Big 12 Conference Championships, Day Three

COLUMBIA, Missouri, February 24. THERE was no change in the team standings on the third day of the 2012 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, but there was still plenty of history made at the Mizzou Aquatic Center.

To lead off the day, Texas A&M's Breeja Larson set a NCAA-record in the women's 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 57.92 in the morning preliminary session. The sophomore came back to win a Big 12 title in the evening at 58.39. That Conference crown was just one of six that the Aggie women won on the day to stake a 148 point lead over Texas, 717 to 569. Missouri is in third at 451 with Kansas (243) and Iowa State (223) rounding out the women's team standings.

On the men's side, Missouri and Texas A&M finally got to the top of the awards stand, after Texas had swept the seven Big 12 titles from the first two days of competition. However, the Longhorns still lead the overall standings with 684.5 points, while the Aggies and Tigers have 582 and 516.5, respectively.

Texas A&M's women started the day's push for half of a dozen Big 12 championships in the same place were the Aggies were successful on day two – the diving board. Jaele Patrick captured the three-meter springboard title with a score of 372.60. The 400-yard medley relay followed her lead as Paige Miller, Larson, Caroline McElhany and Kim Palvin produced an NCAA-qualifying time of 3:35.74. The win was A&M's first in the event at the Big 12 Championships since 2008.

In the individual swimming events on the night, Cammile Adams swam a 4:08.88 to claim the 400-yard individual medley race. Later, TAMU's McElhany added to her trophy haul by taking the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.92.

The Missouri women got to the top of the podium as Shara Stafford (1:44.13) edged out three-time defending champion Karlee Bispo (1:44.33) of Texas in the 200-yard freestyle race. It was the first time MU had placed first in the event at the Big 12 Championships.

Paige Miller would earn the sixth Aggie crown of the night by posting a 52.99 to repeat as Big 12 100-yard backstroke champion.

The Aggie men wasted no time getting their first win of the meet as the 400-yard medley relay team of John Ariens, Amini Fonua, Boris Loncaric and John Dalton ended Texas' 13-year run in the event with a time of 3:08.92.

Texas would win three individual events on the night as Nick D'Innocenzo followed up his day two win in the 200-yard invidual medley with a victory in the 400-IM at 3:45.77. UT has won that event now for nine straight years at the Big 12 Championships. Dax Hill would grab the Longhorns' next title with a time of 1:34.55 in the 200-yard freestyle. The win gave Hill a second striaght victory in the event and Texas its 15th win in 16 Big 12 Championships in that race. UT also had a repeat champion in the 100-yard backstroke with Cole Cragin's time of 46.90. The Horns have only lost that event twice in Big 12 Championships history.

While Texas was able to keep some streaks alive, Texas A&M's Loncoric and Fonua ended others. In the 100-yard butterfly, Loncaric put a hault to 11-straight wins for UT in the race with a time of 46.72. Fonua (53.58) was the 100-yard breastroke winner to stop a 13-year run of dominance in the event.

Missouri got a win in a diving event for the first time in Big 12 Championships history as David Bonuchi won the three-meter diving event with a score of 443.55.

The schedule for the final day begins with prelims at 10 a.m., followed by the women's platform diving finals at 4:30 p.m., and swimming events beginning at 6 p.m.

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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