The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Championships
No. 8 Men’s Swimming and Diving Preview: Big 12 Championships
02.20.2014 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Longhorns have won 34 consecutive conference team titles.
WHAT: No. 8 Texas (8-1) hosts the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships.
WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 26 through Saturday, March 1 (complete schedule below)
WHERE: Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center – Austin, Texas
ADMISSION:
Finals sessions: $10 adults/$6 youth
Prelims sessions: $6 adults/$4 youth
LIVE RESULTS: HERE
PARKING: Spectators are encouraged to park in Manor Garage (paid parking), which is located on Robert Dedman Dr. between Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium and Mike A. Myers Stadium, north of the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Visitors who park in surface lots requiring a valid UT parking permit risk receiving a citation.
Trinity Garage, located across Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. from the swim center, is an available parking option. However, fans attending the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships are encouraged to use Manor Garage, given the likelihood of congestion at Trinity Garage due to the Texas-Baylor men's basketball game (Wednesday, 8 p.m.) and the Texas UIL Girls Basketball State Tournament (all day Thursday through Saturday) nearby at the Erwin Center.
FULL SCHEDULE
Wednesday, Feb. 26 (all times Central)
4:30 p.m.
Men's 1-meter diving (prelims)
6 p.m. (finals)
200 medley relay
Men's 1-meter diving
800 freestyle relay
Thursday, Feb. 27
10 a.m. (prelims)
500 freestyle
200 IM
50 freestyle
1 p.m. (prelims)
Women's 1-meter diving
6 p.m. (finals)
500 freestyle
200 IM
50 freestyle
Women's 1-meter diving
400 medley relay
Friday, Feb. 28
10 a.m. (prelims)
400 IM
100 butterfly
200 freestyle
100 breaststroke
100 backstroke
Noon (prelims)
Women's 3-meter diving
2:30 p.m. (prelims)
Men's 3-meter diving
5 p.m. (finals)
Women's 3-meter diving
6 p.m. (finals)
400 IM
100 butterfly
200 freestyle
100 breaststroke
100 backstroke
Men's 3-meter diving
200 freestyle relay
Saturday, March 1
10 a.m. (prelims)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
200 breaststroke
200 butterfly
400 freestyle relay
11:45 a.m. (prelims)
Men's platform diving
2:40 p.m. (prelims)
Women's platform diving
4:40 p.m. (finals)
Men's platform diving
6 p.m. (finals)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
1,650 freestyle
200 breaststroke
200 butterfly
Women's platform diving
400 freestyle relay
CAREER BIG 12 INDIVIDUAL TITLES
2___Cory Bowersox (2013 1m & 3m diving)
2___Tripp Cooper (2013 100 & 200 fly)
2___Kip Darmody (2012 200 back; 2013 100 back)
1___Charlie Moore (2013 50 free)
1___Clay Youngquist (2013 200 free)
1___Matt Korman (2013 200 breast)
1___Will Chandler (2013 platform diving)
CAREER BIG 12 RELAY TITLES
4___Clay Youngquist (2012 & '13 400 FR; 2012 & '13 800 FR)
3___Charlie Moore (2012 & '13 200 FR; 2013 400 FR)
3___Kip Darmody (2012 & '13 800 FR, 2013 200 FR)
1___John Murray (2013 400 FR)
1___Jacob Ritter (2013 800 FR)
1___Tripp Cooper (2013 200 MR)
BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
Texas has won all 17 Big 12 Championship meets and has claimed 34 consecutive conference championships under 36th-year head coach Eddie Reese.
Texas claimed the 2013 Big 12 Championship in Austin with 985 points. Dax Hill was selected as the Men's Swimmer of the Meet, and then-freshman diver Cory Bowersox was selected as the Men's Diver of the Meet. Swimmer Sam Lewis was selected as the Men's Newcomer of the Meet. Eddie Reese was voted as the Men's Swimming Coach of the Meet.
Texas has won 191 Big 12 individual swimming titles, 72 Big 12 relay titles and 25 Big 12 diving titles in its 17 Big 12 Championship appearances. UT serves as the Big 12 Championships host for the eighth time.
The women's portion of the Big 12 Championships features Texas, West Virginia, TCU, Kansas and Iowa State. The men's championships feature Texas, West Virginia and TCU.
TEXAS DIVERS WIN TEAM TITLE AT USA DIVING WINTER NATIONALS
The most recent competition for the Longhorns saw the Texas divers claim the men's team title and join the UT women to win the combined team title for a second straight year at the USA Diving Winter National Championships (Dec. 17-22).
Sophomore Cory Bowersox opened the meet on Dec. 17 with a fourth-place finish in the one-meter event. Freshman Mark Anderson added a runner-up finish in the platform synchronized event, and freshman Michael Hixon notched a sixth-place finish in the three-meter event. Hixon competed alongside four-time U.S. Olympian and former Longhorn Troy Dumais in three-meter synchro at the 2013 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain.
Junior Will Chandler placed ninth on the three-meter board, and Bowersox added an 11th place showing. Bowersox and Chandler capped the meet by placing fourth in the three-meter synchronized event. Anderson went on to place eighth in the platform finals.
HORNS FINISH STRONG AT TEXAS INVITATIONAL
Texas produced a number of NCAA automatic-qualifying marks at its annual Texas Invitational last month (Dec. 5-7). The meet's final day saw freshman Jack Conger defeat a loaded field in the 200 backstroke, where he took the win in 1:40.90, well under the NCAA "A" cut of 1:41.41. The Rockville, Md., native now ranks fourth all-time in the 200 backstroke at Texas behind Olympic gold medalist Aaron Peirsol, Austin Surhoff and Hill Taylor. UT also qualified its 400 freestyle relay for the NCAA Championships with a mark of 2:51.50.
UT qualified its 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays for the national championships on day two of the Texas Invitational. The quartet of Aaron Gustafson, Charlie Moore, Conger and Matt Ellis finished in 1:25.90, good for the third-fastest time in college swimming. Sam Lewis joined Conger, Ellis and Clay Youngquist to qualify the 800 freestyle relay in 6:23.58. Also on day two, Youngquist produced the nation's fourth-fastest time in the 200 freestyle at 1:33.72.
Texas kicked off the meet's opening night with a bang, as Ellis, Murray, Moore and Caleb Weir won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:17.57, good for a NCAA automatic-qualifying mark. UT wrapped night one with a NCAA automatic-qualifying mark in the 400 medley relay, as Conger, freshman Imri Ganiel, Ellis and Weir finished in 3:08.80.
LONGHORNS RANK AMONG NATION'S ELITE
As is the norm after the first taper meet and initial semester of training, several Longhorns have posted times ranking among the fastest in college swimming.
Sophomore Matt Ellis, an Austin native and Georgia transfer, holds the nation's third-fastest time in the 50 freestyle with his mark of 19.37 from the Texas Invitational. Ellis also boasts the nation's ninth-fastest time in the 100 freestyle (43.07) and the 15th-fastest mark in the 100 butterfly (46.69).
In his second season as a Longhorn, senior Caleb Weir owns college swimming's fourth-fastest time in the 100 freestyle at 42.66. The Atlanta native also holds the nation's No. 14 mark in the 50 freestyle at 19.67. Sophomore John Murray ranks seventh nationally in the 100 freestyle (42.98) and 25th nationally in the 50 freestyle at 19.83.
A two-time All-American in the 200 freestyle, junior Clay Youngquist ranks fourth nationally in that event at 1:33.72. The former NCAA champion in the 800 freestyle relay ranks ninth nationally in the 500 freestyle at 4:17.62.
NATIONAL TOP-25 FREESTYLERS (all rankings based on regular-season meets)
50 Freestyle
T3 Matt Ellis – 19.37
14. Caleb Weir – 19.67
25. John Murray – 19.83
100 Freestyle
4. Caleb Weir – 42.66
7. John Murray – 42.98
9. Matt Ellis – 43.07
200 Freestyle
4. Clay Youngquist – 1:33.72
500 Freestyle
9. Clay Youngquist – 4:17.62
12. Jack Conger – 4:17.84
1000 Freestyle (not a championship event)
7. Clark Smith – 9:05.73
15. Sam Lewis – 9:09.46
23. Clay Youngquist – 9:11.36
1,650 Freestyle
11. Sam Lewis – 15:00.30
Versatile Jack Conger holds top-10 national marks in the 100 butterfly (2nd, 45.65), 200 backstroke (3rd, 1:40.90) and the 100 backstroke (9th, 46.63). The national independent high school record holder in the 500 freestyle holds college swimming's 12th-fastest time in that event at 4:17.84.
NATIONAL TOP-25 BACKSTROKERS
100 Backstroke
9. Jack Conger – 46.63
200 Backstroke
3. Jack Conger – 1:40.90
T23. Will Glass – 1:42.92
25. Patrick Murphy – 1:42.93
NATIONAL TOP-25: BREASTSTROKE
100 Breaststroke
23. Imri Ganiel – 53.76
200 Breaststroke
14. Will Licon – 1:55.61
NATIONAL TOP-25: BUTTERFLY
100 Butterfly
2. Jack Conger – 45.65
15. Matt Ellis – 46.69
200 Butterfly
25. Clark Smith – 1:45.14
NATIONAL TOP-25: INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
400 IM
25. John Martens – 3:47.91
HIXON TAKES TWO AT UT DIVING INVITATIONAL
Freshman Michael Hixon dominated the springboards and won the one- and three-meter events at the UT Diving Invitational (Nov. 21-23). The Amherst, Mass., native claimed the one-meter event with 410.60 points and took the three-meter crown with 453.35 points. Will Chandler led the Horns in the platform event with a second-place total of 418.40 points.
Hixon, who competed alongside Texas-Ex Troy Dumais in the three-meter synchronized event last summer at the FINA World Championships, has been selected three times as the Big 12 Men's Diver of the Week (Dec. 11, Nov. 6, Jan. 22).
THREE-FOR-THREE IN VIRGINIA
Texas posted dual-meet wins over No. 19 Penn State, Virginia and West Virginia in a two-day (Nov. 8-9) quad meet in Charlottesville, Va. UT held off Penn State by a 185-168 margin and knocked off host Virginia, 225-128. Texas defeated Big 12 foe West Virginia by a 259-93 margin.
Clay Youngquist showed off his range in the meet's second day by winning the 1,000 freestyle in 9:11.36 before leading start-to-finish in the 200 freestyle and winning in 1:36.97. A one-two Texas finish from John Martens and Will Licon in the 400 individual helped UT preserve the narrow win over Penn State.
Licon won the 200 IM on the meet's first day, and Youngquist posted his first of three wins in the meet by taking the 500 freestyle in 4:23.99. Jack Conger was victorious in the 200 backstroke at 1:43.25.
HORNS SPLIT DOUBLE DUAL AGAINST INDIANA & MICHIGAN
Texas joined Indiana and Michigan for a double-dual meet in Bloomington, Ind., (Oct. 25) where the Longhorns topped the Hoosiers and fell to the defending national champion Wolverines. Texas defeated Indiana by a 204-96 margin and fell to the Wolverines by a 166-134 count.
MORE ON THE LONGHORNS: Texas returns 29 letterwinners from the 2012-13 squad that won the Big 12 Championship and placed fifth at the NCAA Championships.
Juniors Clay Youngquist and Kip Darmody have helped the Horns to NCAA titles in relay events. Darmody and Youngquist teamed up with former Longhorns Dax Hill and Neil Caskey to win the 800 freestyle relay at the 2012 NCAA Championships. Youngquist joined Hill and former Longhorns Austin Surhoff and Jimmy Feigen to claim the 2012 NCAA title in the 400 freestyle relay. Seniors Charlie Moore and Caleb Weir, junior Tripp Cooper and sophomore John Murray posted All-America finishes on relays at the 2013 NCAA Championships.
Redshirt junior diver Will Chandler made a triumphant return to the sport last season after sitting out the 2011-12 campaign due to the effects of Crohn's Disease, a digestive disorder. The Waco native earned All-America honors in the platform diving event at the 2013 NCAA Championships. Chandler was a finalist in the platform event at the AT&T National Diving Championships in August.
Chandler heads a strong diving corps that includes the likes of sophomore Cory Bowersox and freshman Michael Hixon. As a true freshman, Bowersox earned All-America honors in the one-meter event at the 2013 NCAA Championships. Hixon competed alongside Texas-Ex Troy Dumais in the three-meter synchronized diving event at the FINA World Championships last summer in Barcelona, Spain.
Head coach Eddie Reese is in his 36th season with the Longhorns. Under his guidance, Texas has secured top-three finishes in 27 of 35 NCAA Championship meets. Associate head coach Kris Kubik returns for his 31st season, and diving coach Matt Scoggin, a former Longhorn diver, returns for his 20th season on Reese's coaching staff.
