IOWA CITY, Iowa - Concluding their most successful season in program history, the Mizzou men's swimming and diving team placed a school record 11th at the 2015 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships after tallying a program high 132.5 points in the meet. Missouri's previous bests stood at 14th-place, set in 2013, and 95 points, set in 2014.
Over the course of the three-day meet, Head Coach Greg Rhodenbaugh's Tigers notched five top-seven finishes, earned six individual All-America honors and four All-America accolades in relays and set 11 school records. Sam Tierney ended his time in black and gold as the most decorated swimmer in program history, with six first team and six honorable mention All-America accolades. Additionally, senior Mack Darragh and sophomore Michael Chadwick became just the third and fourth Missouri men's swimmers to earn individual All-America first team honors, joining Tierney and former Tiger Kevin DeForrest (1979).
Tierney closed out his illustrious Tiger career placing fifth in the 200 breast, bettering his finish of seventh a year ago. On Saturday, Tierney broke his own 200 breast school record with a prelims swim of 1:51.78, then clocked a 1:51.96 in finals to take fifth. On day earlier, the senior tied Mizzou's highest-ever men's swimming finish after taking fourth in the 100 breast.
Chadwick solidified his breakout meet as a first team All-American in the 100 free. After entering the championship final seeded eighth, he dropped a school record 42.29 in finals to finish fifth overall. Just like his jump in the 50 free, where he was seeded 45th and finished ninth, Chadwick improved in the 100 free, placing fifth after entering the meet seeded 16th in the event entering the meet.
In the 200 fly, senior Mack Darragh ended his career with an exclamation point, placing seventh to earn the first All-America honor of his career. He broke his own school record in prelims after touching the wall in 1:41.76, dropping nearly a second off his old mark. Darragh then swam a 1:42.92 in finals to finish seventh. Two years ago in his only other NCAA Championships berth, he took 17th in the event, missing All-America honorable mention honors by one spot.
Griffin earned his first individual All-America honorable mention honor with an 11th-place finish in the 200 back. The sophomore notched a time of 1:40.31 in prelims to earn a second swim, then recorded a 1:40.96 in the consolation final to take third in the race.
The Tigers closed their record-breaking meet in the 400 free relay, where the squad tied for 14th in a time of school record time of 2:52.40. Missouri's four All-America honors in relays (one first team and three honorable mention) doubled the team's previous high of two, set last season.
2015 Mizzou All-Americans
First Team
Christian Aragona (1) - 200 free relay
Michael Chadwick (2) - 100 free, 200 free relay
Mack Darragh (1) - 200 fly
Matthew Margritier (1) - 200 free relay
Sam Tierney (3) - 100 breast, 200 breast, 200 free relay
Honorable Mention
Michael Chadwick (4) - 50 free, 400 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Alex Glogoza (1) - 400 free relay
Daniel Graviss (1) - 400 IM
Carter Griffin (2) - 200 back, 400 medley relay
Dillon Love (1) - 200 medley relay
Matthew Margritier (1) - 400 free relay
Andrew Sansoucie (2) - 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Sam Tierney (3) - 400 free relay, 200 medley relay, 400 medley relay
Day Three Results
200 Back
11. Carter Griffin (1:40.96 finals, 1:40.31 prelims)
100 Free
5. Michael Chadwick (42.29 finals, 42.37)
200 Breast
5. Sam Tierney (1:51.96 finals, 1:51.78)
20. Igor Kozlovskij (1:54.24)
200 Fly
7. Mack Darragh (1:42.92 finals, 1:41.76 prelims)
24. Andrew Phillips (1:43.49)
400 Free Relay
14. Chadwick, Margritier, Glogoza, Tierney (2:52.40 finals, 2:52.86 prelims)