2023 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
- Wednesday, February 22 – Saturday, February 25, 2023
- Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center, Austin, TX
- Defending Champions:
- Women: Texas (10x)
- Men: Texas (26x)
- Championship Central
- Live Results
- Live Video
- Saturday Finals Live Recap
Lydia Jacoby made it 2-for-2 in terms of national age group record-breaking swims at the 2023 Big 12 Championships. During the final night of racing, Jacoby posted a 2:04.32 to reset the NAG and win the gold medal. Jacoby brought the mark under 2:05 for the first time as she took down Ella Nelson‘s 2:05.68 from 2020.
Splits Comparison:
| Jacoby – 2023 Bis 12 Championships | Nelson – 2020 ACC Championships | |
| 50 | 27.82 | 29.13 |
| 100 | 31.79 (59.61) | 31.72 (1:00.85) |
| 150 | 32.60 (1:32.21) | 32.24 (1:33.09) |
| 200 | 32.11 (2:04.32) | 32.59 (2:05.68) |
Jacoby’s opening split of 27.82 was more than a second under Nelson’s 29.13 from her previous record. It’s also notably just 0.11 seconds slower than the 27.71 that Kate Douglass used to open her American record-breaking swim of 2:01.43 earlier in 2023.
Nelson swam that time while representing the University of Virginia at the ACC Championships. Since then, she’s improved to a 2:04.35, which she swam to win silver in the event at the 2021 NCAA Championships.
In addition to the more-than-a-second drop from Nelson’s time, Jacoby has seen significant improvement in her 200 breaststroke PB at Big 12s. She came into the meet with a 2:06.66 from January 2023, meaning that she’s sliced over two seconds off her best time.
Jacoby added another gold medal to her trophy case with that swim, out-swimming her teammate Anna Elendt who notched a 2:05.50. Jacoby also won the 100 breaststroke earlier on in the meet when she swam a 57.29 to Elendt’s 57.59.
While she won gold, Jacoby was a bit slower than Elendt’s meet and Big 12 conference record in the 200 breaststroke. Elendt set those marks at the 2022 Big 12 Championships when she swam a 2:03.92.
200 breast 🤘 | Big 12 Championships
Lydia Jacoby swims the No. 3️⃣ time in the nation and Texas finishes 1-2-3 ! 🏆 #HookEm
🥇 Lydia Jacoby – 2:04.32
🥈 Anna Elendt – 2:05.50
🥉 Channing Hanley – 2:09.32 (No. 6️⃣ All-Time UT performer)
5. Lindsey Hosch – 2:13.60 pic.twitter.com/GtmNAYKjtH— Texas Women's Swimming & Diving (@TexasWSD) February 26, 2023
Did Channing punch her ticket to NCAA’s with that swim? Think she is seeded mid-30’s pending last chance swims etc
Looks like it! I haven’t checked – do we think there’s a chance that the Texas women overshoot the roster limit? Carol said 13-14 before conference, but they’ve had some surprise swims…
She just needed some time and training under her belt to adjust, glad to see it paying off for her. Don’t mess with the Olympic Champion.
What I find fascinating is that she won her Olympic gold medal when having access almost entirely to a short course pool (aside from the hours-long drive to the big city and training camp), but then broke out in short course after she got access to a long course pool.
The stronger Lydia’s friendship with Anna grows, the more short-course powers she absorbs from her.
Her stroke has always looked more like a 200 stroke to me. Maybe she’s in her Kristy Kowal era and embracing the 200 now. We love to see it!
Not gonna say i’m that shocked, but great for her! after seeing her at trials/olympics, her strategy is so much more like a 200 breaststroke it’s amazing. the way she closes on the back half, and the way she nails that last 5m, I think in the future, her brest event will be the 200 breaststroke. 1:04.9 LC is no joke, and she’s finally breaking through in SC, which is great!
Jacoby just put herself in a position to score top 3 in both the 100 and 200 breast breast month.