No. 1 Texas Men Upend No. 24 Texas A&M, 129-106

AUSTIN, Texas, January 27. TOP-ranked Texas swept all 11 swimming events en route to a 129-106 victory over No. 24 Texas A&M Saturday afternoon in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. The Longhorns (8-0) now hold a 4.5-3.0 lead over the Aggies in the 2006-07 State Farm Lone Star Showdown standings.

Texas began the meet with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, as seniors Tommy Sacco (Dallas, Texas) and Tyler O'Halloran (Boardman, Ohio), freshman Ricky Berens (Charlotte, N.C.) and junior Matt McGinnis (Raleigh, N.C.) took first in 1:29.62. Freshman Dave Walters (Yorktown, Va.) followed suit with a dominant performance in the 1000 freestyle, touching the wall in 9:26.78.

Junior Caleb McDermott (Canyon Lake, Texas) registered UT's lone NCAA provisional-qualifying mark of the day when he took the 200 freestyle in 1:37.65. Senior Garrett Weber-Gale (Fox Point, Wis.) claimed his first of two events with a win in the 50 freestyle, clocking 20.37.

McGinnis continued the Longhorns' dominance in the 400 individual medley with a winning time of 3:54.86. Texas freshman Mike Wong (Cerritos, Calif.) took second in the one-meter diving event with a score of 330.37 before junior Daniel Rohleder (Austin, Texas) resumed UT's winning ways with a winning mark of 48.79 in the 100 butterfly.

Sacco, one of six UT seniors honored in Senior Day festivities before the meet, captured the 100 freestyle in 45.59 before Berens and classmate Hill Taylor (Birmingham, Ala.) swam a dead heat in the 100 backstroke, tying for first in 49.54.

With the team victory well in hand, Texas designated the remainder of its entries as exhibition swimmers. Weber-Gale, making a rare appearance in the 500 freestyle, claimed the event in 4:34.08, though the victory was credited to Texas A&M's James Hard, who took second in 4:35.09.

The Aggies' Eric Sehn was victorious in the three-meter diving event, which was not contested as an exhibition, but Texas registered the top marks in the remaining two events, the 100 breaststroke and the 200 freestyle relay. O'Halloran won the 100 breaststroke in 55.89 before the 200 freestyle relay quartet of McGinnis, Sacco, sophomore Michael Klueh (Evansville, Ind.) and junior Matt Lowe (Minot, N.D.) completed the event in 1:22.40.

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