Oct. 15, 2004

Lawrence, Kan. - The University of Missouri men's and women's swimming and diving teams got conference competition off to a great start today as they competed in the Big 12 Relays in Lawrence, Kan. The men finished third behind Texas and Texas A&M, while the women tied for third with Kansas.

This year the men's team has added depth over last year's squad and the increased depth and talent has shown to be beneficial for the Tigers as they bested last year's score at the Relays by eight points.

"This year's men's team is much more competitive than we have been in the past. With the addition of fifteen new guys we have the luxury of increased depth that we haven't previously had. Overall we were much more competitive today and it showed in our score," said Head Coach Brian Hoffer.

The men's team recorded two first place finishes at the Relays. The 3x100-yard butterfly team of Chris McCrary, David Darmitzel and Dan Buhr and the 1-meter diving relay of Evan Watters, Aaron Wionzek, and Jeff Wolfert claimed first place finishes for Missouri. In the 3-meter diving relay, Watters and Wolfert combined to finish second.

The women were in a constant back-and-forth battle with Kansas for who would claim third place. In the end, both teams would share the spot with their scores of 60 points each.

"We are finding out that our conference is constantly improving. We had a great match up today against Kansas and we are really looking forward to our dual meet with them in the coming weeks," said Hoffer.

In the 3x100-yard butterfly relay, the team of Liz Schoborg, Belinda Wood, and Becca Dawson finished second for MU.

The Tigers next competition will be tomorrow, October, 16th, at 10:00AM against Texas A&M in Lawrence.