COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Mizzou men's and women's swimming teams open the new year Friday, Jan. 2 at Arizona in Tuscon, Ariz., at 2 p.m. MT (1 p.m. CT) at the Hillenbrand Aquatic Center. The men, ranked No. 8 nationally, will compete in a dual against the no. 11 Wildcats. The No. 16 women will face host and No. 14 Arizona, as well as New Mexico State, Northern Arizona and Oregon State.
The meet is a homecoming for Missouri Head Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh, who spent 11 seasons as an assistant with the Wildcats.
The Tigers have been idle since the Mizzou Invite in late November, where the men's and women's teams swept the team titles and combined to 13 school records.
Mizzou is scattered all over the national rankings, led by senior Sam Tierney. Tierney boasts the fastest 100 breast time in the country (51.68), while he ranks third in the 200 breast (1:52.67). Friday's meet will feature the matchup between Tierney and Arizona's Kevin Cordes. The two-time defending national champion in both the 100 and 200 breast, Cordes currently ranks third and second, respectively, in those events.
Two other male Tigers also find themselves in the top-10 in the rankings. Sophomore Michael Chadwick ranks second in the 100 free and seventh in the 200 free, while junior Matthew Margritier is sixth in the 50 free.
For the women, three different swimmers rank in the top-10. Senior Danielle Barbiea leads the way ranking third in the 100 fly, while sophomore Katharine Ross checks in at eighth in the 100 breast. Freshman Hannah Stevens has top-10 times in both the 100 and 200 back, ranking eighth and 10th, respectively. Additionally, junior Abby Duncan is just outside the top-10 in two events, ranking 11th in both the 100 and 200 breast.
Following Friday's meet, the Tiger swimmers return to the pool on Jan. 17 at South Carolina.