Missouri vs. Drury

SPRINGFIELD, Missouri, February 8. THE 20th-ranked University of Missouri men's swimming and diving team (11-2, 1-0 Big 12) and 21st-ranked women's team (12-1, 2-1 Big 12) swept by Drury, the defending NCAA Division II national champions, winning by scores of 155-143 and 196-100, respectively, on Friday night. The men's win gives them 11 on the season, the most any team has compiled under Head Coach Brian Hoffer during his 16-year tenure at Mizzou.

"This was a great experience for us," Hoffer said. "Drury challenged us all meet long and the guys responded well and with a lot of intensity. The divers and several of the swimmers really stepped up and helped us take care of business today."

Helping the Tiger men to a win on Friday were freshman Dante Jones and sophomore Greg DeStephen in 1- and 3-meter diving. Jones took top honors on the 1-meter board with a score of 335.18, with DeStephen tallying 321.15 to take second. Sophomore Ryan Meeker rounded out the top-three with his score of 302.03.

Jones and DeStephen reversed their fortunes in the 3-meter diving competition, with DeStephen capturing the win with a score of 355.35 and Jones taking second (343.73).

Racing to his first win as a Tiger on Friday was sophomore Joe Wiedemeier in the 50 free. The Iowan clocked a 21.61 to edge freshman Jordan Hawley, who finished just behind in a time of 21.79.

Junior Ted Harris followed suit in the 100 breast. The Greenville, Ill., native earned the win in the 100 breast in a time of 58.28. Senior Brandon Lee clocked a 59.65 to take second.

Redshirt freshman Cameron Sellers' trip to Springfield was a successful one as well. The Kansan paced the field in the 200 free in a time of 1:40.96 and touched in at 46.84 to finish second in the 100 portion of the event. Junior Matt Dahlke took second in the 200 free in a time of 1:41.29.

Closing out the evening, and the team's regular season, was the 200 free relay squad of Hawley, Wiedemeier, Sellers and junior Gilad Kaufman. The quartet combined for a time of 1:24.42 to clinch the win.

Meanwhile, the Tiger women captured 12 of 16 events en route to their 12th win of the season.

"The women got the job done today," Head Coach Brian Hoffer said. "We had a few swimmers really step up and make us proud. We're looking forward to heading home and matching up with Nebraska tomorrow."

The catalyst for the Tigers on Friday was junior Coralie Baumann in the 1000 free. The South Elgin, Ill., native went the distance and finished first in a time of 10:23.72. Classmate Carly Sullivan touched in second in a time of 10:29.31, with freshman Melissa Jamerson rounding out the top-three (10:31.51).

Freshman Morgan McCleery more than rose to the challenge put in front of her, racking up a pair of wins in the breaststroke events. The Texan paced the field in the 100 breast in a time of 1:06.93 and returned for a second win in the 200 portion of the event in a time of 2:23.88.

Although she did not record a personal best again this week, senior Arica Jacinto did race to victory in the 200 fly in a time of 2:08.40. Fellow senior Taye Patterson followed that up with a win of her own in the 50 free in a time of 24.43.

Earning her second win in as many weeks was freshman Francie Szostak, who triumphed in the 100 free in a time of 53.02. Classmate Lauren Lavigna posted a win in the 200 IM in a time of 2:11.65.

Sophomore Colleen Gordon added another win to her 2007-08 collection in the 200 free. The Missouri City, Texas, native clocked a 1:50.92 for the win, with Szostak touching in second in a time of 1:54.91.

Mixing things up in the 500 free was junior Lori Halvorson, who swam a 5:04.37 to earn the win ahead of runner-up Jill Granger (5:10.41) and third-place finisher Kirsten David (5:12.06).

Joining McCleery as a multiple winner on Friday was junior Kendra Melnychuk. The Canadian continued her dominant season in the diving well with easy victories on both the 1-meter (319.73) and 3-meter boards (328.43).

Closing out the night in winning fashion were Patterson, Halvorson, Szostak and Gordon in the 200 free relay. The quartet combined for a first-place finish in a time of 1:37.80.

The Tiger women return to action on Saturday when they host conference foe Nebraska at the Mizzou Aquatics Center at 1 p.m. Fans unable to make it to the meet can remain updated on all the latest action by viewing live results on mutigers.com.

With the dual season now at an end the Tiger men turn their attention to the Big 12 Championships, set to take place Feb. 27-March 1 in Austin, Texas.

Special thanks to Missouri for contributing this report.

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