Missouri
Nebraska
Tigers Dust Huskers in Season Finale
2/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving, Swimming & Diving
Feb. 9, 2008
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The 21st-ranked University of Missouri women's swimming and diving team (13-1, 3-1 Big 12) closed out its dual season on Saturday with a 173-122 victory over conference foe Nebraska. The win is the Tigers' 13th of the season, tying the most single-season wins any team has compiled during Head Coach Brian Hoffer's 16-year tenure at Mizzou.
"This is one of the best teams I have had a chance to coach," Hoffer said. "The deciding factor will be how we perform at conference later this month. I could not be happier with our efforts this year though. The women have put in so much time and dedication, and it's nice to see it paying off."
Mizzou won 12 of 14 non-exhibition events in an all-around dominant display on Saturday. The only events the Tigers dropped were the 100 and 200 fly, and even then the team went 2-3-4 in each race.
The afternoon began with freshman Lauren Lavigna, classmate Morgan McCleery, senior Arica Jacinto and junior Lori Halvorson cruising to a comfortable victory in the 400 medley relay. The quartet combined for a time of 3:51.85 in capturing the win.
Junior Jill Granger was up next for the Tigers in the 1000 free. The Midland, Texas, native also won comfortably, clocking a 10:17.74 to gain a near 10-second edge on the second-place Husker.
Fellow Texan Colleen Gordon followed up her 200 free win from a night before with another victory in the race against Nebraska. The sophomore sensation blew past the competition in a time of 1:49.78, the second-fastest mark in school history. Gordon returned later in the meet to post the only sub-five minute time (4:55.72) in winning the 500 free.
Another multiple winner on the day was newcomer Lauren Lavigna. The Canadian posted a 57.79 to capture the win in the 100 back and took the 200 portion of the event in a time of 2:04.23.
In typical fashion, fellow Canadian Kendra Melnychuk was also a member of the two-win club on Saturday. The junior put herself atop the 1-meter diving leaderboard with a score of 271.73 and tallied 323.25 points to win the 3-meter competition by more than 50 points.
The Tigers held serve in the breaststroke category as well. Senior Jill Bastien paced the field in the 100 breast in a time of 1:04.60 and junior Erin Yeager followed suit in the 200 portion of the event in a time of 2:23.13.
Senior Taye Patterson was also on the hunt for a win on Saturday and claimed her prize in the 50 free. The Valdes Monts, Quebec, native sprinted to victory in a time of 24.26.
Adding to her earlier relay win was Lori Halvorson in the 100 free. The junior touched the wall in a time of 52.27 to take the top spot in the race.
With the close of the dual season comes a renewed focus on the Tigers' next and biggest event of the season, the Big 12 Championships. This year's conference meet will take place Feb. 27-Mar. 1 in Austin, Texas.
Players Mentioned
