Forward, Kylee Simmons, runs to Georgia’s goal with the opposing player tailing her on Sunday, Sept. 24, 2023 at Walton Stadium in Columbia. MO.
Both sides of the Missouri team had big performances with multiple swimmers winning events resulting in 20 gold medals to snap 3 meet losing streak.
After starting the season with three straight losses against Auburn, Indiana and Alabama, Missouri swimming and diving was in need of a pick-me-up, and they found exactly that in the double-dual against Southern Illinois University and Lindenwood University.
Last weekend, Missouri headed to Springfield, Missouri to face off against SIU and Lindenwood, and the Missouri team showed out on both sides. The men’s side won 172-118 against SIU and 176-119 against Lindenwood, while the women’s came away with 188-108 and 215-81 victories. Missouri won a total of 20 events — 12 on the women’s side and eight on the men’s.
Multiple swimmers had impressive performances, but the lead swimmer was Taylor Williams as she walked away with four gold medals. Williams won each event she competed in, including the 100-yard butterfly, 50-yard freestyle, 200-medley relay and 200-yard freestyle relay. Her teammates Jane Smith and Kamryn Wong were right there with her, each gaining two wins. Wong won both the three-meter and one-meter dive with a score of 296.65 and 252.30 respectively, and Smith cleared both 500 and 1000-yard freestyle events.
Additionally, the men’s side put up a great performance in the form of Mikolaj Malec, who had wins in both the 1000-yard freestyle and 200-yard backstroke. Grant Bochenski finished with a total of four medals, winning the 200-medley relay and 200-yard freestyle while placing second behind Malec in the 200-yard backstroke. Bochenski’s group fell short by 0.48 seconds behind SIU in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
On the diving side, Collier Dyer finished first in the one-meter dive with a score of 310.75 and second in the three-meter, losing by only 0.35 points to Lindenwood.
Francesca Smith, Daniel Wilson, Logan Ottke, Karolina Bank, Zara Zallen, Piper McNeil, Jan Zubik, Sierra Smith, Colleen Duffy, Sam Brown, Peyton Drexler and Emily Roden all walked away with a gold medal, meaning Missouri had six new freshmen and a total of 18 different swimmers win a gold medal. It was a huge accomplishment for the Tigers, giving them momentum heading into their next event.
Missouri will get a much-needed 12-day break as the next event is the Mizzou Invitational, which will be held at home. It begins on Nov. 15 at 9:30 a.m. and ends on Nov. 17.
Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com
Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com