Jan. 29, 2002

TIGERS GEAR UP FOR FINAL HOME WEEKEND:
The Missouri men's and women's swimming and diving teams will be in action for the final time in dual meet action this weekend at the University Natatorium. The men's team will compete on Friday night against the University of Iowa at 5:00 p.m, and then again on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. against the University of Evansville. The Missouri women enter Saturday's dual with a perfect 8-0 record. A victory over the Lady Aces will clinch an undefeated season, the first in school history. The Missouri men are 3-2 heading into Friday's meet against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa enters Friday's meet with a dual meet record of 1-4. The Tigers will not take the Hawkeyes lightly. Iowa has taken on a tough schedule, including the likes of Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue and Wisconsin. Both the Evansville men and women enter Saturday's meet with records of 2-3. Last year in Evansville, Ind., the Missouri women defeated the Lady Aces by a score of 135-87. The Mizzou men also handled Evansville in 2001 with a 142-79 win over the Aces.

WOMEN LOOK TO CAP OFF PERFECT SEASON:
With a victory this Saturday afternoon against Evansville, the Missouri women's swimming and diving team will head to the Big 12 Championships with a perfect 9-0 record under its belt. The Tigers are 8-0 heading into Saturday's showdown with Evansville, thanks to a 167-133 victory this past Saturday over the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa. As expected, the Tigers took the Cyclones' best shot, but victories in both relays and on both diving boards keyed the win for Missouri. Sophomores Andrea Nigh (50 and 100 freestyle) and Sarah Lo (100 and 200 backstroke) were double-winners for the Tigers. The turning point of the meet occured in the 12th event, the 500 freestyle. The Tigers swept the top three places, led by junior Katy Chandler. Molly Vetter finished in second place and Lizza Igoe came in third. Freshman Amanda Maret won the one-meter diving competition while senior Erin Wilke helped clinch the victory with a huge win on the three-meter board.

SENIORS TO RACE FOR FINAL TIME AT HOME:
Five senior swimmers will be recognzied before Saturday's meet against Evansville. Women's swimmers Tara Brooks and Molly Vetter will compete for the final time in front of the home crowd. Brooks is one of the best relay swimmers in Mizzou history while Vetter holds the school record in the 200 freestyle and 800 freestyle relay and ranks among the school's top five in five events. Women's diver Erin Wilke will also compete for the final time at the MU Natatorium. Wilke is the Tigers' all-time best platform diver and will look to continue her good fortunes after winning the three-meter board at Iowa State last Saturday. Men's butterfly swimmer Shane Whildin will appear for the final time this weekend at the MU Natatorium. Whildin owns the fifth fastest time in school history in the 100 butterfly and is on the MU top five list in two relay events. Senior Andy Cole, who's career came to an unfortunate end last year due to a blood clot, will also be recognized on Saturday. Cole still owns the third fastest time in school history in the 200 backstroke and fifth fastest time in the 100 backstroke.

BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS RIGHT ON THE CORNER:
While the Missouri swimming and diving teams focus on this weekend's dual meet competition, preparations have already begun for the Big 12 Championship meet on Feb. 20-23 in College Station, Texas on the campus of Texas A&M University. The Tigers have begun tapering with the meet under 30 days away. The women's championships should be the most competitive since the Big 12 Conference was established. The Mizzou men will face national powers Texas and Texas A&M, and expect to pop several fast times.

DIVERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE:
Missouri diving coach Greg Triefenbach has certainly gotten the most out of his young diving squad this season. Triefenbach has seen three freshmen and one senior women's diver come together and become a force in every meet so far in 2001-02. Freshmen Anna Massey and Amanda Maret have been extremely competitive, winning several competitions for the Tigers. Most recently, Maret came up huge this past Saturday with a win on the one-meter board against Iowa State. Senior Erin Wilke is determined to go out with a flourish. Wilke pulled off a big surprise on Saturday with a victory on the three-meter board against the Cyclones to help clinch Mizzou's dual meet victory. Wilke will be a force at the Big 12 Championships on the platform diving board. On the men's side, junior Jamie Sweeney is the lone diver. Sweeney has enjoyed a successful season, a season that included victories on both diving boards against Drury while diving with a serious case of the flu. Sweeney will be a contender on all three boards at the Big 12 Championships.

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.