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<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Columbia, Mo. ? The junior trio of Kate Wheeler, Casey Schnack and Lauren Bailey won the women’s 1,500-yard freestyle relay to lead the Nebraska swimming and diving team to a fifth-place team finish at the Big 12 Relays in Columbia, Mo., on Friday.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
The victory was the first at the event since Head Coach Pablo Morales took the head coaching reigns at Nebraska prior to the 2000-01 season, and helped the Huskers tally 43 points, four more than last year’s total.
“The meet was highlighted by that 1,500-freestyle relay,” Morales said. “In the past, we have always felt like we had the ability to win that race, and today we put it together. It is very satisfying from that standpoint as all the hard work this group has done the last few years was reflected today in their improvement. It was very exciting.”
The win came in a time of 14:49.68, and kept Nebraska in contention for a top-four team finish before slipping a spot in the last half of the meet.
Redshirt freshman Courtney Jolly gave the Huskers a spark on the boards with a second-place finish on the three-meter dive in her first collegiate competition. The Plantation, Fla., native was forced to sit out last season due to a back injury, but tallied a score of 239.00 to finish only behind Jessica Livingston of Texas.
Nebraska also gathered four fourth-place finishes swimming relays (100-yard medley, 200-yard medley, 800-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle).
“We competed well, but this is a tough weekend,” Morales said. “We have to swim better tomorrow to have a shot at beating Arkansas. We need to be mentally prepared and elevate from today’s performance because they are ready for us.”
The Huskers take on the Razorbacks at Noon on Saturday in Fayetteville, Ark., before returning home next weekend for the first regular season home competitions of the year against Nebraska-Omaha on Friday, Oct. 20, and Northern Iowa on Saturday, Oct. 21.