Jan. 22, 2002
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LADY TIGERS SET FOR MATCH-UP AGAINST IOWA STATE:
The Missouri women's swimming and diving team will put its perfect 7-0 dual meet record on the line this Saturday afternoon when the Tigers take on Big 12 Conference foe Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. The meet begins at 1 p.m. The Cyclones, who have been off since Dec. 8, are 3-1 in dual meet competition this season. ISU was victorious in its' last dual, a 178.5-128.5 over a very good University of Iowa team. The Tigers and Cyclones have already seen one another this season. Missouri, who finished second at the Big 12 Relay Meet in Columbia on Oct. 19, outscored the fifth place Cyclones, 77-46.
MIZZOU WILL GET IOWA STATE'S BEST:
The University of Kansas may be the arch-rival of the Missouri Tigers, but the Missouri-Iowa State match-up has been a good one. Last year in dual meet action, the Tigers knocked off the Cyclones by a score of 133.5-109.5 in a very exciting meet. Missouri recorded eight first place finishes to Iowa State's five, but the depth of the Tigers proved to be the key to victory. The Big 12 Championships in Austin, Texas was dominated by the Univesity of Texas, but the most exciting part was the battle between Missouri and Iowa State for fourth place. Missouri entered the final night of competition in fifth place, 51 points behind the fourth place Cyclones. The Tigers figured the challenge of the evening would be to hold off Kansas for fifth place, but Mizzou was able to come full circle and amazingly topped Iowa State for fourth place, the highest finish in school history. The Tigers scratched and clawed their way all the way back and tied Iowa State at 400 points a piece heading into the final race of the meet, the 400 freestyle relay. By that time, the momentum was in Mizzou's favor as the team of seniors Kim Lambert and Kara Bramer, along with freshman Andrea Nigh and sophomore Ellen Cross shattered the school record and came in second place to vault the Tigers into fourth place and top Iowa State by eight points, 434-426.
TIGERS COMING OFF SUCCESSFUL SPRINGFIELD TRIP:
The Missouri Tigers spent last weekend in Springfield, Mo. where they notched victories over Southwest Missouri State and Drury College. The Tigers dominated Southwest Missouri State by a score of 167-71 last Friday afternoon from start to finish, sweeping the top three places in every swimming event but one. The event the Tigers did not win was the one-meter diving event, but divers Anna Massey and Erin Wilke took first and second place respectively on the three-meter board. It was a balanced attack by Missouri as sophomore Lizza Igoe was the lone double-winner for Mizzou. Igoe won both the 200 and 500 freestyle events. Seven other Tigers won individual events and Missouri swept both relays. The Tigers carried their momentum into Saturday's meet at Drury College, handing the Lady Panthers a 136-105 defeat. Junior Katy Chandler led another balanced performance with victories in both the 200 and 500 freestyle events. Mizzou freshmen Anna Massey and Amanda Maret swept the diving events for the Tigers.
MISSOURI MEN COMING OFF SPLIT:
The Missouri men's team is off this weekend as they prepare for their final weekend of dual competition next week against the University of Iowa and the University of Evansville. The Tigers lost at Southwest Missouri State on Friday by a score of 144-97. They rebounded well on Saturday and defeated Drury by a score of 156-78. Despite the loss on Friday, the Tigers did put together some outstanding races. Junior Matt Ferrarelli won both the 200 individual medley and the 200 backstroke, breaking pool records in both events. Junior Radu Miclaus stepped up and won the 200 butterfly in a pool record time of 1:50.53. Freshman Justin Zeimetz was the winner in the 100 freestyle, one of two victories for Zeimetz on the weekend. Zeimetz was impressive again on Saturday against Drury in his win in the 50 freestyle. Ferrarelli and Miclaus paced the Tigers against Drury with two victories apiece. Missouri also got a shot in the arm from junior diver Jamie Sweeney. Sweeney won both the one and three-meter diving competitions, despite diving with the flu. Sweeney was very questionable as to whether he would even be able to compete, but he stepped in and actually dominated boards, winning by more than 30 points.
NATIONALLY RANKED TIGERS:
The 2001-02 swimming campaign is proving to be a good one around the nation. The top times in the nation are seemingly faster towards the top than they were last season. Yet, the Missouri Tigers continue to show up in a number of events in the latest College Quick 50 compiled by Taper & Shave. Junior Matt Ferrarelli, an NCAA qualifer in 2001, is ranked up with the best swimmers in the country in the individual medley events. Ferrarelli is ranked 10th in the 200 individual medley with a best time of 1:49.31. He currently is ranked No. 13 in the nation in the 400 IM with a time of 3:53.81. Junior Radu Miclaus is currently ranked 44th in the nation in the 200 butterfly. The Mizzou women have five individuals ranked among the nation's top 50 in their respective events. Freshman Mariona Costa is currently ranked 25th in the country in the 100 breaststroke with a best time of 1:03.20. She is also ranked No. 34 in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:17.56. The highest ranking Tiger is Rebecca Wolfe in the 200 butterfly. Wolfe is ranked 18th with a time of 2:00.66. Sophomore Sarah Lo is ranked 32nd in the 100 backstroke (56.23) while fellow sophomores Lizza Igoe (48th, 500 freestyle) and Andrea Nigh (49th, 50 freestyle) are also ranked among the nation's top 50.
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS FORECAST:
The forecast for Feb. 20-23 for the Big 12 Championships in College Station, Texas is a good one according to the current top times list provided the by the Big 12 Conference. While Texas is dominating the top of the men's and women's lists in nearly every event, the Missouri Tigers know that Texas will have to be selective in which events their individuals compete in. For instance, Mizzou sophomore Andrea Nigh is currently ranked 10th in the 50 freestyle and eighth in the 100 freestyle. Nigh is the highest ranked swimmer in both events that is not from the University of Texas. Mizzou freshman Mariona Costa owns the second fastest swims in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke thus far in the Big 12 Conference. As a matter of fact, the Tigers own three of the top four times in the 100 breaststroke. Junior Tiffany Bohon is ranked third while sophomore Sarah Lo is ranked fourth. Lo is also ranked fourth in the 200 backstroke behind three Texas swimmers. Sophomore Rebecca Wolfe is currently ranked second in the conference in the 200 butterfly. Wolfe is the defending Big 12 Champion in that event. She also ranks fourth in the 400 IM. Sophomore Lizza Igoe also ranks in the upper echelon of the Big 12 in numerous events. She is 12th in the 200 freestyle, although nine of the swimmers ranked ahead of Igoe are from Texas. She is currently ranked second in the 500 freestyle and third in the 1000 freestyle. Although the 1000 freestyle is not a competitive event at the conference meet, it does bode well for her in the 1650 freestyle where she is currently ranked sixth. With only three men's teams in the Big 12 Conference due to the unfortunate loss of the programs at Nebraska, Iowa State and Kansas, one would think Texas and Texas A&M would be dominating the Missouri Tigers in the conference rankings. So far, that is not the case. Junior Matt Ferrarelli, the defending Big 12 Champion in the 400 IM, currently ranks second behind the 2000 400 IM champ Joe Montague of Texas. Ferrarelli ranks only behind Montague and U.S. Olympian Tommy Hannan in the 200 IM. He ranks in the top eight in both the 100 and 200 backstroke events as well. The Mizzou men are ranked near the top in all three distance events. Junior Dane Pedersen, the Big 12 runner-up in 2001 in the 1650 freestyle, again ranks second in the conference. He is also ranked second in the 500 freestyle. Freshman Josh Boyd is ranked behind Pedersen at third in the 1650 free and fifth in the 500 freestyle. Junior Radu Miclaus is ranked in the top six in both butterfly events and freshman Matt North, who ranks in the top eight in the breaststroke events, has a host of Texas swimmers ahead of him.
COAST-TO-COSTA:
It took freshman Mariona Costa less than three months to earn the title fastest breaststroke swimmer in Missouri swimming history. Costa broke school records in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the Pittsburgh Invite in November, and there is no reason to believe that she won't keep getting faster. She eclipsed the school record in the 200 breaststroke by over a second-and-a-half and broke the 100 breaststroke record by nearly a second. The Barcelona, Spain native also was part of the record-breaking 400 medley relay team at Pittsburgh. Before the Tigers departed for Tempe, Ariz. for Christmas Training, Costa returned to her home in Spain to compete in the Spanish Winter Nationals. She was the winner in the 100 breaststroke and took second place in the 50 breaststroke.
STUDENTS HAVE THEIR SAY: NEW POOL AT MIZZOU:
A student vote took place on the University of Missouri campus on Oct. 21-23 regarding expansion and improvements of the Student Recreational Center. Plans for the recreational center include the expansion of fitness and weight room space, new locker rooms, a new air ventilation system, new aerobic and marital arts studios, new sauna and steam rooms and a new climbing wall. The students voted on a fee increase of $75 per semester beginning in 2004 that includes a new 50m-competition pool with a separate diving well. It will also include a lap pool and a club pool.