best of 1:01.09. On top of that, Herron leads the MVC in the 200 breast this season, having put up a 2:12.08, and she leads the 200 IM as well with a 2:01.28.
It’s possible Herron sticks with the 400 IM this season. She’s been 4:22.73 in the event this season, which puts her 5th in the conference.
Faith Larsen, Northern Iowa
Northern Iowa junior Faith Larsen is a force to be reckoned with as a sprinter within the Missouri Valley Conference. Larsen is the defending MVC champion in the 50 free, having won the event in 22.50 last year. She also took 3rd in the 100 free with a 50.26.
Larsen has been excellent so far this season, particularly in the 100 free. She’s been faster than she was last year, having swum a 49.72 at the WVU Invite at mid season, which currently ranks 2nd in the conference. Larsen also leads the MVC this season in the 50 free with a 22.54, setting her up nicely to defend her title.
Claire Parsons, Indiana State
Indiana State has added freshman Claire Parsons, who looks primed to make a huge impact in her first MVC Championship. Parsons leads the conference this season in the 500 free with a 4:51.86, a time which she swam at the Miami University Invite. She also leads the conference in the 1650 free with a 16:52.20. For what it’s worth, Parsons also clocked the top 1000 time in the conference this season, having gone a 9:58.88 at a dual meet with Illinois State.
Last year, it took a 16:50.44 to win the 1650 free, while it also took a 4:51.27 to win the 500 free.
RACES TO WATCH
100/200 Breast
The breaststroke events at this year’s MVC Championships should be some of the best races of the meet. Madyson Morse won both breaststroke events last year, however, Olivia Herron has made another step forward in her sophomore season.
In the 100 breast, Morse leads the conference this season with a 1:00.80, while Herron isn’t far behind, ranking 2nd with a 1:01.09. Morse set the conference record in the event last year with a 1:00.34, so we’ll see if she’s able to get down to that time again. Morse should certainly be viewed as the favorite going into the meet but Herron is coming, there’s no doubt about that.
Meanwhile, Herron currently leads the conference in the 200 breast with a 2:12.08. That’s a full 2 seconds faster than Morse’s season best of 2:14.10. That being said, Morse did set the conference record last year with a 2:11.58, so she’s still holding a faster career best than Herron. Regardless of who comes out on top, both breaststroke races should be thrilling.
100 Free
Defending champion Jordan Wenner (Missouri State) is back for her senior year and looking to defend her title in the event. Wenner has already been under her winning time of 50.03 from last season, having clocked a 49.64 at the Purdue Invite.
Wenner has her work cut out for her, however. Faith Larsen ripped a 49.72 in the 100 free at mid season, putting her less than a tenth of a second behind Wenner in the conference rankings.
Meanwhile, Indiana State’s Chloe Farro is knocking on the door of breaking 50 seconds as well, having posted a 50.02 at her mid season invite.
200 IM
The 200 IM is another Morse/Herron showdown, but there are other players in the mix there. Morse is the defending champion, having clocked a 2:00.61 to win last season. She hasn’t been quite up to that time so far this season, only having been 2:05.48.
Herron took 3rd last year but has already swum a career best this season and currently leads the conference with a 2:01.28 this season. Teammate Celia Pulido is also in the mix, having taken 4th in the event last season.
Missouri State’s Kelly Sego came in 2nd last year and she’s been 2:02.98 in the event this season, which is good for 7th in the conference.
There’s just so much depth in the event this year. Northern Iowa’s Amber Finke has already been 2:01.74 this season, which is the 2nd-fastest performance in the conference. Indiana State also has a great pair of swimmers in Alexandria Cotter and Dorotea Bukvic, who have been 2:02.30 and 2:02.51 respectively this season.
SWIMSWAM’S PICKS (TOP 3)
- Missouri State
- Indiana State
- Southern Illinois
It’s hard to pick against a team that has won 7-straight conference titles. It’s especially difficult to pick against this Missouri State team since they didn’t lose a huge amount of firepower from last year’s championship team.
While MSU comes into this meet as the favorite, both Indiana State and Southern Illinois have built very good rosters and could give Missouri State problems.
Missouri
Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for June 28, 2026
The Missouri Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at June 28, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 0-7-2
Midday Wild: 1
Evening: 9-9-6
Evening Wild: 7
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from June 28 drawing
Midday: 4-5-0-4
Midday Wild: 9
Evening: 1-4-6-7
Evening Wild: 0
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from June 28 drawing
Early Bird: 04
Morning: 07
Matinee: 09
Prime Time: 06
Night Owl: 15
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Show Me Cash numbers from June 28 drawing
05-08-12-33-34
Check Show Me Cash payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Missouri Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Missouri Lottery’s regional offices, by appointment only.
To claim by mail, complete a Missouri Lottery winner claim form, sign your winning ticket, and include a copy of your government-issued photo ID along with a completed IRS Form W-9. Ensure your name, address, telephone number and signature are on the back of your ticket. Claims should be mailed to:
Ticket Redemption
Missouri Lottery
P.O. Box 7777
Jefferson City, MO 65102-7777
For in-person claims, visit the Missouri Lottery Headquarters in Jefferson City or one of the regional offices in Kansas City, Springfield or St. Louis. Be sure to call ahead to verify hours and check if an appointment is required.
For additional instructions or to download the claim form, visit the Missouri Lottery prize claim page.
When are the Missouri Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Pick 4: 12:45 p.m. (Midday) and 8:59 p.m. (Evening) daily.
- Cash4Life: 8 p.m. daily.
- Cash Pop: 8 a.m. (Early Bird), 11 a.m. (Late Morning), 3 p.m. (Matinee), 7 p.m. (Prime Time) and 11 p.m. (Night Owl) daily.
- Show Me Cash: 8:59 p.m. daily.
- Lotto: 8:59 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Powerball Double Play: 9:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Missouri editor. You can send feedback using this form.
Missouri
UPDATE: Well-known mid-Missouri attorney charged after sting expected to request home detention | 93.9 The Eagle
A prominent mid-Misssouri attorney has pleaded NOT guilty to a felony charge of enticement or attempted enticement of a child.
56-year-old Daniel Walter Follett is charged in Boone County Circuit Court. He had served as the Missouri Department of Revenue’s (DOR) general counsel until he was fired after last week’s arrest.
Court documents filed by Boone County prosecutors say Follett was allegedly using a prostitution website “to solicit sexual services from a person whom he believed to be a 16-year-old child.” The Boone County Sheriff’s Department’s probable cause statement says Follett allegedly arrived at an address in Boone County last week to pay money to have sex with a female whom he believed was under the age of 17.
Follett, who is currently jailed without bond, is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon before Judge Kimberly Shaw and is expected to request home detention, based on online court records.
939 the Eagle News contacted the Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) after Follett’s arrest. DOR released a statement about Follett’s arrest and status last week. It reads: “The Department is aware of an out-of-office incident involving a staff member who was arrested and charged with criminal activity. Following departmental procedures, employment has been terminated with the individual.”
What’s next: Follett is scheduled to appear in Boone County Circuit Court on Tuesday at 1 pm for a bond hearing before Judge Kimberly Shaw. Follett is represented by defense attorney Jessica Caldera, a former Boone County assistant prosecutor. Follett is expected to request home detention from the court until his trial. Boone County prosecutors have described Follett in a court filing as a flight risk.
Missouri
Missouri parent groups organize with school funding concerns
Sarah Laub tried everything to get her son with learning disabilities a better education.
She drove him to a private school an hour and a half away from their home in rural Missouri before being directed to the local public school. When he continued to struggle, she tried homeschooling.
The local school district in Stockton, a town with a population under 2,000, just couldn’t provide everything her son needed, despite teachers’ best efforts.
“They really did not have the funds to provide him with everything he needed, and he really, really struggled,” Laub told The Independent.
As her son approached high school, she researched schools near Kansas City and decided to move her family to Blue Springs, a growing suburb with 20 schools awarded a National Blue Ribbon by the U.S. Department of Education. There, her son learned to enjoy his education and immerse himself in activities like theater.
“Seeing the difference that funding made and the difference in resources that a rural school versus a suburban school had was so infuriating,” Laub said. “All kids deserve to have access to those resources.”
For years, she fought for her son to get what he needed, but now she’s bringing her anger to a larger fight — one she believes has vast implications for public schools statewide.
Laub is part of a coalition called Parents for Missouri Public Schools that is organizing families against a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow state lawmakers to raise sales and use taxes in order to repeal the state’s income tax. Fueled by parents worried about the future of their kids’ schools, the organization is one of many groups labeling Amendment 5 an affront to public education.
The fight over Amendment 5 has largely been framed as a tax debate, with those in favor of the proposal pitching it as a way to drive more business to Missouri. But for public school advocates, the central question is what happens to classrooms if the state phases out a tax that supplies a major share of general revenue and replaces it with sales taxes under the purview of the state legislature.
“Amendment 5 could dramatically harm the bottom line of public education funding in a time in which public schools cannot take another hit,” Molly Fleming, a professional organizer behind Parents for Missouri Public Schools, told The Independent.
State funding of public schools came up $138 million short this fiscal year due to the state budget’s overreliance on lottery and gaming taxes, reducing the amount of per-pupil funding by a couple hundred dollars. The discrepancy has a disproportionate effect on schools who rely more heavily on state support, which tend to be Missouri’s rural districts.
The budget lawmakers passed this spring, which has yet to be signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe, keeps funding flat, coming $190 million under what the state’s formula for determining aid to public schools called for. And officials are predicting lean years ahead as the state reserves dwindle.
“The cut to public-school funding was a very serious thing for me to want to be able to get involved,” Sierra Kilpatrick, a mother of five in North Kansas City and regional organizer with Parents for Missouri Public Schools, told The Independent. “I need to do something, so I don’t feel helpless. I can go out and talk about this.”
Supporters of Amendment 5 argue Missouri should move away from taxing income and toward a system they say would make the state more competitive, attract investment and let residents keep more of what they earn. They have framed the proposal as a way to force lawmakers to modernize the tax code while giving them flexibility to replace lost revenue.
“Other states with no income tax have grown at a pace much faster than Missouri,” Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a recent radio interview. “We’re losing population, they’re gaining population. That isn’t sustainable.”
But opponents say the measure asks voters to trust lawmakers to replace the state’s largest revenue source without guaranteeing that public schools will be protected if the math does not work.
A woman at a pro-Amendment 5 town hall in Grandview earlier this month asked if public schools would face additional cuts, saying she worried lawmakers might not prioritize stable education funding if given more control over taxation.
Republican state Rep. Bishop Davidson of Republic, who sponsored the tax cut amendment, said he thinks public education would benefit from revenues being tied to consumption rather than income.
“States that rely on consumption taxes rather than income tax revenue have more stable budgets and more predictable budgets,” he said.
Davidson’s claim is largely true, with research showing that income tax revenues decline faster in a recession than sales taxes. But policy analysts have varying recommendations to fight volatility, advising states to plan ahead with large reserves or diversify its tax portfolio by not leaning too heavily on one tax system.
Amendment 5 calls for local governments to cut tax rates to keep revenue neutral, since it assumes more goods and services will be subject to both state and local sales tax. It includes a provision barring municipalities from lowering local funding of public schools under these clawbacks, but it does not prescribe any protections at the state level.
The Missouri Budget Project, a left-leaning public policy think tank opposing Amendment 5, estimates that the change could cut school budgets by 18%.
“It really does feel like a tax break for billionaires and millionaires versus safeguarding funding for public schools,” Fleming said. “There are a lot of parents who also are worried about their own bottom line, or worried about increased gas taxes, or whatever it may be.”
Fleming has an extensive background in organizing work, including the formation of a group called Parents for KC Kids which advocated for the passage of Kansas City Public Schools’ bond measure last year. Voters widely approved the $474 million bond, the first capital improvement bond to pass in the city since the 1960s.
Around 90% of those involved in Parents for KC Kids had never campaigned before, Fleming said. The group raised just over $11,000, according to Missouri Ethics Commission filings, contributing to a decisive victory through volunteer efforts and word of mouth.
The families who got involved in the campaign kept their advocacy work going, helping lay the foundation for Parents for Missouri Public Schools.
“When the bond passed, it was like a trigger went off in everyone’s head that, oh my gosh, we can do important things,” said LaNeé Bridewell, a mom in the district. “It is kind of like a bug. We got bit by the bug, and that first one gave us momentum and clarity about our ability to make change.”
Kathryn Evans, a Kansas City mom and nonprofit consultant, was used to helping charitable organizations advocate for themselves but hadn’t yet gotten involved in school matters apart from the parent teacher association. She joined the bond fight to help secure better facilities for neighborhood schools. But after the win, she hasn’t stopped seeing needs.
“Once we won that campaign, I became more aware that there are a lot of threats,” she told The Independent. “We just won a lot of money for our schools so that we can have nicer buildings and facilities, but there are plenty of threats to public education fundamentally.”
Across the state, parents in the Francis Howell School District in St. Charles County took on a similar battle this year.
In April, the county voted on a proposed property tax freeze, which would have stalled local revenue that public schools rely on, with 59% of voters rejecting the measure. The proposal was part of a bill passed by state lawmakers last year that also sought to incentivize sports teams to stay in Missouri.
Jamie Martin, who is president of a group called Francis Howell Forward, partnered with Fleming to educate her neighbors on why frozen property tax rates could harm local schools.
“Because of the property tax fight, I had learned a lot about taxes and how they’re divided up and how they work and how they fund schools,” Martin told The Independent. “So when I saw Amendment Five come on the horizon, I was like, ‘Oh, that is going to have major impacts for public schools,’ and public schools are something I care a lot about.”
Earlier this month, Martin led a training for parents in St. Charles to learn about Amendment 5. Her profession as an education researcher has put her at the front of countless training sessions, but the energy in this room stood out.
“These parents are ready, not just to hear the information and to complain, but these parents are ready to act,” she said.
Over the past few weeks, volunteers with Parents for Missouri Public Schools have held regional meetings in community centers, homes and restaurants. They ask attendees to spread information in a way that fits their schedule, whether it be in social media posts, play dates or more formal campaigning by flyering or making calls.
“The goal is to educate people on this so that they can go out into their communities and educate more people by word of mouth,” Kilpatrick said.
Although summer schedules are busy, Evans said, volunteers are finding ways to work advocacy into their schedules, motivated by the hope of helping their kids’ education.
“We as parents have the highest stakes, but we also have a lot of agency to make a difference in the outcome because of our relationships with each other,” she said. “We are going to be connected as a parent community because we all care about our kids.”
The coalition is also working to influence school boards to pass resolutions warning about potential impacts of Amendment 5. In the past week, school boards in Lee’s Summit and Kansas City have adopted such statements.
Parents for Missouri Public Schools has not taken a partisan stance, instead focusing on the impact to school funding and parents’ personal budgets.
“We are not affiliated in any way with any party,” Evans said. “There is a shared interest in protecting public schools, and that spans all kinds of differences.”
So far, the group has reported one contribution large enough to trigger 48-hour disclosure requirements: a $10,000 contribution from St. Louis-based Missouri Wins Investor Network. Smaller donations will be included in the committee’s July 15 report.
“It is pretty rare that we have an opportunity in Missouri to bring people together across such broad differences to all walk together towards something that we want to protect,” Evans said. “In this case, it is protecting public schools, protecting everyday Missourians.”
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Missouri Lottery Pick 3, Pick 4 winning numbers for June 28, 2026