CEDAR FALLS — The Missouri Valley Conference has added Marshall University as an affiliate member in women’s swimming and diving, effective for this season. Marshall will compete in the 2023 MVC Championship in Iowa City on Feb. 15-18, hosted by the University of Northern Iowa.

The addition of Marshall lifts league membership to 10 in the sport.

“Looking forward to the Thundering Herd participating in our women’s swimming and diving championship,” said MVC Commissioner Jeff Jackson. “I attended my first last season and know first-hand their student-athletes will have a tremendous experience.”

The Thundering Herd join Evansville, Illinois-Chicago, Illinois State, Indiana State, Missouri State, UNI, Southern Illinois, Valparaiso and fellow affiliate member Little Rock as MVC members in women’s swimming and diving. Last year, Missouri State wrapped up its sixth-straight Missouri Valley Conference championship. The title win marked the 18th in the past 20 years for Missouri State, which leads all NCAA Division I women’s swimming and diving programs.

“Our administration, staff and student-athletes are thrilled to be part of the Missouri Valley Conference,” said Ian Walsh, Marshall’s swimming and diving coach. “Our priority was to find a conference that provided our program with an elite conference championship environment. It is a competitive conference, sending multiple athletes to the NCAA Championship last season, puts together first class meet operations, and competes in some of the fastest venues in the country.”

Marshall returns 17 of 20 conference scorers this season and is coming off one of its best conference championship showings in 2022.

Marshall University is a public research university located along the banks of the Ohio River in Huntington, W.Va. Founded in 1837, the school has an enrollment of nearly 13,000.