Dec. 18, 2011
Day Two Results
SAN ANTONIO - The Missouri State swimming & diving squad found its rhythm inside the Palo Alto College natatorium on Sunday at the UIW Christmas Invitational. Personal- and season-best performances were abundant during the second day of competition as the men remain in second and in contention for the team title, while the women narrowed the gap between second and third place.
"We were much stronger in the water today, like we had hoped for," associate head coach Dave Collins said. "We are seeing some really nice results and numerous lifetime bests, which is phenomenal."
The MSU men picked up three victories on the evening highlighted by a new MSU record in the 200 free, a NCAA zone qualifying cut, and an NCAA "B" cut in the 800 free relay. In women's action, the Bears picked up a pair of second-place finishes and a 1-2 finish in the 100 breast.
"Our team really seems to be honing in on third events and identifying where the swimmers are going to fit in at the conference meet," Collins added. "We've got a nice balance of upperclassmen leadership and underclassmen that are really catching fire."
After a third-place finish on Saturday, freshman diver Garrett Nevels picked up where he left off in Sunday's 1-meter competition. The rookie placed first in the 1-meter with an overall score of 304.45, almost 30 points higher than second-place finisher Ricky Bradley from TCU. His mark of 304.45 surpassed the 300 points needed to qualify for the 2012 NCAA Zone Diving Championships. In women's diving, Lindsey Conway and Paige Koebbe continued to score points for the Bears, collecting third and fourth, respectively.
The Bears' 200 medley relay team of Megan Holthoff, Renata Sander, Roni Balzam and Anna Ahlin nearly captured first place in the event, but was edged out by Utah (1:43.59). Their time of 1:43.66 was a new season best. Missouri State's men's 200 medley relay (Le, Dennis, Bulak, Baryshok) also recorded a top time for this season.
In the men's 400 IM, Missouri State had three swimmers in the A-Final, as Daan Jansen, Chris Carpenter and Colin Hill placed fourth, fifth and seventh, respectively.
After closing in on the Missouri State varsity records in the 50, 100 and 200 free at the TYR Invitational, freshman Vitalii Baryshok needed just one more meet to take down the previous 200 freestyle record set by Matt Beasley (1:36.55) in 2005. Baryshok won the event by more than two seconds and set the new school record at 1:36.38. The Bears racked up additional points with Caleb Schuermann (3rd), Isaac McKnight (6th) and Garanito (7th) in the A-Final.
The women's breaststroke duo of Renata Sander and Melissa Oishi struck again. One month after junior Oishi had overtaken Sander's school record in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, Sander rewrote the record in the 100 with a 1:03.05.
Backstroke proved to be another strong event for the men and women as Ahlin and Holthoff finished second and fourth, while Le, Garanito and Wilson all recorded season bests and finished second, fourth and fifth, respectively.
To cap off the successful day, the men registered a NCAA "B" cut in the 800 free relay and took home first place with a time of 6:41.31. Equally as impressive, the men showed off its depth in the 200 freestyle, as the B-Relay finished third overall (6:49.14).
Monday's prelims will begin at 10 a.m. CT with the finals set to start one hour earlier at 4 p.m. CT. Live results may be made available by the Alamo Area Aquatic Association. Check out MissouriStateBears.com for more information.
Women's Team Rankings through Event 28
1. TCU - 1,178
2. Rice - 964
3. Missouri State - 893
4. Utah - 687.50
5. Incarnate Word - 487.50
6. North Texas - 152
Men's Team Rankings through Event 28
1. TCU - 1,360
2. Missouri State - 1,302.50
3. Incarnate Word - 820.50
4. Utah - 737
