The Tigers hosted the seventh annual Show-Me Showdown Invite on Saturday afternoon, inviting colleges from around Missouri to compete.
The Invite gave the team a chance to promote college swimming across Missouri as well as scope out the state’s competition.
The Tigers started the meet in fine fashion as juniors Cassie Cunningham, Rachel Ripley and Shara Stafford and senior Lisa Nathanson captured first place in the women’s 200-yard medley with a time of 1:43.41.
Missouri also received first place honors from junior Dominique Bouchard, who had a 150-yard backstroke time of 1:28.61, and freshman Eegan Groome, with a 400-yard freestyle time of 3:34.57.
Not to be outdone, the diving team also contributed to the scoreboard by sweeping first through third in the women’s three meter event. Senior Jordan Morcom took home first with a total of 295.15 points, followed by sophomore Lauren Figueroa with 263.00 points and junior Sharon Finn in third with 260.25 points.
“Overall I am really happy with how the whole team did today,” Bouchard said. “It was the first time a lot of the freshmen experienced this kind of meet so it was nice for them. It was a long day, but I think we had some good swims so it sets up well for the next couple meets.”
After scouting the opposing teams to prepare for future events, coach Greg Rhodenbaugh said the Tigers faced some surprisingly stiff competition.
“The other teams have some really good swimmers on them, and they’ve gotten a lot better since last year,” Rhodenbaugh said.
Rhodenbaugh said the team had a heavy workload with the Black and Gold scrimmage the night before the meet.
“We looked a little bit sluggish today,” he said. “I think swimming five times last night and then getting up this morning and trying to come back and swim again, we were just a little bit sluggish.”
The standout performer was Stafford, who seemed virtually immune to the fatigue plaguing the rest of the team. She captured first in the 150-yard freestyle and 75-yard butterfly. A member of every A-relay, she helped the Tigers clinch a victory in the women’s 400 freestyle relay as well. In a dramatic finish, Stafford out-touched Drury University’s swimmer by a mere 22 hundredths of a second, recording a final time of 3:28.54.
“I just transferred in this year from Florida, which is known for a lot of yardage,” Stafford said. “So coming in here, I have the experience of racing when you’re dead and racing when you’re tired. I hope that’s something that I can kind of bring to the team and show everybody that we’re all tired and we’re all there together but you still have to push through and find that something special.”
After concluding the first meet in a long season, Stafford said the best is still to come.
“I use every race and these smaller meets to make myself better,” Stafford said. “If I can do it now when I’m tired and I’m not rested, then at the end of the season, when I am rested, who knows what I can do.”
The Tigers will take to the pool once again Oct. 28 to compete in the Southwest Plunge in Dallas, Texas.
