MEETS NOTES: University of Texas Swimming and Diving Take On Auburn and Georgia

WHAT: Ten-time NCAA champion No. 1 Texas (3-1) resumes dual-meet competition this week with road meets against Southeastern Conference foes No. 10 Auburn and No. 3 Georgia.

WHEN/WHERE

#1 Texas at #10 Auburn

Thursday, Jan. 8 – 2 p.m. CT
James E. Martin Aquatics Center – Auburn, Alabama
LIVE RESULTS: http://www.auburntigers.com/livestats/c-swim/
LIVE VIDEO: SEC Network Plus will air live coverage available to subscribers of ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. Brit Bowen (play-by-play) will join analysts Albert Subirats and Aubrey Peacock on the call. The live video link is available here http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2271988/NCAA-Swimming-Diving-Texas-vs-Auburn

#1 Texas at #3 Georgia

Saturday, Jan. 10 – 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT
Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, Georgia
LIVE RESULTS: http://www.georgiadogs.com/livestats/c-swim/14alabama/

LAST MEETINGS vs. AUBURN AND GEORGIA
Texas defeated Auburn by a 162.5-132.5 count on Jan. 9, 2014 in Austin. The Longhorns dealt Georgia a 169-126 defeat on Jan. 11, 2014 in Austin.

Auburn claimed the most recent meeting at Auburn by a 166-132 margin on Jan. 10, 2013. Texas defeated Georgia at its home pool by a 132-109 count on Jan. 12, 2013.

LAST TIME OUT: Texas registered strong performances across-the-board at its annual Texas Invitational last month (Dec. 4-6) at UT’s Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

Four Longhorns posted top national times in their respective events, and a pair of school records took a tumble, as well. Freshman Joseph Schooling rewrote the school mark in the 200 butterfly at 1:41.00, the nation’s fastest time in the event. He also posted a nation-leading mark in the 100 butterfly at 45.59 that made him UT’s sixth-fastest swimmer all-time in the event. Sophomore Clark Smith also eclipsed the previous school record in the 200 butterfly at the Texas Invitational and clocked 1:41.42, the nation’s second-fastest time.

Sophomore Will Licon toppled the 200 breaststroke school record previously held by Beijing Olympics finalist Scott Spann, Jr. The El Paso native posted the nation’s fastest time in the event at 1:52.18 and defeated the event’s American record holder, Arizona’s Kevin Cordes, at the Texas Invitational.

Junior sprinter John Murray clocked the nation’s top time in the 100 freestyle (42.61) at the Texas Invite, while the aforementioned Smith posted a top national time in the 500 freestyle at 4:13.32.

Below is a complete listing of where the Longhorns stack up among the top-25 nationally:

Top-25 National Rankings: Individual Events

50 Freestyle
5. John Murray – 19.37
6. Matt Ellis – 19.41
11. Brett Ringgold – 19.54
18. Jack Conger – 19.63
100 Freestyle
1. John Murray – 42.61
6. Brett Ringgold – 42.96
9. Matt Ellis – 43.02
200 Freestyle
3. Clay Youngquist – 1:34.02
5. Clark Smith – 1:34.07
500 Freestyle
1. Clark Smith – 4:13.32
9. Clay Youngquist – 4:16.61
24. Sam Lewis – 4:19.76
1,650 Freestyle
10. Sam Lewis – 14:57.81
100 Backstroke
5. Kip Darmody – 46.20
7. Jack Conger – 46.32
22. Joseph Schooling – 47.28
24. Brett Ringgold – 47.47
200 Backstroke
3. Jack Conger – 1:39.84
15. Will Glass – 1:42.33
100 Breaststroke
13. Will Licon – 52.90
18. Matt Ellis – 53.43
200 Breaststroke
1. Will Licon – 1:52.18
100 Butterfly
1. Joseph Schooling – 45.59
2. Jack Conger – 45.76
6. Kip Darmody – 46.26
7. Matt Ellis – 46.28
10. Tripp Cooper – 46.57
14. John Murray – 46.73
16. Will Glass – 46.81
200 Butterfly
1 Joseph Schooling – 1:41.00
2 Clark Smith – 1:41.42
24. Tripp Cooper – 1:44.63
200 IM
5. Will Licon – 1:43.51
11 Joseph Schooling – 1:44.28
400 IM
5. Will Licon – 3:42.48
13. John Martens – 3:45.31
22. Jonathan Roberts – 3:48.03
Top-25 National Rankings: Relays
200 Free Relay
1. Texas (Ellis, Murray, Schooling, Ringgold) – 1:16.72
400 Free Relay
2. Texas (Youngquist, Murray, Conger, Ellis) – 2:52.30
200 Medley Relay
1. Texas (Darmody, Murray, Conger, Ringgold) – 1:23.88
400 Medley Relay
2. Texas (Conger, Temple, Ellis, Ringgold) – 3:08.32

DIVERS CAP PRODUCTIVE FALL IN AUSTIN AND COLUMBUS

The Texas divers finished off their strong fall season last month at the USA Diving Winter National Championships in Columbus, Ohio. Junior Cory Bowersox won his second consecutive U.S. national title in three-meter synchro, and sophomore Mark Anderson placed sixth on one-meter at the same meet.

UT claimed two of the three events contested at the UT Diving Invite in November. Bowersox captured the one-meter title with 399.2 points while Anderson was victorious on platform with 441.75 points.

MORE ON THE LONGHORNS

· Head coach Eddie Reese begins his 37th season with the Longhorns. Under his guidance, Texas has won 10 NCAA titles, registered 11 NCAA runner-up finishes and secured top-three finishes at 28 of 36 NCAA Championship meets.

· Texas has more NCAA titles and NCAA top-two finishes than any other men’s swimming and diving program since Reese’s arrival on the Forty Acres in 1978.

NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving team titles since 1978-79
(Reese’s first at season at Texas)
o Texas – 10

o Auburn – 8

o Stanford – 7

o California – 5

o Michigan – 2

o Florida – 2

o Arizona – 1

o UCLA 1

NCAA top-two finishes since 1978-79 (Reese’s first at Texas)
o Texas – 21

o Stanford – 17

o Auburn – 11

o California – 8

o USC – 4

o Michigan – 3

o Florida – 3

o Arizona – 2

o UCLA – 2

o SMU – 1

– Texas returns 32 swimmers and divers, including 14 All-Americans, from the 2013-14 squad that placed second at the NCAA Championships and won the program’s 35th consecutive conference title.

· Sophomore Jack Conger earned five All-America honors as a freshman and posted top-six individual finishes in the 500 freestyle and the 100 butterfly at the 2014 NCAA Championships.

· Senior Tripp Cooper placed fifth in the 100 butterfly and swam on two All-America relays last season at the NCAA Championships.

· All-America senior Kip Darmody racked up substantial points last season at the NCAA Championships, where he placed third in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 200 backstroke while competing on five All-America relays.

· Junior Matt Ellis enjoyed a breakthrough summer that ultimately secured him a spot on the U.S. roster for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in August. The Austin native cracked the world’s top-10 in the 100m butterfly with his mark of 51.73 from the USA Swimming National Championships. Ellis ranks ninth in the world this year with his 51.73 while his teammate, freshman Joseph Schoolingof Singapore, ranks eighth in the world at 51.69.

· Israeli Olympian Imri Ganiel returns after helping UT’s 400 medley relay to third place at the NCAA Championships.

· Sophomore Will Glass scored as a freshman at the NCAA Championships and landed a seventh-place finish in the 100 butterfly, while junior Aaron Gustafson also produced a breakout swim last March and scored points in the 100 backstroke.

· Junior Sam Lewis scored his first NCAA Championship points as a sophomore in the 500 freestyle before earning All-America honors on the 800 freestyle relay.

· Sophomore Will Licon broke a school record as a freshman and placed fifth in the 400 IM at the NCAA Championships.

· Junior John Murray showed off his sprint versatility at the 2014 NCAA Championships. The San Antonio native split 18.36 seconds – the fastest relay split of the entire meet – on the 200 free relay at the NCAA meet. Murray also took on sprint breaststroke duties on the Longhorns’ 200 medley relay and scored individually in the 50 and 100 freestyle events at the NCAA Championships.

· Clay Youngquist returns for his final season as a member of the 2014-15 USA Swimming National Team. Youngquist scored individually in the 200 freestyle and on the 800 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships.

Texas Women’s Swimming and Diving Preview: No. 12 Auburn and No. 2 Georgia

Sixth-ranked Longhorns resume dual-meet competition with annual meets against SEC foes Auburn and Georgia.

WHAT: Nine-time national champion No. 6 Texas (5-1) resumes dual-meet competition this week with road meets against Southeastern Conference foes No. 12 Auburn and No. 2 Georgia.

WHEN/WHERE

#6 Texas at #12 Auburn

Thursday, Jan. 8 – 2 p.m. CT
James E. Martin Aquatics Center – Auburn, Alabama
LIVE RESULTS: http://www.auburntigers.com/livestats/c-swim/
LIVE VIDEO: SEC Network Plus will air live coverage available to subscribers of ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app. Brit Bowen (play-by-play) will join analysts Albert Subirats and Aubrey Peacock on the call. The live video link is available here http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/id/2271988/NCAA-Swimming-Diving-Texas-vs-Auburn

#6 Texas at #2 Georgia

Saturday, Jan. 10 – 11 a.m. ET/10 a.m. CT
Gabrielsen Natatorium – Athens, Georgia
LIVE RESULTS: http://www.georgiadogs.com/livestats/c-swim/14alabama/

LAST MEETINGS vs. AUBURN AND GEORGIA
Texas defeated Auburn by a 168.5-129.5 count on Jan. 9, 2014 in Austin. Georgia edged Texas by a 157.5-142.5 margin on Jan. 11, 2014 in Austin.

Auburn defeated Texas in the most recent meeting at Auburn by a 153-145 count on Jan. 10, 2013. Georgia defeated Texas in Athens (143-100) on Jan. 12, 2013.

LAST TIME OUT: The Longhorns produced strong swims at their annual Texas Invitational last month (Dec. 4-6) at UT’s Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

Texas qualified its 200 free and 400 medley relays for the NCAA Championships on the first day of the Invite. Day two saw senior Gretchen Jaques become the second Longhorn ever to clear 59 seconds in the breaststroke. Jaques clocked 58.94 in prelims and won the event in the finals at 58.78, good for a NCAA automatic-qualifying cut.

Senior Kaitlin Pawlowicz opened day three of the Invite with an historic swim and became the first Longhorn in early 30 years to clear 16 minutes in the 1,650 freestyle. She clipped nearly 10 seconds off of her personal best and placed third in the event at 15:57.37. The swim ranked her as the third-fastest Longhorn ever in the event.

Redshirt senior Sarah Denninghoff nearly claimed the school record in the 200 backstroke and won the event in 1:52.61. Senior Kelsey LeNeave won the 200 butterfly in a personal-best time of 1:55.76.

Below is a complete listing of where the Longhorn stack up among the top-25 nationally:

Top-25 National Times: Individual Events
50 Freestyle
T22. Gretchen Jaques – 22.37
500 Freestyle
22. Kaitlin Pawlowicz – 4:42.51
1,650 Freestyle
7. Kaitlin Pawlowicz – 15:57.37
100 Backstroke
T9. Sarah Denninghoff – 52.06
200 Backstroke
8. Sarah Denninghoff – 1:52.61
100 Breaststroke
2. Gretchen Jaques – 58.78
200 Breaststroke
5. Gretchen Jaques – 2:08.60
100 Butterfly
13. Kelsey LeNeave – 52.41
200 Butterfly
11. Kelsey LeNeave – 1:55.76
400 IM
18. Kaitlin Pawlowicz – 4:10.82

COX RETURNS FROM FINA SHORT COURSE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
All-America sophomore Madisyn Cox has rejoined the team after missing last month’s Texas Invitational to compete for the United States at the FINA Short Course World Championships.

The Lubbock native helped the Americans to fifth place in the 800m freestyle relay at the bi-annual meet. The meet marked Cox’s first swim in an international event for the United States.

DIVERS CAP PRODUCTIVE FALL IN AUSTIN AND COLUMBUS
The Texas divers swept all three boards at November’s UT Diving Invite before producing solid performances last month at the USA Diving Winter National Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

Senior Emma Ivory-Ganja kicked off the UT Diving Invite with a victory on the three-meter board and logged a personal best of 395.40 points. Junior Meghan Houston won her second consecutive one-meter title and totaled 304.25 points. Sophomore Murphy Bromberg completed the Longhorns’ sweep with 360.70 points in the platform event.

Ivory-Ganja and Bromberg teamed up to place second in the platform synchro finals at the USA Diving Winter Nationals. Bromberg took second place in the individual platform event, while Ivory-Ganja added an eighth-place finish in the three-meter final with 834 points.

MORE ON THE LONGHORNS
· Texas returns 21 swimmers and divers, including eight All-Americans, from the 2013-14 squad that won the Big 12 Championship and placed ninth at the NCAA Championships.

· Senior diver Emma Ivory-Ganja, now in her second season at Texas after transferring from UCLA, earned All-America honors on all three boards at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Ivory-Ganja was the NCAA runner-up on platform and placed seventh in the three-meter event at the NCAA meet. Sophomore Murphy Bromberg joins Ivory-Ganja as an All-American on three-meter last season.

· Sophomore swimmer Madisyn Cox earned honorable mention All-America honors as a freshman in the 200 IM and won her first Big 12 title in that event last February.

· Senior swimmer Sarah Denninghoff returns after sitting out last season as a medical redshirt. The 13-time All-American placed eighth in the 200 backstroke at the 2013 NCAA Championships in her first season as a Longhorn after transferring from Arizona.

· Versatile senior swimmer Gretchen Jaques gives Texas options in the sprint breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle events. The Californian joined current teammate Brynne Wong and former teammates Lily Moldenhauer and Ellen Lobb to tie the school record and place sixth in the 200 medley relay last season at the NCAA Championships. Jaques also scored individually last season in the 100 breaststroke.

· Sophomore swimmer Tasija Karosas joined teammate Kelsey LeNeave to help Texas place ninth in the 800 freestyle relay at the NCAA Championships. Karosas won her first Big 12 title last March with a personal best of 1:53.49 in the 200 backstroke. LeNeave scored her first individual points at an NCAA Championship last March with her 16th-place finish in the 200 freestyle.

· Three-time NCAA Championships qualifier Kaitlin Pawlowicz returns after posting top-three finishes in the 500 freestyle and the 400 IM at 2014 Big 12 Championships.

· Senior swimmer Skylar Smith is a former Big 12 champion in the 200 IM who has qualified for two NCAA Championship meets.

College Swimming News is courtesy of the University of Texas Swimming and Diving.