University of Missouri
Tigers Place 5th at Big 12 Championships
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 4, 1999
COLUMBIA, Mo.- The Missouri women's swimming and diving team completed perhaps their most successful season in school history at the Big 12 Championships in Austin, Tex. The Tigers finished in fifth place, but improved their score by 47 points from a year ago. Mizzou wracked up 410 points compared to 363 a year ago.
The Tigers were led by junior Tawney Larm, who for the third straight season together a solid Big 12 Championship weekend. Larm broke two school records, made two senior national cuts and one NCAA consideration cut. She was a major surprise in the 200 individual medley as she placed third with a career-best time, 2 minutes, 3.30 seconds. That time was a senior cut time as well as an NCAA consideration cut time. Larm also placed 7th in the 400 I.M. and 10th in the 200 breaststroke. Her time in the 200 breast of 2 minutes, 19.41 seconds was also a new school record.
Also making their marks on the 1999 Big 12 Championships were freshmen Molly Vetter and Katie Mae Fields. Vetter finaled in three events and put together a magnificent showing. She finished 6th in the 200 freestyle in a school record and NCAA consideration cut time of 1 minute, 50.53 seconds. Fields placed 10th in that event with the school's second fastest time, 1 minute, 51.10 seconds. Fields and Vetter also were huge in the 500 freestyle. Fields finished third with a time of 4 minutes, 54.39 seconds, also a school record and NCAA consideration cut time. Vetter finished fourth in the event while junior Cristina Souza placed fifth. The three swimmers now own the top three times of all-time in that event.
Fields and Vetter did it again in the 1650 freestyle. Fields was the second place finisher in a time of 16 minutes, 47.39 seconds, a Missouri school record by over six seconds. Vetter finished fifth with a time of 17 minutes, 3.26 seconds, the third fastest MU mark of all-time.
The Missouri relay teams also put together a memorable showing. With the exception of the 400 medley relay, all of Missouri's relay teams finished no worse that fourth place. The Tigers 200 free relay team of Jeanna Willi, Tara Brooks, Whitney Nigh and Rikki Janes placed fourth just missing out on a school record time (1 minute, 34.40 seconds). The 200 medley relay team of Janes, Willi, Larm and Brooks placed fourth and matched the second fastest time in school history with a time of 1 minute, 45.79 seconds.
Perhaps the highlight of the weekend was the performance of the Tigers 800 freestyle relay team. Vetter, Souza, Fields and Brooks pulled off a major upset by finishing in third place and demolishing the school record with a time of 7 minutes, 27.29 seconds.
Texas unseasted Nebraska for the Big 12 crown with 881.50 points. The Huskers finished second with 851.50 points. Kansas placed third with 575 while Texas A&M outlasted Missouri for fourth place with 462 points. Iowa State finished sixth with 250 points.
