Nov. 28, 2007

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Big 12 Conference announced Wednesday that University of Missouri junior Bryan Difford and sophomore Greg DeStephen won the conference's Men's Swimmer and Diver of the Week awards, respectively, for meets from Nov. 5-22. This is the second time this season that two Tigers have claimed the awards in the same week.

Difford's Big 12 Swimmer of the Week nod is his first. After racing to top-three finishes in the 200 IM vs. Indiana, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech during the first month of the season, the South African broke out for a huge win in the event in a personal best time of 1:49.70 at the Purdue Invitational on Nov. 16. While in West Lafayette, Ind., Difford also claimed the top spot in the 100 breast consolation final in a time of 57.80.

DeStephen's conference Diver of the Week honor is his first as well. The Columbus, Ohio, native tallied a runner-up score of 323.75 on the 3-meter board at the Purdue Invitational and took third in the meet's 1-meter diving competition with a score of 299.70. On the season, DeStephen has compiled a pair of wins on both the 1- and 3-meter board and 13 overall top-three finishes.

Difford, DeStephen and the 20th-ranked Tigers return to action in 2008 when they take on Pittsburgh and Maryland in Pittsburgh, Pa., Jan. 18-19.