May 18, 2008
After posting impressive numbers in its 2006-07 campaign, the Mizzou men's swimming and diving team had much to live up to this past season. Sporting an 11-2 record and a top-25 ranking at the close of 2007-08, the Tiger men more than lived up to expectations as they competed alongside some of the nation's best teams and tore through the program record books.
The men opened their season at home against a top-10 caliber Indiana squad. Sophomores Martin Cernansky and Dylan Lynn led the way for the Tigers, with Cernansky earning gold in the 200 breast and Lynn following suit in the 200 free. In diving action, Columbia native Dante Jones nabbed top honors in 1-meter diving in his Mizzou debut. Despite their efforts, the team fell to the Hoosiers for its first loss of the young season.
The men wasted no time in jumping back in the pool the following day as they competed in the Show-Me Showdown. They totaled 365 points on the day en route to claiming their third consecutive Showdown title. The Tiger divers swept both diving events and Lynn had another impressive showing, as he took top honors in the 100 fly and second in the 200 free.
With a renewed sense of confidence the Tigers traveled to Ames, Iowa, where they would take on conference foe Texas A&M and avenge last year's narrow four-point loss to the Aggies in claiming their first victory of the season. After several close races, newcomer Spenser Lauver offered a spark to lead the Tiger charge, posting his first career win in the 1000 free. His teammates fed off the win. Cernansky took top honors in the 200 IM and junior co-captain Jake Hoffmann paced the field in the 200 back. Lynn then led a 1-2-3 Tiger finish in the 500 free, while classmate Greg DeStephen proved no match for A&M as he earned gold in both the 1- and 3-meter diving competitions.
The men remained in Ames the following day for the annual Big 12 Relays. In addition to several runner-up performances, the quartet of sophomore Joe Wiedemeier, freshman Jordan Hawley, junior Gilad Kaufman and senior Lex Howard captured gold in the 100 free relay. At the close of the day's action the Tigers found themselves in third and just two points shy of the rival Aggies.
After a two-week hiatus from competition, the Tigers were right back in the thick of it as they hosted the second annual Mizzou Dual Challenge. The men commenced their weekend of domination with matchups against Southern Illinois and three-time defending NCAA Division II champion Drury. Cernansky led the way, racking up a pair of wins in the 100 breast and 200 IM, to help carry the Tigers to a pair of victories.
In-state rival Missouri State was up next for the Tigers, who swept the top-three spots in a number of events in their win over the Bears. Jones led a 1-2-3 finish in 1-meter diving, while senior co-captain Travis Floyd edged fellow co-captains Hoffmann and senior Joe Wilson to record his second win of the weekend in the 200 back.
The Tigers carried their momentum into Sunday's dual against Virginia Tech, in which they rolled to their fourth victory of the weekend to complete their second consecutive Mizzou Dual Challenge sweep. The men set the pace early on, taking the top three spots in the opening 200 medley relay. Junior Matt Dahlke claimed the team's first solo win of the day in the 200 free and redshirt freshman Cameron Sellers brought home gold in the 500 free, while Jones held serve over in the diving well with a win in 1-meter diving.
Two weeks later the Tigers, now ranked 20th nationally, found themselves heading to West Lafayette, Ind., for the Purdue Invitational. After day one the men stood in first place thanks to the efforts of junior Bryan Difford, who recorded a new personal best during his first-place performance in the 200 IM. Newcomer Jordan Hawley recorded a lifetime best himself, touching in sixth in the evening's finals of the 50 free.
Day two brought much of the same. DeStephen posted a runner-up performance in 3-meter diving, while the squad of Lynn, Dahlke, Kaufman and classmate Brad Hubbard raced to victory and the second fastest time in school history in the 800 free relay. At the close of the day the team had once again finished ahead of second-place and 12th-ranked Purdue.
Cernansky got things going on day three, touching for the win in the 200 breast. Classmates Hoffmann and Kaufman each touched in for solid finishes as well, but it was not enough in the end as the Tigers came up just short of the Boilermakers for the Invite crown.
The men would continue their first semester's success into the New Year, which they kicked off with a bang after claiming another victory over Missouri State. The day was highlighted by a number of Tiger top finishes, including DeStephen's pair of golds in both 1- and 3-meter diving.
In mid-January the Tigers traveled to Pittsburgh for their second four-dual set of the season. Although the squad was narrowly edged by No. 16 Penn State, Mizzou was easily able to defeat Pitt, Maryland and Villanova over the two-day event. Sellers tallied another victory in the 500 free and would return to the pool to claim his second gold of the day in the 200 free to aid in the Tiger cause.
The team honored its seniors as Iowa came to town on `Senior Day.' The men tallied 183 points and took 11 of 16 events against the Hawkeyes to earn their 10th victory of the season. The Tiger team of Floyd, Kaufman, Cernansky and Hawley opened up the day with a win in the 200 medley relay, while Cernansky made some noise individually by taking top honors in both breaststroke events.
Mizzou claimed another win over Drury in its dual finale. In diving action, Jones and DeStephen recorded wins in 1- and 3-meter diving, respectively. Junior Ted Harris touched in first in the 100 breast, while Wiedemeier followed suit with his first ever win as a Tiger in the 50 free. The team's win, their 11th of the season, marked the most single-season dual wins during Head Coach Brian Hoffer's 16-year tenure at Mizzou.
After months of training and preparation the Tigers headed southward to Austin, Texas, for the much-anticipated Big 12 Championships. Thanks to an outstanding showing in the diving well, the men found themselves atop the competition upon completion of the first day. The Tiger divers claimed three of the top five spots in the opening 1-meter diving competition, including DeStephen's third-place showing.
The team was in a tight battle with the Aggies throughout much of day two. Difford, Sellers and Hawley swam their way into the evening's championship finals to help lead the Tiger charge, and at the close of the day the Tigers found themselves down just one to A&M heading into the third day of action.
Day three provided for more finals berths as well as a pair of record-breaking performances. Kaufman touched in for a sixth-place finish in the 100 fly for a new school record time to help give his team an early spark. After setting a school record of his own in the 200 free in the morning's prelims, Sellers returned in the evening session to clock a seventh-place finish in finals. DeStephen would then add a second bronze to his collection in 3-meter diving to help give the Tigers a narrow lead over A&M entering day four.
In Saturday's final day of action, Sellers and Lauver would break out for second and third-place showings, respectively, in the 1650 free. Cernansky, Harris and senior Brandon Lee would chip in finals berths in the 200 breast, while Jones would lead the way in the diving well with his third-place performance in platform diving. It all came down to the meet-ending 400 free relay though, in which the Tigers finished third to take third overall behind the Aggies by just three points.
While the conference meet marked the end of action for the Tiger swimmers, the team's diving squad would return to nearby Houston two weeks later for the Zone D Diving Championships. DeStephen captured gold in 3-meter diving in day one action to earn his second straight bid to the NCAA Championships and simultaneously become the first Tiger diver in school history to capture a title at Zones. Jones would earn a bid of his own two days later after securing second on platform.
DeStephen and Jones headed to the nation's Northwest hoping for similar success at NCAAs. DeStephen's hopes were fulfilled, as he broke out for a 12th-place finish in 3-meter diving. The Columbus, Ohio, native's showing, tying the highest ever by a Tiger men's diver at Nationals, made him just the second All-America diver in program history.
After one of the most successful seasons to date, the Mizzou men have begun to make a name for themselves across the nation. The Tigers tore through a difficult schedule to earn both their best dual season record in program history and highest ever national ranking. Next season should undoubtedly prove no exception to this success, as a wealth of the team's talent returns to the pool, not to mention a highly anticipated group of signees. With this unforgettable season now at a close, the team should have much in store for its fans as its schedule opens in October.
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Stephanie Thiel