Jayhawks Fall to Minnesota on Senior Day
Meet Results 
Oct. 20, 2012
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore Alina Vats swept both backstroke events and anchored the 200-yard freestyle relay team, as Kansas fell at the hands of Minnesota, 179-119, on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at Robinson Natatorium.
Vats led the scoring for Kansas (1-1), with first-place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke (55.97) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:01.95), as well as swimming the anchor leg for the top finishing 200-yard freestyle relay team (1:37.59).
“She was a bit tentative at Rice, but today she was a lot more comfortable,” Kansas head coach Clark Campbell said. “She really likes racing this level of competition and she had a really good meet.”
Senior captain Rebecca Swank took home the Jayhawks’ other first-place finish, capturing the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:17.06) by more than five seconds. Swank also grabbed a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (5:03.42) on Senior Day.
“(The 1,000-yard freestyle) was a very good swim,” Campbell said. “I know that was an important race for her being a senior, this being the senior meet and in that race, she was not going to be denied.”
Multiple top-three finishes from senior captain Brooke Brull (200-yard backstroke and 200-yard IM), sophomore Deanna Marks (100 and 200-yard butterfly) and freshmen Bryce Hinde (100 and 200-yard breaststroke) and Haley Molden (100 and 200-yard freestyle) rounded out the top performances from the Jayhawks.
Minnesota (3-0) was led by freshman Kierra Smith who collected two first-place finishes in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.08) and the 200-yard breaststroke (2:14.54), as well as swimming the second leg of the top-finishing 200-yard medley relay team (1:44.73). Senior Annalise Colton also picked up two first-place finishes in the 100-yard butterfly (56.50) and the 200-yard butterfly (2:03.41).
Saturday’s meet marked Senior Day for Kansas’ eight Jayhawk seniors, who were honored before the meet. Leading in the festivities were captains Brull, Swank and Alyssa Rudman. Joining them were seniors Christy Cash, Svetlana Golovchun, Cora Powers, Brittany Rospierski and Madison Wagner, who are also embarking on their final season with the Jayhawks.
“I have seen more growth out of this senior class over their four years, in terms of coming in and being somewhat immature coming out of high school, to being very mature, confident, strong women,” Campbell said. “Watching their growth over the past four years has been a privilege. Now every meet becomes a celebration of our seniors and I can’t say enough about how much each of them have grown and matured since they have been at KU.”
Kansas will hit the pool again next Thursday, Oct. 25, when the Jayhawks travel to Omaha, Neb., to take on Nebraska-Omaha at 5 p.m. at the HPER Swimming Pool.
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