No. 6 Stanford (3-0, 1-0 Pac-10) finished off an impressive non-conference dual meet win at No. 11 Texas (1-1, 1-0 Big 12) on Saturday to close out two days of action at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. Stanford's won 14 of the first 16 events contested in the meet with the final 195-150 margin of victory reflecting the Cardinal competing exhibition in Saturday's final three swimming events.
Julia Smit recorded her second NCAA 'A' in as many days when she recorded a time of 2:00.08 as an exhibition swimmer in the 200 IM. Smit had won the 400 IM in dominating fashion on Friday by clocking in with an NCAA 'A' qualifying time of 4:10.96 that made her the No. 5 all-time Stanford performer in the event and was just under 10 seconds better than her nearest competitor. Smit also won the 200 back in an NCAA 'B' time of 1:59.32 on Friday.
Senior Elizabeth Tinnon (Bowling Green, Ky.) highlighted the Longhorns' performance with a NCAA automatic-qualifying time of 1:01.70 in the 100-yard breaststroke to capture the event. Senior Leah Avilla (Livermore, Calif.) added a NCAA "B" cut qualifying time of 1:02.87 for third place.
"It was great to see (Elizabeth) Tinnon get that automatic cut," said UT coach Kim Brackin. "That's a real indication of where she is heading this season."
Senior Connie Brown (Andover, Mass.) took first in the 50 freestyle with a NCAA "B" cut time of 23.17. Brown helped Texas add a NCAA "B" cut relay time, as she teamed with Tinnon, senior Katie Robinson (Dillsboro, Ind.) and sophomore Hee-Jin Chang (Seoul, Korea) to clock a second-place time of 1:41.87 in the 200 medley relay.
Brooke Bishop and Caroline Bruce also put up NCAA 'A' marks during the two-day meet. Bruce hit standard on Friday with a time of 2:10.19 to take the 200 breast, while Bishop checked in with a 22.71 as an exhibition swimmer Saturday in the 50 free that was the fastest time in the race. Bishop also was credited with a pair of victories in the meet, taking the 100 free on Friday (49.61) as well as Saturday's 100 back (54.59) with NCAA 'B' marks in both.
Elaine Breeden swept the meet's fly events with a victory in the 100 (53.85, NCAA 'B') on Friday followed by a triumph in the 200 (2:02.69) on Saturday.
Other Stanford individual winners included Cassidy Krug (1-meter diving, 287.77) and Desireé Stahley (500 free, 4:53.78) on Friday, as well as Lauren Costella (1650 free, 16:38.06) and Whitney Spence (200 free, 1:49.80) during Saturday's competition with all the swimmers recording NCAA 'B' times.
Stanford also won the meet's first three relays and had the fastest time in the fourth as an exhibition team, all in NCAA 'B' times.
In Friday's meet-opening 200 free relay a team of Madeline Rovira, Breeden, Michelle Liu and Bishop turned in an effort of 1:32.71. Smit, Bruce, Breeden and Bishop closed out the swimming portion of Friday's slate of events with a 3:41.53 to capture the 400 medley relay.
Bishop, Bruce, Breeden and Fiona O'Donnell-McCarthy started the Cardinal where the team had left off Friday with a victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:41.14. Breeden, Stahley, Rovira and Bishop closed out the action in the pool as an exhibition team in the 400 free relay with the fastest time in the event (3:23.71).
Texas recorded just three victories in events in which the Cardinal did not swim exhibition, winning two of the three diving competitions with a victory by Mary Yarrison (313.80) in the 3-meter on Friday and Jessica Livingston's triumph in the platform (155.70) on Saturday. Connie Brown (50 free, 23.17, NCAA 'B'), Elaine Ferritto (200 IM, 2:05.02) and a 400 free relay team (3:26.12) of Katie Robinson, Brown, Hee Jin Chang and Alex Basso were also officially credited with victories.
The Longhorns also came up with a win in the arguably the most thrilling event of the meet when Elizabeth Tinnon (1:01.70, NCAA 'A') edged Bruce (1:01.88, NCAA 'B') by just .18 seconds in Saturday's 100 breast.
Other individuals to add NCAA 'B' marks during the meet for Stanford included Breeden (100 free, 50.34), Stahley (16:45.78, 1650 free) and Smit (100 back, 55.12 ? leadoff leg of 400 medley relay).
"We performed really well, especially yesterday," Brackin said. "We took care of what we needed to take care of and got some great swims today, and we did some special things in terms of pushing through with hard work. We raced well and didn't get blindside by what Stanford was doing."
"We'll talk to the team next week about using its great racing skills and being aggressive and not holding off," Brackin added. "We're preparing to have a great week of training. We will try to have better walls (turns) next week than we did against Stanford, and that will become more of a priority with every meet."
Texas returns to the pool on Friday, Nov. 3 when it meets Texas A&M in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown at A&M's Student Recreation Center Natatorium. Both the swimmers and divers will head to Knoxville, Tennessee, for a two-day double dual meet Friday-Saturday November 10-11 versus host and No. 15 Tennessee and defending national champion and No. 3 Auburn. The times for the Tennessee/Auburn meet have not yet been announced.
FINAL TEAM SCORES
Stanford 195, Texas 150
