Feb. 27, 2009
Final Stats
COLUMBIA, Mo. - On paper, heading into the 2009 Big 12 Championships this weekend, the Texas A&M women's swimming & diving team's chances of winning a third straight conference title were, for all practical purposes, impossible. On Friday, the Aggies balled up that proverbial paper and lit it on fire.
The eighth-ranked Aggies, competing without four of their top athletes, are one day away from pulling off an incomprehensible upset of a No. 3 Texas team whose only two losses this season are to No. 1 Georgia and defending national champion Arizona. A&M holds a 582-580 lead over the Longhorns with only one day remaining. Host Missouri is third with 395, followed by Kansas (333), Iowa State (225), and Nebraska (194).
"Today was just an outstanding day," A&M head coach Steve Bultman said. "From top to bottom, we're swimming really well. The girls just keep stepping up and finding a way to keep us in the meet."
A&M came out firing on all cylinders right out of the gate by winning its first relay event of the championship and torched a school record in the process. The group of Marissa Jasek (San Antonio), Sarah Woods (Birmingham, Ala.), and Triin Aljand crushed the time those same four girls set at the NCAA Championships last March (1:29.40) by touching first in 1:28.58. Aljand cranked out the fastest 50 split of the field (21.63) to give the Aggies their first lead on the final leg of the race to beat Texas.
Aljand wasn't done there however, as she rebounded from her first-ever Big 12 loss in the 50 free on Thursday to successfully defend her Big 12 100-yard butterfly title in 52.47. Aljand led a point boon for A&M in the 100 fly as junior Ella Doerge (Clive, Iowa), and freshmen Lauren Clifford (Pollock Pines, Calif.) and Rita Medrano (Aguascalientes, Mexico) finished 3-4-5 in times of 53.92, 54.30, and 54.31. Aljand's individual title is the seventh of her career, ranking her No. 1 in A&M history.
Sophomore Ella Doerge finished fourth in 54.24, a time ranking her No. 4 in the A&M record books, while freshman Megan Latone (Austin) was fifth with a lifetime-best of 54.59.
The Aggies also hit a point boon in the 400-yard individual medley, scoring 59 points in the first individual race of the evening. Junior co-captain Melissa Hain (Kingwood) led the way, taking second in 4:12.84, followed directly by sophomore Emily Neal (Plano) was fifth in 4:13.71, just one-tenth shy of her career best, while sophomore Casey Hurrell-Zitelman (San Antonio) scored her second career best of the day in the 400 IM at night, placing seventh in 4:15.82.
Eight-time All-American Codie Hansen (Arlington) set a lifetime-best in the 200-yard freestyle for the second time in three days in taking runner-up honors. Hansen led a 2-3 A&M finish as U.S. Olympian Christine Marshall (Newport News, Va.) came in right behind her in 1:45.35.
Freshman Lorena Lujan (San Antonio) picked the right time for her performance of the year, grabbing a finals berth and a zone qualifying opportunity during prelims by posting a score of 291.85. Lujan qualified sixth and held that spot at night, scoring a total of 280.15. Sophomore Emily Watson (Frisco) scored in her second and final event of the meet, taking 11th in 267.65.
Junior Renee Iserman (Spring) earned a seventh-place finish in her first-ever Big 12 final. Iserman set lifetime-bests in the 100-yard breaststroke twice on Friday, clocking a 1:03.17 in prelims before improving to 1:02.91 at night.
The Aggies will begin the final day of competition with preliminaries at 10 a.m. Finals are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
200-Yard Freestyle Relay 1. Marissa Jasek, Sarah Woods, Triin Aljand, 1:28.58*
400-Yard Individual Medley - Finals 2. Melissa Hain, 4:12.84* 3. Melanie Dodds, 4:13.54* 5. Emily Neal, 4:13.71* 7. Casey Hurrell-Zitelman, 4:15.82* ------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ 17, Alyssa Conner, 4:18.88 18. Sarah Froehlich, 4:25.22 22. Caroline Maxvill, 4:30.55
400-Yard Individual Medley - Prelims 2. Melanie Dodds, 4:13.96* 3. Melissa Hain, 4:14.37* 5. Emily Neal, 4:15.04* 6. Casey Hurrell-Zitelman, 4:16.40* 12. Alyssa Conner, 4:21.43 16. Sarah Froehlich, 4:25.34 23. Caroline Maxvill, 4:33.38
100-Yard Butterfly - Finals 1. Triin Aljand, 52.47* 3. Ella Doerge, 53.92* 4. Lauren Clifford, 54.30 5. Rita Medrano, 54.31 ----------------------------- ----------------------------- 17. Jordan King, 54.92 23. Tracey Renfrew, 56.72
100-Yard Butterfly - Prelims 1. Triin Aljand, 52.36* 3. Ella Doerge, 53.96* T6. Lauren Clifford, 54.57 8. Rita Medrano, 54.70 11. Jordan King, 54.84 23. Tracey Renfrew, 57.09
200-Yard Freestyle - Finals 2. Codie Hansen, 1:45.04* 3. Christine Marshall, 1:45.35* ------------------------------------- 11. Marissa Jasek, 1:47.48 12. Hannah Kinder, 1:47.77 ------------------------------------- 22. Leslie Dlugopolski, 1:52.06
200-Yard Freestyle - Prelims 1. Codie Hansen, 1:45.20* 3. Christine Marshall, 1:46.51* 10. Marissa Jasek, 1:48.70 11. Hannah Kinder, 1:49.04 21. Megan Latone, 1:50.94 24. Leslie Dlugopolski, 1:52.18 X. Sally Ranzau, 1:51.86
100-Yard Breaststroke - Finals 7. Renee Iserman, 1:02.91 ------------------------------ ------------------------------ 17. Rebekah Love, 1:03.74 18. Caroline Maxvill, 1:04.87
100-Yard Breaststroke - Prelims 8. Renee Iserman, 1:03.17 15. Rebekah Love, 1:04.82 19. Caroline Maxvill, 1:05.83
100-Yard Backstroke - Finals 1. Lindsey King, 53.26* 4. Ella Doerge, 54.24* 5. Megan Latone, 54.59* ---------------------------- 9. Emily Neal, 54.88* 13. Sarah Woods, 56.37 ---------------------------- 17. Tracey Renfrew, 55.92 21. Tarin Corwin, 57.26
100-Yard Backstroke - Prelims 2. Lindsey King, 53.95* 5. Ella Doerge, 54.85* 6. Megan Latone, 54.95* 10. Emily Neal, 55.28 11. Sarah Woods, 55.91 19. Tracey Renfrew, 57.17 22. Tarin Corwin, 57.57 T25. Maria Sommer, 58.08
Three-Meter Diving - Finals 6. Lorena Lujan, 280.15
Three-Meter Diving Prelims 6. Lorena Lujan, 291.85^ 11. Emily Watson, 267.65
- NCAA Consideration Time ^ - Zone D Qualifying Score