FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Former Mizzou swimmer Sam Tierney won the men's 100 breast national title at the 2015 USA Swimming AT&T Winter National Championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash., this past weekend.

Tierney was the top seed after preliminaries after a morning swim of 1:00.27. He then swam a lifetime best 1:00.15 in finals to claim his first-ever national title, while defeating a pair of former Olympians in the race.  

He also placed third at the 200 breast at the National Championships, with a finals time of 2:12.49.

Additionally, former Mizzou All-Americans Mack Darragh and Danielle Barbiea also competed in the event. Darragh placed fourth overall in the 200 fly (1:59.34), seventh in the 200 IM B final (2:04.42) and eighth in the B final of the 100 fly (54.15), while Barbiea took fourth in the 100 fly B final (59.88).

Since the Phillips 66 U.S. National Championships in August, Tierney has dropped a full second off his personal best LCM time, first with a 1:00.82 at the Arena Pro Swim Series Minneapolis in November before his drops at Winter Nationals. He currently ranks fifth among all U.S. Olympic qualifiers in the 100 breaststroke.

The most decorated male swimmer in Mizzou history, Tierney earned 13 All-America honors, including six first team and seven honorable mention before he concluded his Tiger career in 2015. He was a three-time first team All-American in the 100 breast and a two-time first time All-American in the 200 breast. Additionally, he is tied for the highest finish (fourth in the 100 breast in 2015) by a male swimmer at the NCAA Championships.