The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Championships
No. 1 Men's Swimming and Diving sweeps night two at Big 12 Championships
02.25.2016 | Men's Swimming and Diving
Top-ranked Longhorns claim all four events and take the lead in the team standings.
AUSTIN, Texas – No. 1 Texas put together another workmanlike night of racing and swept the four events on day two of the 2016 Big 12 Championships at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
Freshman Townley Haas scored his first individual Big 12 title and captured the 500 freestyle in 4:12.63, which made him the fifth-fastest Longhorn ever in the event. Classmate Jeff Newkirk took second at 4:19.94 while sophomore Jonathan Roberts placed third at 4:21.71.
Junior Will Licon, the 2015 Big 12 Swimmer of the Year, scored his second consecutive Big 12 title in the 200 individual medley at 1:42.85, good for the sixth-fastest time in the country this season. Freshman John Shebat took second at 1:44.13 while his classmate Ryan Harty took third at 1:44.91. Junior Will Glass placed fifth at 1:45.63.
Freshman Tate Jackson produced a breakthrough swim in the 50 freestyle and picked up his first Big 12 title in 19.25, good for a personal best. Sophomore Brett Ringgold took second at 19.46 while senior John Murray placed third at 19.55.
"I can't even really describe it," Jackson said. "It has been unreal coming here to Texas. I have raced against Brett [Ringgold] and looked up to John [Murray] a few years before I was even considering Texas as a school. I didn't even know I was going to be that good.
"All of the guys have been so supportive and the coaches have helped immensely," Jackson added. "I can't even describe how I feel right now. It is the happiest I think I have ever been."
Texas wrapped the night with a strong performance in the 400 medley relay, where Shebat, Licon, sophomore Joseph Schooling and junior Jack Conger finished in 3:04.64, good for a Big 12 meet record.
Shebat led off in a personal best of 45.88 while Licon split 51.58 on breaststroke. Schooling split an impressive 44.47 on butterfly before Conger anchored in 42.71.
Texas leads the Big 12 Championships with 363 points while West Virginia holds second at 281. TCU sits in third with 227 points.
Day three of the Big 12 Championships gets underway Friday at 10 a.m. CT.
