Missouri swim and dive saw talent in the upperclassmen and rising talent in the underclassmen as the season progressed.
Missouri’s swim and dive season was full of great performances by upperclassmen, but there were also some freshmen and sophomores that showed their potential for Missouri in the future. Here’s a recap of the season.
Georgia
The season started out with a dual meet in Athens, Georgia, where Missouri faced Georgia and Arizona State.
The men’s team struggled and fell to both teams, by scores of 205-95 and 191-109 to Georgia and Arizona State, respectively. Seniors Ben Patton and Carlo Lopez each took first place in one event.
The women’s team defeated Arizona State 164.5-133.5, but fell to Georgia with a final score of 190-105. Fifth-year senior Sarah Rousseau took first in the one meter event.
SMU Classic
The Tigers then headed to Dallas, where they competed in the SMU classic. Both teams went against SMU, Texas, Louisville, Michigan, Texas A&M, Miami (FL) and USC.
The men’s team took third in the tournament with 298 points, trailing Texas A&M (306) and Texas (348).
The men took first place in three events, with graduate student Clement Secchi winning two and fifth-year senior Jack Dahlgren winning one.
The women’s team finished in fourth place with 255 points, but it fell short of Louisville (304), Michigan (311) and USC (325).
Purdue
Both teams then had the first home meet of the season at the Mizzou Aquatic Center in Columbia, where they faced Purdue. It was a sweep with the men’s team winning 206.5-139.5 and the women’s team winning 233-115.
The men’s team was led by Secchi, who took first place in three events, and senior Molly Gowans led the women’s team, taking first in two events.
Indiana
Next, the Tigers headed back on the road to Bloomington, Indiana, where they faced the Hoosiers. Both teams fell to Indiana, with the men losing 125-168 and the women losing 123-171.
Secchi yet again took first in three events and Dahlgren took place in one event for the men. Senior Meredith Rees carried the women’s team, taking first in two events while sophomore Taylor Williams and freshman Malin Grosse each took first in one event.
Mizzou Invite
The Tigers then went to Edmond, Oklahoma, to compete in the Eagle Invite before hosting the Mizzou Invite. The Mizzou Invite included BYU, Iowa State, McKendree, Missouri S&T, San Jose State, Northern Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.
Missouri saw exceptional performances from Dahlgren and Secchi, each winning two events for the men, while seniors Meredith Rees and Amy Feddersen both had great performances for the women’s team.
Secchi had a landmark performance in the 200 fly, where he posted the fastest time of the season (1:41.81). This also broke his personal record by over two seconds.
Missouri State
Next, both teams faced Missouri State and were victorious, as the men won 210-86 and the women’s team won 201-96.
Dahlgren finished first place in three events for the men’s team while the duo of Rees and Macy Rink each won two events for the women’s team.
Both teams then went against Louisville and Tennessee and fell short in both meets.
Southern Illinois
However, both teams came back in the last regular season meet where they swept Southern Illinois with the men’s final score being 190-99 and the women winning 199-88.
Secchi and Dahlgren led the men’s team, both winning two events. Lopez also took first in the three meter event scoring 350.40 points.
We saw a rise of youth from the women’s team with freshmen Fernanda de Goeij, Malin Grosse and Kamryn Wong each winning two events along with senior Molly Gowans.
After what was a very positive season and strong ending for the Tigers, Missouri will look forward to the SEC championship on Feb. 14-18, which will take place on the road in Knoxville, Tennessee.