Feb. 28, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas - Following the second day of the Big 12 Championships, the Tiger men's swimming and diving team (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) stands in third place with a score of 246. Texas leads with 380 points, but Texas A&M's score of 247 only gives the Aggies a one-point lead on Mizzou.
"The guys are continuing to impress," Mizzou Head Coach Brian Hoffer said. "They've risen to the occasion and we're looking to get right back up and do it all over again tomorrow."
Thursday's preliminary action saw 13 swimmers advance to the evening's finals. Redshirt freshman Cameron Sellers clocked an NCAA "B" cut time of 4:26.38 to earn a place in the 500 free championship final and the second spot in the MU record books. Four Tigers qualified for the consolation final, including sophomore Dylan Lynn (4:32.09), freshman Spenser Lauver (4:35.52) and juniors Matt Dahlke (4:36.48) and Brad Hubbard (4:39.46).
The Tigers repeated their finals fortune again in the following 200 IM. Junior Bryan Difford posted a lifetime best mark and "B" cut time of 1:48.77 to make it to the championship final, knocking nearly a second off his previous career best. Among the Tiger quartet racing its way into the consolation final was junior co-captain Jake Hoffmann, who clocked an MU all-time top-10 time of 1:52.42. Joining Hoffmann in consols were sophomore Martin Cernansky (1:55.41) and classmates Ted Harris (1:52.72) and Byron Carlisle (1:57.45).
More up-and-down movement on the all-time Tiger leaderboard took place in the 50 free. Freshman sprinter Jordan Hawley's breakout swim of 20.17 put him in the midst of the championship final and third in school history in the event. His time was also a "B" cut time. Junior Gilad Kaufman qualified for the consolation final with a time of 20.86.
The Tigers would return to the pool just a few hours later for the evening's finals. Sellers was the lone Tiger, and in fact the only swimmer not sporting burnt orange, in the championship final. After posting a personal best in the morning session, the Kansan took the eighth spot in finals in a time of 4:32.83. In consols, Lynn led a 2-3-4-5 Tiger finish in a time of 4:30.98. Lauver took third (4:32.76), Dahlke followed in fourth (4:33.94) and Hubbard rounded out the top-five (4:36.57).
Difford took things over from there in the 200 IM championship final. The South African clocked a 1:48.92, just .15 seconds off his lifetime best set earlier in the day, to capture sixth. Another series of Tigers could be found in the consolation final. Leading them off in the third spot was Cernansky, who touched him a time of 1:51.83, followed by Hoffmann (1:52.07), Harris (1:54.81) and Sundvold (1:56.73).
Hawley, again the lone Tiger up top in the `A' final, followed Difford's lead and nabbed a sixth-place finish in the 50 free in a time of 20.24. Kaufman swam a 20.61 to win the consolation final, with senior Joe Wilson clocking a 21.44 to finish fourth.
Relay action concluded the second day of the team's trip to Austin. Kaufman and Hawley teamed up with Harris and senior Travis Floyd in the 400 medley relay to record a runner-up finish in a time of 3:18.99. The quartet's finish is the fifth fastest ever at Mizzou.
The Tigers jump right back into the thick of it on Friday with swimming prelims set to begin at 10 a.m. and 3-meter diving prelims at 2:15 p.m. Finals in the pool and on the 3-meter board are scheduled for 6 p.m. Fans can catch live results throughout the day on mutigers.com.
Friday's Order of Events
PRELIMINARIES
10 A.M.
200 Free Relay
400 IM
100 Fly
200 Free
100 Breast
100 Back
11:30 A.M.
Three-meter Diving (women)
2:15 P.M.
Three-meter Diving (men)
FINALS
5 P.M.
Three-meter Diving (women)
6 P.M.
200 Free Relay
400 IM
100 Fly
200 Free
100 Breast
100 Back
Three-meter Diving (men)