The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Texas Invitational
No. 2 Women’s Swimming and Diving Preview: Texas Invitational
11.26.2017 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Longhorns wrap the fall against top competition at the annual four-day meet in Austin.
WHAT: Nine-time national champion No. 2 Texas hosts the annual Texas Invitational at UT's Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
The four-day meet, which simulates a competition environment comparable to the Big 12 and NCAA Championship meets, features the host Longhorns along with men's and women's teams from Arizona, USC, Wisconsin, BYU, Harvard, Northern Arizona, Oklahoma Baptist, TCU and UNLV. In addition, the meet includes the Arizona State men, Stanford men, UCLA women and Rutgers women.
Diving will not be contested given that the Texas divers hosted the UT Diving Invitational earlier this month.
WHEN
Wednesday, Nov. 29
6 p.m. – 800 freestyle relay, only
Thursday, Nov. 30 through Saturday, Dec. 2
10 a.m. prelims/6 p.m. finals
RESULTS
http://sidearmstats.com/texas/swim/index.htm
Complete schedule & meet information available here
MORE ON THE LONGHORNS
The Longhorns remained unbeaten as they concluded their fall road stretch against N.C. State and North Carolina. Texas dealt the Wolfpack a 184-116 defeat before making short work of North Carolina, 172-125.
Texas took on Texas A&M in early November and emerged with a tight 151.5-148.5 victory at the Aggies' Student Rec Center Natatorium. A&M led by two points heading into the meet's final event, the 400 freestyle relay, with the relay winner assured of winning the meet. Texas delivered the relay win in 3:15.46, over two seconds clear of the Aggies. Junior Joanna Evans led the Horns with victories in the 200, 500 and 1,000 freestyle events.
The Longhorns opened the 2017-18 season with a double-dual meet against No. 10 Indiana and No. 18 Florida at the Gators' home pool in Gainesville. Texas emerged with a pair of wins, as UT defeated the Hoosiers, 226.5-200.5 and Florida, 290.5-136.5.
Texas won seven events on day one of its double dual in Gainesville. Junior diver Meghan O'Brien defeated the likes of U.S. Olympian Jessica Parratto en route to victory in the three-meter competition.
Bahamian Olympian Joanna Evans won both the 500 and 1,000 freestyle events, and All-America senior Rebecca Millard swept the sprint freestyle (50 & 100) events. Junior Remedy Rule claimed the 100 butterfly and sophomore Claire Adams posted the nation's fourth-fastest time while winning the 100 backstroke (52.52).
On day two, freshman Evie Pfeifer notched her first victory as a Longhorn and claimed the 400 IM (4:13.90). Millard added a third win and second in as many days in the 100 freestyle, and Adams was victorious in the 200 backstroke. Texas finished off the meet with a victory in the 200 freestyle relay.
TEXAS BRINGS MOMENTUM INTO 2017-18 SEASON
Texas produced an 11-1 dual-meet record and did anything but rest on their laurels heading into the postseason. The Longhorns finished just one-half of a point outside of fourth place at the NCAA Championships, but with their fifth-place team showing, UT left Indianapolis with its best national finish in eight years and its top showing under head coach Carol Capitani.
All-America junior Joanna Evans returns as the school record holder in the 500-yard freestyle. The Olympian from The Bahamas nearly claimed the school mark in the 1,650 freestyle, but her seventh-place mark of 15:54.46 at the NCAA Championships was the fastest swim by a Longhorn in over 30 years.
All-America senior Rebecca Millard took down the school record in the 50 freestyle at the NCAA Championships, and the Californian is a fraction of a second off of Karlee Bispo's school mark in the 100 freestyle.
Sophomore Alison Gibson showed up to her first NCAA Championships still several months shy of her 18th birthday, but she looked like a seasoned veteran in her first event at the national meet. The Austin native won the NCAA title on one-meter and became UT's first NCAA diving champion on any board since Jessica Livingston in 2007 (platform).
Juniors Meghan O'Brien and Sofia Rauzi are NCAA Championships qualifiers, and All-America redshirt junior Murphy Bromberg adds additional depth in the diving corps. Junior swimmer Mimi Schneider also returns from a redshirt year for the Longhorns. All 11 Texas juniors and redshirt juniors have been on a pool deck for an NCAA Championship meet.
Sophomores Claire Adams and Lauren Case hold the top national individual finishes among returning Longhorns swimmers. Adams placed sixth in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA Championships, where Case took sixth in the 200 butterfly. Sophomore transfer Kennedy Lohman brings NCAA Championships experience after competing for Arizona as a freshman.
UT welcomes nine true freshmen for the 2017-18 season.
EVANS WINS SILVER AND BRONZE AT WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES
Texas junior Joanna Evans won a pair of medals for The Bahamas over the summer at the World University Games in Taipei City, Taiwan. Evans, a multiple All-American in her first two seasons as a Longhorn, won silver in the 400m freestyle in 4:08.52. She added bronze in the 800m freestyle.
Junior diver Meghan O'Brien joined Texas men's diver Grayson Campbell to place fourth for the U.S. in the mixed synchronized three-meter diving final in Taipei City. Texas sophomore Alison Gibson placed fourth in synchro three-meter at the same meet. Gibson also represented Team USA at the FINA World Championships.
Texas head coach Carol Capitani took on her first international head-coaching assignment and led the U.S. women's swimming team at the World University Games.
Players Mentioned
