Jan. 24, 2000

Home Sweet Home

MU will host two dual meets at home this weekend at University Natatorium. On Friday, Jan. 28 at 4:00 p.m., the Missouri women will do battle with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The following afternoon, Saturday, Jan. 29 at 1:00 p.m., both squads will host conference rival Nebraska.

In the Spirit of Things

In one of the few times that the men and women did not compete together, the women made their presence felt and were not to be forgotten. The entire women's team showed up to the meet sporting body paint spelling out "Go Tigers" across their stomachs. Their cheers could be heard loud and clear in the small confines of the natatorium. Now we will have to see if the men repay the favor on Friday for the women's meet against Iowa.

Scouting Iowa

When the MU women took on the Hawkeyes last season in Iowa City, they fell to Iowa by a score of 175-121. After starting the meet off strong claiming the top two spots in the opening 200 medley relay, MU struggled as the Hawkeyes won all but three events en route to victory. Senior captain Tawney Larm and junior Kara Bramer notched MU's two lone victories in the 200 breast and 200 IM.

This year, MU hopes to have a better showing in their first home opener. The Tigers are currently 6-2 on the season while Iowa brings a 4-3 record into the meet. The Hawkeyes were scheduled to compete against Big Ten rival Minnesota on Saturday, but due to a pool leak the meet was canceled.

Nebraska Comes To Columbia

Both the men's and women's teams will face off with the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday. Neither team fared well in 1999 in their dual with NU, but will be looking to improve upon their performances from a year ago. Both Husker teams are ranked in the top-20 nationally and are coming off senior day in Lincoln, Neb. after downing Iowa State. The NU men (2-5) are ranked 17th while the women (2-6) are ranked as the 16th best team in the country.

The MU women were unable to win an event in '99 against Nebraska as several key members were left home due to the flu bug hitting the team. The men a little more fortunate as junior sensation Aaron Lo was the only Black and Gold swimmer to claim individual victories. Lo won the 50 free and 100 breast.

National Rankings

In the latest list of top-25 performances, four Mizzou relays are ranked in the top 25 with several individual times right on the verge. On the men's side, MU's 200 free relay is currently ranked 22nd. For the women, their 200 free relay is ranked 12th while the 800 free relay is ranked 14th and the 200 medley relay is currently 25th overall.

Conference Time Rapidly Approaching

With the conference meets lying on the horizon, several Tigers have a lot to look forward too. Many of the MU swimmers and divers are sitting in great positions heading into the conference championships. In the latest listing of the conferences top-20 times, at least two Missouri swimmers are ranked in EVERY event. Listed below are the events and the swimmers ranked in the top-10 through last weekends competition. There are several events in which MU has multiple people ranked in the top-20, but not in the top ten.

50 Free

9. Kim Lambert

10. Kara Bramer

200 Free

7. Molly Vetter

1,000 Free

10. Molly Vetter

1650 Free

9. Sarah Stowe

10. Molly Vetter

100 Back

8. Rikki Janes

200 Back

8. Rikki Janes

100 Breast

t-4. Leslie Hoh

7. Tawney Larm

8. Tiffany Bohon

9. Kim Lambert

10. Kara Bramer

200 Breast

5. Leslie Hoh

8. Tawney Larm

100 Fly

6. Jeana Willi

8. Rikki Janes

200 Fly

8. Rikki Janes

9. Cristian Souza

200 IM

3. Leslie Hoh

5. Kara Bramer

7. Tawney Larm

400 IM

4. Leslie Hoh

6. Tawney Larm

7. Kara Bramer

Relays

2. 200 Free

5. 400 Free

5. 800 Free

3. 200 Medley

4. 400 Medley

3-meter Diving

9. Erin Wilke