Nebraska Travels to Big 12 Championships

After swimming its way to a successful 7-2 dual season, the <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska swimming and diving team will look to perform at its highest level when it travels to Columbia, Mo., for the 2006 Big 12 Championships this week.                       <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The University of Missouri will host the 10th annual event for the first time in school history with competition beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., with two relay events. The remaining three days of competition will begin at 10 a.m. each day with preliminary events, followed by finals at 6 p.m.                                                                                      

 

Fox Sports Net will televise the 2006 Big 12 Championships on a tape-delay basis beginning March 4 at 8 p.m. CST. Live stats for the event will be available on Missouri’s website at www.mutigers.com, while preliminary and final recaps will be posted daily on Huskers.com.

 

“It is an exciting time,” Head Coach Pablo Morales said. “Everything we have put in and working for until this week is coming together. We are very optimisitic about this week and are looking forward to it.”      

 

Nebraska entered last year’s conference meet with an 8-1 regular-season dual record, and had nearly as much success this season with its 7-2 mark. The Huskers were 1-2 in the Big 12 this year as they defeated IowaState, but lost on the road to Kansas and No. 25 Missouri. The 7-2 record still ranks as the ninth-best dual record all time in winning percentage (77%).    

 

Aside from facing the Big 12 north teams in dual meets, the Huskers also competed against No. 9 Texas and No. 12 Texas A&M at the Big 12 Relays on Oct. 14 in Columbia, Mo., where NU took fifth with 43 points. In fact, this will be Nebraska’s third trip to the MizzouAquaticCenter this year as its dual meet against Missouri was also in Columbia.

 

“We need to concentrate on the opportunity we have to prove ourselves more than worry about the tough competition,” Head Assistant Coach Dough Humphrey said. “By doing that, we can maximize our ability and perform at the highest level to accomplish our goals.”  

 

Nebraska hopes to match its expectations from last year’s conference meet when it continued its improvement at the conference meet with a third-place finish.

 

Scouting the Big 12 Conference

The Iowa State Cyclones are 5-5 this season. The Cyclones were sixth at the Big 12 Relays and seventh at the Minnesota Invitational. They narrowly lost a dual meet to state rival Iowa, 156-144, and did not pick up a conference win in losses to No. 25 Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas. IowaState’s most recent wins came in a double-dual as it defeated both Nebraska-Omaha and Northern Colorado.

 

Kansas broke into the top 25 in November and went on to compile an 8-2 dual mark. The Jayhawks downed No. 25 Missouri in Lawrence on Oct. 28 and also had a notable win over Iowa. The Jayhawks won conference duals over IowaState and Nebraska. Kansas was fourth at the Big 12 Relays, third at the Minnesota Invitational and third at the Florida International Relays.

 

Missouri is ranked No. 25 heading into the Big 12 Championships after reaching as high as No. 20 in the polls early in the season. The Tigers are 6-2-1 on the year with the lone tie coming against No. 9 Texas. Missouri won its last six meets in a row after dropping its first two to No. 12 Texas A&M and Kansas. The Tigers were third at the Big 12 Relays.

 

No. 12 Texas A&M is 10-3 this season and is riding a three-meet winning streak. The Aggies won at No. 25 Missouri early in the season, and all three of their losses have come against ranked opponents in then-No. 25 Washington, No. 8 Southern Methodist and No. 9 Texas. Texas A&M was second at the Big 12 Relays and took first at the Texas A&M Fall Invitational.

 

Defending Big 12 Champion Texas is the nation’s ninth-ranked team, according to the latest CSCAA poll. Texas is 4-4-1 on the season with all four losses coming to top-10 teams. The Longhorns defeated two ranked opponents on the year in No. 10 USC and No. 12 Texas A&M, while tying No. 25 Missouri. Texas also won the Big 12 Relays.

 

Review: BaileySetsSchool Record in Loss to Missouri

Junior Lauren Bailey captured three individual titles, including the 1,000-yard freestyle where she swam a school-best time of 9:53.86, but it was not enough as the Nebraska swimming and diving team fell to Big 12 rival Missouri, 170-129, Feb. 4 at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.

 

Bailey’s time in the 1,000-yard freestyle was more than one second faster than the previous school record (9:55.00) set by former All-American Michelle Butcher in 1990. The victory moved the San Mateo, Calif., native to 4-0 in the 1,000-free this season. In all, Nebraska won five events, but dropped to 7-2 overall and 1-2 in league competition. Missouri improved to 5-2-1 overall and 2-2-1 in the Big 12.

 

“That was an amazing swim by Lauren (Bailey) to do that at this time of the year,” Head Assistant Coach Doug Humphrey said. “It really sets her up well heading into the Big 12 Championships and hopefully the NCAA Championships. That was a long-standing record she broke. It was pretty amazing.”

 

Bailey also swam a season-best time of 2:07.58 to win the 200-yard individual medley ahead of teammates, junior Bailey Ingles (2:08.64) and freshman Christina Yemm (2:09.92). Bailey made it a trio of first-place finishes with a time of 4:52.63 in the 500-yard freestyle.

 

Junior Kate Wheeler was Nebraska’s only other individual winner on the day as the co-captain won the 200-yard freestyle in a season-best time of 1:50.22. Wheeler was also runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle (4:56.61) behind Bailey and in the 100-yard freestyle in which she tied with freshman teammate Jenny Toler with a time of 52.53. The mark was a season-best for Toler.

 

Senior Amie Buoy placed second on the one-meter dive with a score of 252.90 for the highest finish by an NU diver. Sophomore Kaci Ressler finished behind Buoy in third with a career-best score of 242.55, while senior Becky Johnson was also third for Nebraska on the three-meter dive with a score of 255.75.

 

The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Wheeler, Toler, junior Michelle Criss and freshman Jenna Stroud ended the meet with a win in a time of 3:32.89.

 

“All together, the performances were pretty good,” Humphrey said. “The efforts were definitely there and we had some great swims. We are in good position as we prepare for the Big 12 Championships.”

 

Bailey Leads Huskers into Conference Meet

Following back-to-back appearances at the NCAA Championships, junior Lauren Bailey has continued to excel in her third season with the Huskers.                                                          

 

The San Mateo, Calif., native has a team-leading 18 total victories on the year, including an undefeated mark in the 1,000-yard freestyle (4-0) and only one loss each in the 400-yard individual medley, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle. She has set NCAA-provisional marks in the 400-IM and 500- (4:49.61) and 1,650-free (16:30.98), events where she sits in the top four in the Big 12 Conference. She ranks first in the Big 12 in the 1,000-free and 400-IM (4:22.27).

 

On the national stage, Bailey is ranked as high as 12th in the 1,000-yard freestyle with her school-record time of 9:53.86 at Missouri on Feb. 4. She is also 29th in the 500-free (4:49.61).

 

Divers Fight Through Injuries to Successful Season

Despite suffering injuries to its top two divers in senior Amie Buoy and Becky Johnson, the Husker diving squad fought its way to another successful year.                        

 

Through the first three dual meets of the season, the senior duo placed in the top three in every meet. Buoy and Johnson performed at its highest level at the Minnesota Invitational when Buoy claimed first on the three meter with a score of 327.35 and Johnson was runner-up on the one meter with a career-best score of 273.55.                     

 

Buoy then suffered a broken bone in her wrist when she struck it on the board in the finals of the one-meter dive at the Minnesota Invite, while Johnson sprained her ankle prior to the IowaState meet.

 

Junior Danielle Stansbury helped pick up the weight following the injuries as the Lincoln, Neb., native finished runner-up on the three meter against the Cyclones. Redshirt freshman Courtney Jolly has also been a valuable addition to the diving team as she registered six top-three finishes on the year.

 

“The injuries have been tough to overcome,” Head Diving Coach Natasha Chikina said. “They have stayed focused though and fought through the pain. The girls are a lot sharper now than where they were three weeks ago and they are ready to perform at the Big 12 Championships.”

 

Freshman Class Adds Depth to Roster

Pablo Morales and Doug Humphrey’s newest three-member recruiting class of freshmen Jenna Stroud, Jenny Toler and Christina Yemm have made their presence felt in just their first year with the Huskers.                                                                                     

Together, the class gathered 42 top-five placings this regular season. That number included eight first-place finishes, led by Yemm with five.                                                            

 

Yemm is first on the team in the 100-yard butterfly (57.45), an event where she won four of her five races this year. Toler is second in both the 100- (52.53) and 200-yard freestyle (1:52.59), while Stroud ranks as high as third on the team in the 50-yard freestyle (24.30).

 

Huskers Place 18 on Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll

Eighteen members of the Nebraska swimming and diving team earned recognition from the conference for their academic accomplishments by being named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll this week. The Commissioner’s Honor Roll recognizes student-athletes who obtain a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the previous semester.

 

The 18 honorees mark the third consecutive semester that the swimming and diving team has increased its number on the honor roll and the most since Pablo Morales took over as head coach in 2001.

 

Seniors Alex King and Becky Johnson led the class once again by earning the academic honor for the seventh consecutive semester. The duo was joined by seniors Mackenzie Clark, Kate Dulgar, Becky Johnson and Rachel Schlatter, giving the seniors a total of six honorees.

 

Junior co-captain Emilee Crawford headed eight honorees in her class, as she was named to the list for the fifth consecutive semester. Four other juniors (Lauren Bailey, Bailey Ingles, Casey Schnack, Danielle Stansbury) gained recognition for the fourth time.

 

Divers Courtney Jolly and Kaci Ressler represented the sophomore class, while freshman Jenny Toler and Christina Yemm were named to the honor roll in their first semester in the classroom.

 

Overall, Nebraska had 235 student-athletes named to the spring honor roll, including 35 who maintained perfect 4.0 grade-point averages during the fall semester.

 

2006 Husker Swim Camp with Pablo Morales

Nebraska swimming coach Pablo Morales will host the 2006 Husker Swim Camp this coming summer.  Morales and assistant head coach Doug Humphrey will conduct stroke camps from June 4-9 and June 18-23 and training camps from June 11-16 and June 25-July 30.  In addition, combo camps will be offered from June 4-16, June 11-23 and June 18-June 30.

 

How to Register

To take part in the 2006 Husker Swim Camp with Pablo Morales “Camps” on the left side of the page and then click the downloadable application form at the bottom of the page and send the filled-out application with a $100 deposit to the following address:

 

Husker Swim Camp

107F BobDevaneySportsCenter

Lincoln, NE  68588-0653