Huskers Travel to Austin for Big 12 Championships

Big 12 Championships

Feb. 23-26

10 a.m., 6 p.m. | Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center

The Nebraska swimming and diving team will be making their final push of the regular season at the 2011 Big 12 swimming and diving championships in Austin, Texas. The Huskers finished with a 6-4 (1-2 Big 12) record on the season, coming off a loss to Missouri in the final dual of the year on senior day in Lincoln. The 6-4 record is the best since the 2007-08 season when the Huskers tallied seven wins on the season.

The Huskers also won the holiday Citrus Classic trip and finished third at the Missouri Invitational.

The Huskers finished in sixth-place at last year's Big 12 Championships, held in Columbia, Mo., and are looking to rebound this year. Texas A&M won the title last year followed by Texas and Missouri.

Live results and statistics will be provided at the following link: http://www.tsc.utexas.edu/results/big12/index.htm . Huskers.com will also provide coverage of the event following each of the seven sessions.

Nebraska Finishes Regular Season at 6-4

The Huskers swam their way to a s 6-4 record this season, their best record since the 2007-08 season when the Huskers tallied a 7-2 dual mark. The Huskers earned a 3-4 record in the 2008-09 season and a 4-3 record in the 2009-10 season. The Huskers reached the six win mark for the sixth time in the past eight years.

Young Blood Leading the Way

The future looks promising for this Nebraska swimming & diving squad. Husker freshman contributed 38 of the team's 65 first-place event finishes, including Bailey Pon's team high 13 wins.  

Senior Salute

Seven Nebraska swimmers said goodbye to the Bob Devaney Natatorium at the Feb. 5 dual against Missouri. Seniors participating in their final dual include Claire Desormey, Julie Giehl, Kelsey Grushecky, Blaine Hoppenrath, Brandie Kavalec, Meredith Matthies and Rachell McClain. The Big 12 Championships will be the final time the seven Huskers will compete with the team.  

25 Selected to Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll

25 Huskers on the swimming and diving team were selected to the fall 2010 Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll. The honor roll is an inclusive honor for varsity sports sponsored by the membership of the league. The Honor Roll is recorded and released each semester and recognizes those student-athletes who recorded a 3.00 or better GPA the previous semester.

Former Husker swimmer and current Nebraska swimming and diving graduate assistant Sarah Ziegelmann posted a 4.0 GPA during the last semester. The management major exhausted her NCAA eligibility after the 2009-10 season. Former Husker Hailey Dean also was included on the Honor Roll.

Seniors Claire Desormey, Julie Giehl, Kelsey Grushecky, Blaine Hoppenrath, Meredith Matthies and Rachell McClain all were included in the honor roll. It is Giehl's and Grushecky's seventh time being honored, while Matthies earned her sixth appearance on the list.

18 of the 26 remaining swimmers were included in the honor roll. More than 2,000 student-athletes each semester have been named to the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll in the Conference's 15-year tenure.

Review: Nebraska Drops Dual to Missouri on Senior Day

The Nebraska swimming and diving team fell to the Missouri Tigers, 191-81, Saturday afternoon at the Devaney Natatorium. The Huskers finish the regular season with a 6-4 dual record. Up next for the Huskers is the Big 12 Championships in Austin, Texas.

Seven Huskers participated in their final dual of the year, including Claire Desormey, Julie Giehl, Kelsey Grushecky, Blaine Hoppenrath, Brandie Kavalec, Meredith Matthies and Rachell McClain.

Missouri shot out of the gate in the first event of the day, the 200-yard medley relay, by taking the first three places in the event.  Bailey Pons fought back in the second event of the day by winning the 1,650 yard freestyle event. Brandie Kavalec finished third in the event to pull the Huskers back into the competition.

Missouri then put some distance between themselves and the Huskers. Missouri won events 3-7 before the Huskers' swept the 3-meter dive on the shoulders of Payton Michaud, Amy Herman and Alyson Ramsey.

Events nine through twelve were taken by the Tigers before Bailey Pons won her second event of the day with a time of 4:58.05 in the 500-yard freestyle. Missouri never looked back, winning the final four events of the day.

Following the dual against Missouri, the Huskers will prepare for two-and-one half weeks before the Big 12 Conference Championships in Austin, Texas. The event runs from Feb. 23-26.