Women’s swimming and diving cruises to Big 12 championship
By Steve Lansdale
AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 2 University of Texas women’s swimming and diving team entered the Big 12 Championship as the prohibitive favorite to win. Once in the pool, the Longhorns showed exactly why the expectations surrounding the team are so high, piling up 1,073.5 points to win their seventh consecutive conference title at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
The streak is the longest in the Big 12 … since the Longhorns won eight straight championships from 1999-2006. Altogether, UT has won 17 Big titles.
UT easily outdistanced runner-up Kansas, which finished second, with 754.5 points, followed in third place by West Virginia (533), TCU (474) and Iowa State (443).
The Longhorns won 19 events in the meet, and swept all five relays. The events won by Texas swimmers and divers included:
- Quinn Carrozza repeated as Big 12 champion in the 200 backstroke when she touched the wall first in 1:52.88.
- Claire Adams also became a repeat champion, winning the 100 freestyle for the second consecutive season, in 47.82
- Senior Joanna Evans set a new meet record in the 1,650 freestyle, finishing in 15:57.28.
- Senior Remedy Rule won the 200 butterfly in 1:53.81.
- Senior Murphy Bromberg won the platform diving event, with a score of 397.20.
- Brooke Hansen, Anelise Diener, Grace Ariola and Claire Adams won the 400-yard freestyle relay, in 3:13.58.
Evans was named Big 12 Swimmer of the Meet after she set new conference and meet records while winning the 500-yard freestyle in 4:36.87, and a meet record to win the (15:57.28) to win the 1,650 freestyle. Junior Alison Gibson claimed Diver of the Meet honors after repeating as champion in the one-meter springboard to claim her third Big 12 title. Freshman freestyler Grace Ariola was named Newcomer of the Meet after winning the 50-yard freestyle and swimming on four conference title-winning relays.
Matt Scoggin was named Big 12 Diving Coach of the Meet for the seventh consecutive year and the 16th time in his career.
