The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
03.27.2014 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Freshman Michael Hixon captures NCAA one-meter diving crown.
AUSTIN, Texas - Michael Hixon's NCAA title in the one-meter diving event and a pair of top-three relay finishes highlighted day one for Texas Thursday evening at the NCAA Championships.
The Longhorns added two top-six finishes in the 500-yard freestyle and 50-yard freestyle. Sophomore diver Corey Bowersox also contributed with a fifth-place finish in the one-meter event.
Texas finished the day in the lead with 146 points. California followed in second with 145 points. Florida sits in third with 137 points, and Michigan holds fourth with 109 points.
Texas started the day with a second place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Matt Ellis, John Murray, Tripp Cooper and Kip Darmody finished the race in 1 minute, 15.53 seconds, good for a new school record. Ellis led off in 19.19 seconds before Murray split 18.36 on the second leg. Cooper finished the third leg in 19.21 while Darmody anchored in 18.77.
Freshman Jack Conger posted a fifth place finish in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:14.34. Sophomore Sam Lewis took fourth in the consolation final at 4:16.39 to add five points for the Horns.
Freshman Will Licon competed in the 200-yard IM consolation final and placed 14th overall at 1:43.40.
Texas sent two swimmers to the 50 freestyle final and tacked on 24 points. John Murray placed sixth in 19.11 seconds and Matt Ellis finished eighth in 19.20.
Hixon totaled 443.50 to finish on top in the one-meter diving event, where he edged a former Olympian, Stanford's Kristian Ipsen. Hixon trailed Ipsen heading into his final dive, but Hixon's 79.90 points on his inward two-and-a-half somersault sealed the win. Bowersox's score 403.95 put him in fifth place.
The Longhorns finished the night with a third-place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. Darmody, Imri Ganiel, Cooper and Caleb Weir finished the race in 3:04.79.
The day two preliminary session at the NCAA Championships begins Friday at 11 a.m. CT.
