June 23, 2014
SANTA CLARA, Calif.- Four current Mizzou swimmers, one incoming freshman and a former Tiger wrapped up competition at the Arena Grand Prix at Santa Clara. All six swam in at least two events, with three of the swimmers reaching `A' finals.
Former Missouri standout Dominique Bouchard led the way, claiming fourth out of 104 competitors in the 100 back. Bouchard's sizzling time of 1:01.78 was just 0.79 seconds behind Olympic Gold Medalist Missy Franklin. Following her performance in the 100 back, Bouchard placed sixth overall in the 200 back with a time of 2:13.06.
Current Tiger Abby Duncan also fared well at the Arena Grand Prix, grabbing sixth in the A final of the 100 breast. Her final time, 1:10.65, was over a half second quicker than her time in prelims (1:11.29).
Additionally, Duncan finished fourth in the B final (13th overall) of the 200 breast with a time of 2:33.26. Duncan, who redshirted last season after transferring from Auburn, will look to capitalize on the experience as she suits up for the Tigers for the first time in the fall.
Senior Danielle Barbiea's 1:01.63 in the 100 fly A final was good enough for eighth out of 129 swimmers. Barbiea also secured fifth in the D final of the 50 free (26.79) and 52nd overall in the 100 back.
Another current Tiger, Anna Patterson swam in four events throughout the weekend. The junior barely missed qualifying for the A final of the 50 free, touching in at just 0.03 seconds behind the ninth place swimmer. She eventually clinched 18th overall with a ninth place finish in the B final with a time of 26.66. Patterson followed with three seventh place finishes in the respective C finals of the 100 free, 100 fly and 200 fly.
Incoming freshman Rachel Hayden gained invaluable experience against some of the best swimmers in the nation. Hayden competed for Carmel Swim Club and swam in six events. Her weekend was highlighted by a seventh place finish in the D final (34th overall) of the 50 free behind a 26.84 split.
Hayden's 58.03 time in the 100 free was faster than 120 other swimmers and her 1:03.89 in the 100 fly placed her 58th out of 129 competitors. She also helped the Carmel Swim Club finish second overall in the 400 free relay, completing the leadoff leg in 57.92 seconds.
On the guys' side, senior Sam Tierney touched in at 12th overall in the 100 breast (1:03.76) and 20th overall in the 200 breast (2:18.41). Tierney was back in the pool for the first time since his fifth-place performance in the 100 breast at the NCAA Championships.