Jan. 27, 2006
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Missouri men's swimming and diving team (3-0, 1-0 Big 12) is on pace to break even after the first day of a Shamrock Invite that will see them add four dual decisions to their record before they leave Notre Dame, Ind., on Sunday. The Tigers currently lead Louisville, 73-36, and Oakland (70-39), while trailing No. 19 Notre Dame, 72-38, and No. 21 Penn State, 77-38.
"We really didn't swim badly, but we needed to do better in the relays tonight because there are a huge amount of points at stake in those events," Mizzou head coach Brian Hoffer said. "We had some guys step up for us, which is always encouraging to see."
The guys that, in Hoffer's words, stepped up, were a pair of sophomore freestylers - Bennett Clark and Brandon Lee.
Clark took second in the 50 free (20.93) for the best Mizzou finish of the evening, while an unshaven Lee took sixth in the 500 free (4:34.70) to boost the Tigers. Lee's performance was only about two seconds off of the lifetime best he set earlier this season at Texas while shaved.
Senior co-captain David Darmitzel also turned in a good swim for the Tigers, placing fourth in the 200 IM with a time of 1:54.17. Senior Evan Watters took third on the 1-meter board with a score of 303.45 to give Mizzou three top-five finishes on the evening.
The Tigers have a chance to move up in the scoring column tomorrow morning and evening, as the remaining two sessions will be held on Saturday.
"We need to go faster tomorrow and race the guy next to us," Hoffer said. "We're a young team and this was a tough traveling assignment, but we'll be better tomorrow. We need to use our depth to get some wins. We're not down by that much, so we can make a move, but it has to be done in the morning."
Check www.und.com for all the latest on the Tigers' progress at the Shamrock Invite.