Swimming and Diving Travels to 2005 Big 12 Championships

Feb. 21, 2005

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The University of Kansas swimming and diving team will compete in the Big 12 Conference Swimming and Diving Championship, Feb. 23-26, in College Station, Texas. The four-day meet will consist of morning preliminary sessions beginning at 10 a.m. each day, followed by final sessions in the evenings at 6 p.m. The meet will also include one-meter, three-meter and platform diving competitions.

The Jayhawks finished the regular season schedule with an 8-5 overall record in dual meets, including a 1-4 record in Big 12 duals. Kansas also finished third at the Nike Cup, Nov. 18-20, and tied for third at the Big 12 Relays, Oct. 15. The team will look to improve on last season’s third-place finish, its best finish at the conference championships since 1999.

“Each season our number one competitive goal is to peak at the Big 12 Championships. To accomplish this, we simply need each athlete to maximize her performance by attaining best times and scores,” head coach Clark Campbell said. “If we do that, good things will happen like qualifying more athletes for NCAAs, setting school records and scoring championship points. Our team is excited and ready to go.”

Senior co-captain Amy Gruber enters the conference championships as Kansas’ top swimmer. The Bigelow, Ark., native was named the Collegeswimming.com’s National Swimmer of the Week for her performance during the week of the Nike Cup, Nov. 18-20. She recorded Kansas’ first-ever A-Standard time at the Nike Cup when she won the 100 freestyle event with a time of 49.70. She was also named the November Big 12 Swimmer of the Month for the second time in her career.

Three Jayhawk divers have also had strong seasons leading into the conference championships. Junior Casey Topol, sophomore Shelby Noonan and freshman Jenny Roberts have each qualified to compete in the NCAA Zone D Regional Diving Meet, March 11-13.

Complete results can be found following each event at the official Big 12 Conference Swimming and Diving Championship website: www.aggieathletics.com/specialsites/big12swimming2005/. A wrap up of Kansas’ results can be found on the Kansas swimming and diving website following each day of competition.

FOX Sports Net is scheduled to air the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships on a tape-delay basis beginning March 3.