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Texas Mauls Field on Way To Second Straight Big 12 Title Sweep

By Austin Anderson
The Texas men’s swimming and diving team captured its 18th Big 12 Championship and 35th consecutive conference championship while the Longhorn women claimed Big 12 title number 12 at the 2014 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.

Mark Anderson opened the day with a win for the Longhorns in the men’s platform diving. With a score of 400.75, the junior averaged 66.79 points per round in the event. In women’s platform diving, Murphy Bromberg of Texas took the crown with 386.70 points, shattering the Big 12 championship and all meet record of 375.00.

The swimming events kicked off with the 200-yard backstroke. On the women’s side, Texas’ Tasija Karosas took the title in 1:53.49. Jack Conger of Texas followed up with a win for the men’s squad, breaking the Big 12 championship record in 1:40.56.

In the 100-yard freestyle, West Virginia picked up its third title of the 2014 championship when Tim Squires bested the field in 42.92, a new WVU school record. Squires has won two of the Mountaineers' three titles this week. Texas’ Ellen Lobb took the women’s title in 48.83, narrowly beating out fellow Longhorn Sam Tucker (43.84).

Texas swept the meet’s distance events. Kelsey Leneave took the women’s 1650-yard freestyle in 16:19.52. Sam Lewis, the only Longhorn in a heat with five Horned Frogs, claimed the men’s crown in 14:55.44.

Gretchen Jaques of Texas kicked off the second half of the evening with a win in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:09.86. On the men’s side, Will Licon of Texas tallied his individual title of the meet finishing in a time of 1:55.40.

In the 200-yard butterfly, Tripp Cooper of Texas claimed the crown in 1:42.64, a Big 12 championship record. Victoria Cassidy continued the Longhorn’s dominance with a 1:58.38 win in the event.

The 400-yard freestyle relay wrapped up the 2014 championship. The UT team of Ellen Lobb, Alex Hooper, Gretchen Jaques and Sam Tucker took the title for the Horns in 3:15.17. The men’s quad of Matt Ellis, Jack Conger, Kip Darmody and John Murray finished in 2:51.00 to win the event.

In the final points standings, Texas stood at the top with 1,071 points on the men’s side and 1,109.5 on the women’s. The men from TCU finished second and West Virginia took third. For the women, Kansas came in second, its first-ever runner-up finish in the meet. Iowa State came in third while TCU and West Virginia took fourth and fifth, respectively.

With Kansas’ second-place finish on the women’s side marking its highest-ever in the Big 12 championship, KU's Clark Campbell earned the women’s swimming coach of the meet award. Texas’ Matt Scoggin was named the men’s and women’s diving coach of the year while West Virginia’s Vic Riggs earned the men’s swimming coach of the meet honor.

Big 12 swimming and diving athletes will head to the NCAA Championships. The women’s meet will be held in Minneapolis, Minn., March 20-22. The men's meet will be at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin on March 27-29.

2014 BIG 12 SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS

TEAM STANDINGS
Men - 1. Texas (1071); 2. TCU (796); 3. West Virginia (779)
Women - 1. Texas (1109.5); 2. Kansas (617); 3. Iowa State (541.5); 4. TCU (525); 5. West Virginia (480)

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP HONORS

-MEN-
Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet: Tim Squires (West Virginia)
Co-Outstanding Divers of the Meet: Michael Hixon and Will Chandler (Texas)
Outstanding Newcomer of the Meet: Jack Conger (Texas)
Swim Coach of the Meet: Vic Riggs (West Virginia)
Dive Coach of the Meet: Matt Scoggin (Texas)

-WOMEN-
Outstanding Swimmer of the Meet: Chelsie Miller (Kansas)
Outstanding Diver of the Meet: Maren Taylor (Texas)
Outstanding Newcomer of the Meet: Madisyn Cox (Texas)
Swim Coach of the Meet: Clark Campbell (Kansas)
Dive Coach of the Meet: Matt Scoggin (Texas)

DAY FOUR CHAMPIONS

-MEN-
200-Yard Backstroke: Jack Conger (Texas) – 1:40.56 ^
100-Yard Freestyle: Tim Squires (West Virginia) – 42.92
1650-Yard Freestyle: Sam Lewis (Texas) – 14:55.44
200-Yard Breaststroke: Will Licon (Texas) – 1:55.40
200-Yard Butterfly: Tripp Cooper (Texas) – 1:42.64 ^
400-Yard Freestyle Relay: Texas (Matt Ellis, Jack Conger, Kip Darmody, John Murray) – 2:51.99
Platform Diving: Mark Anderson (Texas) – 400.75

-WOMEN-
200-Yard Backstroke: Tasija Karosas (Texas) – 1:53.49
100-Yard Freestyle: Ellen Lobb (Texas) – 48.83
1650-Yard Freestyle: Kelsey Leneave (Texas) – 16:19.62
200-Yard Breaststroke: Gretchen Jaques (Texas) – 2:09.86
200-Yard Butterfly: Victoria Cassidy (Texas) – 1:58.38
400-Yard Freestyle Relay: Texas (Ellen Lobb, Alex Hooper, Gretchen Jaques, Sam Tucker) – 3:15.17
Platform Diving: Murphy Bromberg (Texas) – 386.70 ^ $

^ Big 12 Championship Record 
$ Big 12 Record (All Meets)

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