Huskers Face No. 21 Tigers in Finale

Fresh off a dominating victory over <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>IowaState, the Nebraska swimming and diving team will aim for its second straight Big 12 win this Saturday when it travels to No. 21 Missouri.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

With a 7-1 (1-1 Big 12) record, the Huskers regular season finale against the Tigers (11-1, 2-1 Big 12) will begin at 1 p.m., at the MizzouAquaticsCenter. Nebraska will be looking for its first win against Missouri since a 130-112 victory in Lincoln during the 2000-01 season.

 

The match-up marks just the second road dual of the season for the Huskers, after finishing the 2007-08 home slate with a perfect 7-0 record. Nebraska’s lone loss came at Kansas on Jan. 19, a Jayhawk squad that Missouri defeated 162-138 in October.

 

The Huskers lead the all-time series, 19-8, but the Tigers have won the last five meetings, including last year’s 169.5-122.5 decision in Lincoln.

 

The Huskers and Tigers have already met once this season, as Missouri finished third (67) at the Big 12 Relays in October, while Nebraska was fifth (34.5).

 

The Huskers will have more than two weeks to prepare for the 2008 Big 12 Championships after this weekend’s regular season finale, as the conference meet begins Feb. 27 and concludes March 1 in Austin, Texas.

   

Scouting the Missouri Tigers

Missouri is 11-1 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 action this season, with its only loss coming to No. 6 Texas A&M in its second dual meet of the year. The Tigers have earned a No. 21 national ranking from collegeswimming.com to join Texas (No. 17) and Texas A&M (No. 6) from the Big 12 Conference.

 

Under 16th year head coach Brian Hoffer, Missouri has complied an impressive regular season with the return of 20 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 8-2 and finished fourth at the Big 12 Championships. Saturday will not be the last regular season meet for the Tigers, as they host the Missouri Grand Prix Feb. 15-18 in Columbia.

 

Giehl Leads NU Swimmers in First Season at Nebraska

Despite swimming her first season at the collegiate level, freshman Julie Giehl leads all Nebraska swimmers with nine wins this year, including a 500 free victory in the Huskers’ win over IowaState last Saturday. Each of the Boulder, Colo., native’s wins has come in freestyle events at the 200-, 500- and 1,000-yard distances. Her season-best marks of 1:52.17 (200 free) and 5:00.24 (500 free) are second among Husker swimmers during the 2007-08 season.

 

Home Sweet Home

Capped with a 190-109 victory against IowaState last weekend, Nebraska finished the home season with an undefeated record for the third time in the past five years. The Huskers won all seven of their home competitions in 2007-08, including victories over Big Ten foes Illinois and Iowa and defending WAC champion Nevada. Nebraska’s other perfect home campaigns the past five seasons came in 2003-04 (4-0) and 2005-06 (5-0).           

 

A Look Back: Past NU-MU Dual Meets

Nebraska and Missouri have been nearly even since the formation of the Big 12 Conference, as the Tigers have won six of the past 10 meetings with the Huskers, including the last five in a row. Nebraska won four the first five match-ups in Big 12 history, but has not defeated Missouri since the 2000-01 season and not won in Columbia since 1997-98.

 

Nebraska vs. Missouri (Since the formation of the Big 12)

1996-97: Nebraska def. Missouri, 183-114 in Lincoln

1997-98: Nebraska def. Missouri, 145-97, in Columbia

1998-99: Nebraska def. Missouri, 189-106, in Lincoln

1999-00: Missouri def. Nebraska, 123-120, in Columbia

2000-01: Nebraska def. Missouri, 125-118, in Lincoln

2002-03: Missouri def. Nebraska, 228-82, in Lincoln

2003-04: Missouri def. Nebraska, 162-138, in Columbia

2004-05: Missouri def. Nebraska, 153-147, in Lincoln

2005-06: Missouri def. Nebraska, 170-129, in Columbia

2006-07: Missouri def. Nebraska, 169.5-122.5, in Lincoln

 

Last Year: Huskers Come Up Short on Senior Day

Despite another school-record effort by Lauren Bailey, the Nebraska swimming and diving team came up short on Senior Day as they fell to No. 24 Missouri, 169.5-122.5, Jan. 27, 2007 at the Devaney Natatorium.

 

Bailey’s school record mark was a time of 9:51.48 in the 1,000 freestyle, breaking her previous best of 9:51.91 from the 2006 Big 12 Championships. It was also a Devaney Natatorium pool record, marking the second time during the season she reset her own mark. The other came against Kansas in a time of 9:55.10 and her initial pool record came as a freshman against TrumanState (9:57.84) on Nov. 13, 2004.

 

However, Bailey’s win in the 1,000 free was Nebraska’s only victory through the first five events as the 24th-ranked Tigers built a large lead out of the gate.

 

Mariah Hutchinson ran her season-win total to 10 as she continued to impress in the butterfly races, winning the 200 fly in 2:06.11 and the 100 fly in 57.96. Hutchinson’s 10 wins are a team-high among Nebraska freshmen. She had two victories in the Huskers’ win over Nebraska-Omaha the previous night.

 

Bailey won Nebraska’s fourth event of the day in the 200 IM in 2:07.45 before the 200 freestyle relay team of Lynn Siemert, Hailey Dean, Michelle Criss and Jenna Stroud took first in 1:40.06 in the last event of the meet.

 

Review: Huskers Soar Over Cylcones, 190-108

On Senior Day for fourth-year swimmers Adrienne Goodman and Lynn Siemert, Nebraska used one of its best performances of the season in a dominating 190-108 win over the Iowa State Cyclones at the Devaney Natatorium Saturday, Feb. 2.

 

With the victory, the Huskers improved to 7-1 on the season, while also earning their first conference win of the year to move to 1-1 in Big 12 action.

 

Despite not swimming a regular season home competition since November, Nebraska had no problems picking up the momentum, as the Huskers took the top two spots in seven of the first nine events.

 

“Whenever you finish a season at home like this; it’s great,” head coach Pablo Morales said. “We’ve had Senior Day’s in the past that didn’t turn out so well in terms of the end result, so you have to appreciate what happened today and how well we swam.” 

 

The Huskers won 11 of 16 events overall, including a pair in the diving well from junior Courtney Jolly. Prior to Jolly’s one-meter victory, Siemert won the 50-yard freestyle (24.16) as part of five-straight Nebraska wins.

 

The streak began when sophomores Hailey Dean and Mariah Hutchinson won the 100 breaststroke (1:05.02) and 200 butterfly (2:04.50), while junior Jenny Toler capped the run in the 100 freestyle (52.60).

 

Iowa State responded with a pair of wins, before freshman Julie Giehl won the 500 freestyle (5:02.20). Jolly’s three-meter win and a victory from junior Christina Yemm in 200 individual medley (2:09.14) rounded out Nebraska’s fifth-straight victory over the Cyclones.

 

Nebraska’s hot start on Senior Day 2008 began with a season-best winning time in 200 medley relay, before freshmen Brandie Kavalec (1,650 freestyle, 17:32.26) and Kelsey Grushecky (200 freestyle, 1:52.96) followed with victories.

 

“This meet was very encouraging,” Morales said. “We’ve taken a step or two since Christmas training and we’re a lot better than we were (two weeks ago) in Lawrence. We’re making improvement and our objective is to continue to build on that.”

 

Big 12 Swimmers and Divers of the Week (Feb. 6)

Julia Wilkinson, Texas A&M, Jr., Stratford, Ont.

Wilkinson tallied six victories in the Aggies’ dual wins over Houston and No. 17 Texas. The junior took first place honors in the 200 Medley Relay (1:43.77) and 100 Breaststroke (1:04.37) in A&M’s 145-96 defeat of the Cougars. Against the Longhorns, Wilkinson won the 100 back (54.67), 100 free (49.73), and 200 individual medley (2:02.85), posting NCAA consideration times in all three events. Her split of 54.62 leading off the 400 medley relay helped push the group to an NCAA consideration time of 3:42.03 as well. This is Wilkinson’s fifth career weekly honor.

 

Mary Yarrison, Texas, Sr., Springfield, Va.

Yarrison captured the three-meter (332.40) and came in second in the one-meter (314.10) against No. 6 Texas A&M. This is the second award of the season and fifth career honor for the senior from Springfield, Va.

 

Coming Up Next in Husker Swimming and Diving

    Following this weekend’s meet with No. 21 Missouri, the Huskers’ next step of the 2007-08 season is the most of important of all, as they travel to the 2008 Big 12 Championships. This year’s conference meet will be held in Austin, Texas beginning Wednesday, Feb. 27 and concluding Saturday, March 1.