AUSTIN, Texas – The Kansas swimming and diving team placed fifth in the 2023 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships, which concluded on Saturday at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
There were five swimming prelims Saturday in the morning, followed by six swimming final evets. There was also one diving event throughout the day, the women’s platform dive.
Starting the evening was the 200 backstroke, with two Jayhawks placing in the top-five in the championship final. Super-senior Dewi Blose placed second with a time of 1:57.79 to earn 17 points and sophomore Lezli Sisung placed fourth, racing to a finish of 1:59.35 and earning 15 points.
The next event was the 100 freestyle. There were no Jayhawks that qualified for the championship final, however, two qualified for the consolation final. Junior Ellie Werhmann earned five points, finishing in fourth in 50.37 seconds. Junior Claudia Dougan was right behind her, finishing sixth in 50.45 seconds to earn four points.
The next final event was the 1,650 freestyle, with no Jayhawks competing. Following the 1,650 was the 200 breaststroke. Two freshmen qualified for the championship finals. Molly Robinson (2:17.64) and Aidan Howze (2:19.42) placed seventh and eighth, respectively, with Robinson earning 12 points and Howze earning 11.
Senior Amelie Lessing was the only swimmer to qualify for the 200 butterfly championship finals, swimming to a time of 2:02.51, placing seventh and earning 12 points.
In the last event of the night, the relay team of Dougan, Wehrmann, senior Autumn Looney and Blose raced to a time of 3:21.35 in the 400 freestyle relay. The relay team earned 28 points.
On the diving side, freshman Lize van Leeuwen placed fourth in the platform dive. She set a new program record, scoring 252.20 total points, which included 15 points in the event.
FINAL STANDINGS
- Texas – 1,065
- Iowa State – 534.5
- TCU – 521.5
- West Virginia – 508
- Kansas – 487
UP NEXT
While this was the last meet for the swimming team, both Leeuwen and freshman Gabriela San Juan Carmona will compete in the NCAA Zone Diving Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., on March 6-9.
