University of Missouri
SEC Championships
@MizzouSwimDive Men Finish Program-Record Second at SEC Championships
2/23/2019 9:07:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving
ATHENS, Ga. – The Mizzou men's swimming and diving team finished second at the 2019 Southeastern Conference Championships to mark the highest placement for the program at the meet. The Tiger men, which scored 1,137 points to finish behind Florida's 1,233, easily surpassed the team's previous best SEC Championships finish of fifth, accomplished in 2016, 2017 and 2018. The Missouri women placed seventh overall with 640 points.
Over the five-day Championships, Mizzou set two SEC meet records, seven school marks and earned 11 top three finishes. Senior Mikel Schreuders (Oranjestad, Aruba) became the first Tiger men's swimming to earn an SEC swimming title, and the men's 400 medley relay claimed the first men's conference relay title in program history.
KEY SATURDAY PERFORMANCES
The Tiger women claimed their second relay runner-up finish of the meet on Saturday night, touching second in the 400 free relay. Senior Annie Ochitwa (Highlands Ranch, Colo.), sophomore Sarah Thompson, sophomore Sammie Jo Porter and junior Haley Hynes (Lee's Summit, Mo.) swam the second-fastest time in school history with a 3:14.48. Missouri also placed second in the women's 200 medley relay on the first day of compeition.
Mizzou concluded the Championship by taking fourth in the men's 400 free relay, as Schreuders and freshmen Danny Kovac (Fort Collins, Colo.), Kyle Leach (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Jack Dahlgren (Victoria, Minn.) clocked a time of 2:50.61.
Schreuders added a fourth-place finish in the men's 100 free to join his win in the 200 and bronze in the 50 free. The senior lowered his lifetime best in the event to 41.96 in the evening final, a time that was over two tenths of a second better than his old mark.
In the diving well, freshman Ike Khamis (Richmond, Ind.) finished his first Championships on a high note, placing fifth on platform. He recorded a tally of 377.75 in the final, a score that moves him up to fourth all-time at Mizzou in the event. It was also a season-high by 14 points.
Senior Jordan O'Brien (Naperville, Ill.) earned the first career top five finish at the SEC Championships on Saturday. In the 200 breast championship final, he tied for fifth in a season-best time of 1:54.73, not far off his personal best, to claim big points for the Tigers. His previous best finish in the event at the conference championship was 12th a season ago.
In her third championship final of the meet, Ochitwa placed seventh in the 100 free after a finals swim of 48.07. In morning prelims, she posted a 47.60, which was just two-hundredths of a second off her school record.
Also championship finalists on Saturday were junior Nick Alexander (St. Louis, Mo.) and Dahlgren. The duo placed seventh and eighth, respectively, in the men's 200 back in finals times of 1:41.42 and 1:42.57. In morning prelims, Dahlgren dropped a lifetime best 1:40.99.
QUOTABLES
Mizzou Interim Head Coach Andrew Grevers
"I'm so proud of this team. This meet was a massive success for both our men and women. Yeah we fell short of a championship but it was the highest place we've ever achieved. The team is proud, proud that we stuck to our process and followed through with the plan. These are the results we deserve. We swam our best and did everything that was within our power to get to this point, and we're very pleased with the results."
DAY FIVE RESULTS
Women's 1650 Free
16. Courtney Evensen (16:26.23)
27. Ana Pozder (16:51.07)
28. Allison Bloebaum (16:52.31)
Men's 1650 Free
12. Jacob Wielinski (15:07.61)
18. Jack DuBois (15:17.02)
Women's 200 Back
17. Jennifer King (1:53.42 finals, 1:55.70 prelims)
18. Audrey Guyett (1:54.10 finals, 1:55.49 prelims)
19. Kylie Dahlgren (1:54.52 finals, 1:56.16 prelims)
36. Amanda Smith (1:58.74)
37. Samantha Wilts (1:58.97)
Men's 200 Back
7. Nick Alexander (1:41.42 finals, 1:40.68 prelims)
8. Jack Dahlgren (1:42.57 finals, 1:40.99 prelims)
10. Daniel Hein (1:41.77 finals, 1:41.64 prelims)
15. Alex Walton (1:43.78 finals, 1:42.56 prelims)
16. Carter Grimes (1:44.49 finals, 1:42.41 prelims)
28. Anthony Ashley (1:44.68)
Women's 100 Free
7. Annie Ochitwa (48.07 finals, 47.60 prelims)
19. Sammie Jo Porter (49.32 finals, 49.13 prelims)
25. Sarah Thompson (49.63)
33. Iliana Jones (49.97)
35. Molly Gowans (50.05)
41. Megan Keil (50.21)
Men's 100 Free
4. Mikel Schreuders (41,96 finals, 42.30 prelims)
23. Luke Mankus (43.93 finals, 43.82 prelims)
25. Kyle Leach (43.85)
26. Giovanny Lima (43.88)
29. Micah Slaton (43.96)
31. Sam Coffman (44.01)
Women's 200 Breast
15. Emily Snyder (2:11.21 finals, 2:11.65 prelims)
18. Kayla Jones (2:12.21 finals, 2:12.16 prelims)
Men's 200 Breast
T-5. Jordan O'Brien (1:54.73 finals, 1:55.59 prelims)
14. Caleb Rhodenbaugh (1:57.86 finals, 1:56.05 prelims)
19. Nick Staver (1:57.22 finals, 1:57.71 prelims)
Men's Platform
5. Ike Khamis (377.75 finals, 3346.15 prelims)
11. Kyle Goodwin (323.3)
20. Will Gottsch (255.9)
Women's 400 Free Relay
2. Annie Ochitwa, Sarah Thompson, Sammie Jo Porter, Haley Hynes (3:14.48)
Men's 400 Free Relay
4. Mikel Schreuders, Danny Kovac, Kyle Leach, Jack Dahlgren (2:50.61)
Players Mentioned
