AUSTIN, Texas --- The Texas A&M men's swimming and diving team had a huge day on Thursday at the 2019 NCAA Championships as the Aggies put themselves in position for the program's first top 10 finish since 1999.
The Aggies tallied 46 points while scoring in five of six possible events on Thursday as they vaulted to 10th in the team standings with 54 total points after two days of swimming and diving.
"The top 10 at NCAAs is something we've always gone after," Aggie head coach Jay Holmes said. "It's important to us, it's important to our department and it's important to all our alumni. We're sitting there in a good position right now, but there's a whole lot of swimming to go. It's going to be a major fight. Probably from six to 14th, it looks like it's going to be the proverbial dogfight, a slugfest. We have our work cut out for us."
Texas A&M had a pair of Aggies earn first-team All-America merit as senior diver Sam Thornton and sophomore Mark Theall earn top eight finishes.
Thornton, from Baildon, United Kingdom, earned All-America honors for the fourth straight year in the one-meter dive, finishing third with a score of 390.50.
"It was my last one-meter final at Texas A&M and I wanted to go out there and have a lot of fun," Thornton said. "Jay (Lerew) and I have been through a lot over the years. I had made it to the final last year and I wanted to improve on that. Honestly, I'm over the moon about that. I couldn't be happier with the list I was able to put together."
Theall, from Friendswood, Texas, became the program's first-ever All-American in the 500-yard freestyle with a seventh-place performance in 4:16.05. In the morning prelims, Theall lopped more than four seconds off his own school record with a landmark time of 4:12.70.
Joining Theall as a program first-ever All-American was freshman Shaine Casas in the 200-yard IM. Casas, from McAllen, Texas, took down the school record in the morning prelims with a time of 1:42.29 and then placed 13th in the evening finals in 1:42.71.
"It's a big deal. We've never had anyone score in the 500 free or the 200 IM," Holmes said. "So for us to do it on the first full day of the meet is a great accomplishment. Theall is a sophomore and Shaine is a freshman, so there's a whole lot of things for us to be excited about."
The Aggies opened the night with a fourth-place effort in the consolation final (12th overall) in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of Casas, junior Adam Koster, junior Mike Thibert and freshman Clayton Bobo turned in a time of 1:16.81.
Texas A&M closed out the night with a 15th place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. The foursome of Casas, junior Benjamin Walker, senior Angel Martinez and Koster touched in a time of 3:06.19.
The Aggies tallied 46 points while scoring in five of six possible events on Thursday as they vaulted to 10th in the team standings with 54 total points after two days of swimming and diving.
"The top 10 at NCAAs is something we've always gone after," Aggie head coach Jay Holmes said. "It's important to us, it's important to our department and it's important to all our alumni. We're sitting there in a good position right now, but there's a whole lot of swimming to go. It's going to be a major fight. Probably from six to 14th, it looks like it's going to be the proverbial dogfight, a slugfest. We have our work cut out for us."
Texas A&M had a pair of Aggies earn first-team All-America merit as senior diver Sam Thornton and sophomore Mark Theall earn top eight finishes.
Thornton, from Baildon, United Kingdom, earned All-America honors for the fourth straight year in the one-meter dive, finishing third with a score of 390.50.
"It was my last one-meter final at Texas A&M and I wanted to go out there and have a lot of fun," Thornton said. "Jay (Lerew) and I have been through a lot over the years. I had made it to the final last year and I wanted to improve on that. Honestly, I'm over the moon about that. I couldn't be happier with the list I was able to put together."
Theall, from Friendswood, Texas, became the program's first-ever All-American in the 500-yard freestyle with a seventh-place performance in 4:16.05. In the morning prelims, Theall lopped more than four seconds off his own school record with a landmark time of 4:12.70.
Joining Theall as a program first-ever All-American was freshman Shaine Casas in the 200-yard IM. Casas, from McAllen, Texas, took down the school record in the morning prelims with a time of 1:42.29 and then placed 13th in the evening finals in 1:42.71.
"It's a big deal. We've never had anyone score in the 500 free or the 200 IM," Holmes said. "So for us to do it on the first full day of the meet is a great accomplishment. Theall is a sophomore and Shaine is a freshman, so there's a whole lot of things for us to be excited about."
The Aggies opened the night with a fourth-place effort in the consolation final (12th overall) in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The foursome of Casas, junior Adam Koster, junior Mike Thibert and freshman Clayton Bobo turned in a time of 1:16.81.
Texas A&M closed out the night with a 15th place finish in the 400-yard medley relay. The foursome of Casas, junior Benjamin Walker, senior Angel Martinez and Koster touched in a time of 3:06.19.