The 2017 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships splash into action tomorrow at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center. This is the fifth consecutive year that the meet will be hosted at the Lee and Joe Jamail Center, with the meet running from Wednesday, February 22nd to Saturday, February 25th. The University of Texas returns as the championship team for both the men and the women.
On the men’s side, Texas has taken home the championship title each year since the conference’s inception in 1996, while the Texas women will look to defend for the fifth year straight.
Here are five races to keep a close eye on:
1. Men’s 100 Fly
Joseph Schooling – Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold / Aringo Photos
Texas stand-outs Joseph Schooling and Jack Conger return to the Big 12 Championships for one last showdown at their conference meet. Schooling, a junior, enters as the top seed with a 44.62, while Conger, a senior, sits close behind with a 44.78. The two were part of Texas’ legendary 1-2-3-4 finish in the 100 fly at the 2015 NCAA Division I Championships where the two finished first and second respectively. Teammate Will Glass, also a senior, was fourth at NCAA’s that year, but returns as the third place seed with a 45.85 for the Big 12 Championships.
Following those three will be fellow Longhorns Brett Ringgold (46.47), Tate Jackson (46.78), and Max Holter (47.36).
2. Women’s 100 Back
Tasija Karosas – Photo Courtesy: University of Texas Athletics
Tasija Karosas of Texas will look to defend her title in the 100 back with a third straight win. She sits just over a second ahead of freshman teammate Claire Adams (51.88), a graduate of Carmel’s successful swimming program, with a time of 50.86.
Amelie Currat of West Virginia, the fourth place finisher at last year’s Championships, returns as the third place seed with a time of 53.95, while Kansas’ Yulduz Kuchkarova, second in 2016, enters the meet ranked fourth with a 54.03.
3. Men’s 50 Free
Brett Ringgold (left) and Tate Jackson (right) – Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold / Aringo Photos
As is usual with the 50 free, the top seeds sit within marginal distances of each other heading into the Championships. Texas’ Tate Jackson leads the charge with a 19.25, followed closely by teammates Brett Ringgold (19.38), Jack Conger (19.43), and Joseph Schooling (19.70). However, Merwane Elmerini of West Virginia has his name in the mix with a fifth place seed time of 19.99. Anything can happen in the short 50 yard sprint, leaving Elmerini with a chance to grab a spot on the podium.
4. Women’s 100 Breast
Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold/Aringo
The women’s 100 breast sits as one of the closer swimming races heading into the Championship. Texas sophomores Olivia Anderson (1:00.14) and Brooke Hansen (1:01.56) enter alongside senior Jordan Surhoff (1:00.67) as the top three seeds, each with seed times just under a second and a half apart. However, Iowa State juniors Danica Delaquis (1:02.60) and Kasey Roberts (1:02.71) sit approximately one second behind according to seed times, a much smaller margin than in other races. Add in West Virginia’s Emma Harris (1:02.92) and an exciting race is on the horizon.
5. Men’s & Women’s Diving
Mark Anderson – Photo Courtesy: Reagan Lunn/Georgia Tech Athletics
Diving is the only event on the schedule where a school other than Texas holds the top entries. On the women’s side, Kansas sweeps the top five entry seeds for both 1-meter and 3-meter. The Jayhawk divers include Amanda Maser, Graylyn Jones, Nadia Khechfe, Peri Charapich, and TJ Duckett. Don’t count out Texas sophomores Meghan O’Brien and Sofia Rauzi, however, as the two return as last year’s silver and bronze medalists.
The men’s side is highlighted by a slue of West Virginia men, led by freshman Gerald Hodges. The 12 entries for both 1-meter and 3-meter, held between the three men’s schools, are split into chunks as West Virginia brings five men, Texas three, and TCU four. While Texas does not return their top two divers for the 1-meter event, they do return junior Mark Anderson, who was the first place finisher at last year’s Championships in the 3-meter with a score of 475.65.
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