Nov. 17, 2007
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 20th-ranked University of Missouri men's swimming and diving team (5-1, 1-1 Big 12) remains in the lead after Saturday's second day of action at the Purdue Invitational. The Tigers have roared to 480 points over the meet's first two days, putting them 44 points ahead of the second-place Purdue Boilermakers.
"The men have continued to impress me this weekend," said Missouri Head Coach Brian Hoffer. "Not only are they racing hard, but they have been up cheering on their teammates as well. On the whole we're racing as a team with a lot of intensity and our lead reflects that."
A trio of Tigers recorded top-three finishes in Saturday's action. Junior Gilad Kaufman posted a 49.22 in the 100 fly to take third. The Israeli's time ties him for eighth in program history with senior Lex Howard, who rounded out the race's top-eight in a time of 50.76.
A second top-three Tiger finisher was sophomore Martin Cernansky. The Austrian earned third in the 100 breast in a time of 55.80.
Classmate Greg DeStephen continued his strong diving in the Hoosier State with a runner-up finish in 3-meter diving competition. The Columbus, Ohio, native was awarded 323.75 points in his second-place performance.
Saturday's 200 free finals featured four Tigers among its field of eight. Junior Matt Dahlke finished fourth in a time of 1:39.89 with sophomore Dylan Lynn touching in just hundredths of a second behind to claim the fifth spot (1:39.91). Rounding out the top-eight were junior Brad Hubbard (1:40.26) and redshirt freshman Cameron Sellers (1:42.39).
Another Tiger four-five finish belonged to senior co-captains Travis Floyd and Joe Wilson in the 100 back. Floyd took fourth in a time of 50.56 with Wilson rounding out the top-five in a time of 50.82. Junior Byron Carlisle clocked a 51.42 to take seventh.
The most exciting race of the day was also the final race of the day. The 800 free relay featured a tight battle for first between Mizzou and host Purdue. Lynn, Dahlke, Hubbard and Kaufman raced the Boilermakers down to the wire and ultimately came out on top in a winning time of 6:39.97, which was the second fastest mark in program history.
The Tigers head back to the Boilermakers' Holloway Pool for the third and final time of the weekend on Sunday. Prelims are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EST with finals set for 4 p.m. Fans can stay up to date with all the latest goings-on in West Lafayette, Ind., with live results available at purduesports.com.
SUNDAY'S ORDER OF EVENTS
10 a.m. (Prelims)
200 Back
100 Free
200 Breast
200 Fly
1650 Free
(1 p.m.)
Men's and Women's Platform Diving
4 p.m. (Finals)
200 Back
100 Free
200 Breast
200 Fly
Men's and Women's Platform Diving
400 Free Relay