Oct. 15, 2005
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri men's swimming (1-0, 1-0 Big 12) and diving team in undefeated in the Mizzou Aquatics Center after earning a 188-105 win over Texas A&M Saturday morning - their first conference win since the Big 12 realigned to the current three-team lineup.
The Mizzou women (0-1-1, 0-1-1) weren't as fortunate, as they had their four dual unbeaten streak halted by the Aggies, 183.5-116.5.
The men came out of the blocks well against Texas A&M, earning a win in the 200 medley relay in a pool-record time of 1:33.57. Sophomore Lex Howard spurred the victory with a strong butterfly leg.
The 1000 free, the meet's second event, was a success for both the men and women. Freshmen Jill Granger and Carly Sullivan took the top two spots in the women's race and sophomores Brandon Lee and Thomas Baumann did the same on the men's side.
After resting during the men's 1000, Sullivan came back and claimed third in the 200 free, just behind teammate and event runner-up Lauren Cox.
The men's 200 free was one of the meet's first pivotal moments, as a trio of freshmen - Brad Hubbard (1st), Jake Hoffmann (2nd) and Bobby Sundvold (4th) - helped the Tigers open up a sizeable lead about a quarter of the way through the meet.
The fireworks continued on the men's side with the swimming of the 100 back. Senior Chris Lukas and sophomore Travis Floyd swam to a first-place tie for the Tigers, taking the event in 51.42.
The 100 breast win was captured by Mizzou senior co-captain David Darmitzel, and he was followed in third place by teammate Nate Zabel. Freshman Kayla Bowcutt provided a spark for the women, battling to a second-place finish in the event.
Both the Tiger men and women ended the first session of the meet with a flourish, as senior Liz Schoborg won the women's 200 fly before Howard, freshman Gilad Kaufman and sophomore Justin Sellers swept the top three places on the men's side of the event.
The momentum the Tigers carried into the break did not stop, though. Sophomore Bennett Clark took first in the men's 100 free, and Lukas and Floyd took first and third in the 200 back, respectively.
Another turning point came in the 200 breast, where Darmitzel came from behind to claim victory, and freshman Andrew Mondul also made a late charge to finish second.
"Putting David in the breaststroke events was purely a strategic move," Hoffer said. "We wanted get an older stronger guy in there. I never expected him to win those events for us, but he did a phenomenal job."
Granger would come on to earn her second victory of the day in the women's 500 free, while the Tiger men managed to claim the event's top four spots. One event later, the Mizzou men charged to a one-two-three showing in the 100 fly.
Darmitzel added an exclamation point to the win with a win in the 200 IM, and senior Evan Watters contributed wins on the 1 and 3-meter boards to the Tiger cause.
"Our men's team is deep, and that quality is really going to help us against some of the top-level teams in the country," Hoffer said. "The women also did fantastic job today. They were swimming for the third day in a row, against a ranked team, and they hung with them. I'm very pleased on both sides."
The Tiger women will be in action again on Oct. 28, when they travel to Lawrence, Kan., for a Border Showdown dual with the Kansas Jayhawks. For all the latest on Mizzou swimming and diving, visit www.mutigers.com.