2021 Big 12 Swimming & Diving Championships Day Three Heats: Foster Puts Up 3:40 in 400 IM

Jake Foster. Photo Courtesy: Angela Wang / Texas Athletics

The 2021 Big 12 swimming and diving championships continued Friday from Austin, Texas with the Texas Longhorns cruising in their home facility as this is a tune-up meet for NCAAs in three weeks for the women and four weeks for the men.

The best swim of the day came from sophomore Jake Foster in the heats of the 400 IM with a 3:40.67 to lead brother Carson (3:42.56) as it is a season best for Jake. Both guys should be under 3:40 in tonight’s finals as either one of them could win the national title in that even come four weeks from today.

Fellow sophomore Caspar Corbeau is the top seed in the 100 breast at 52.38 ahead of junior Charlie Scheinfeld (52.71) and TCU’s Vitauts Silins (53.13) as three guys from this heat may have a chance to qualify for NCAAs depending on how fast the field is elsewhere in the nation.

Another sophomore, Peter Larson, is leading the 200 free heats with a 1:33.26 for his season best as a 1:32 should advance to NCAAs. Larson is ahead of his brother John Thomas (1:34.74) and sprinter Daniel Krueger (1:34.87), as Drew Kibler, the top ranked swimmer in the country entering this weekend, instead swam the 100 fly, placing third in the heats at 47.09 behind Zac Van Zandt (46.30) and Cole Crane (46.93).

Seniors Chris Staka (45.53) and Austin Katz (46.73) lead the 100 back heats as they are swimming their last meets as Longhorns in their home facility.

On the women’s side, Evie Pfeifer, also swimming in her last home meet, is the top seed in the 400 IM at 4:09.83 as she already won the 500 free last night and is looking to close out her Texas career in style. She is seeded ahead of sophomore Kelly Pash (4:16.56), who won last night’s 200 IM.

The Texas women have seen a boost of speed this year in relays thanks in part to their freshmen class that includes Olivia Bray and Anna Elendt, who lead their respective events on Friday. Bray cruised to a 51.99 in the 100 fly while Elendt was a 59.22 in the 100 breaststroke. Together, they will make Texas’ medley relays very difficult to beat not only this year, but the entirety of their college careers.

Junior Julia Cook is leading the 100 back at 52.35 ahead of Kansas’ Manon Manning (52.83) while Miranda Heckman is leading the 200 free at 1:47.29 ahead of teammate Kyla Leibel (1:47.61).

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