Full, all-days meet results available here.
The hosts from Kansas closed the scoring gap on the final day of the 2015 Big Challenge in Topeka, but the University of Nebraska’s lead built through the first two days, combined with a meet-closing exclamation-mark from their sprinters, was enough to hold on for the overall meet title.
Final Team Scores:
- Nebraska – 969
- Kansas – 892
- Illinois – 763.5
- Iowa State – 517.5
- Northern Iowa – 200
- Nebraska – Omaha – 123
That means the Jayhawks ‘won’ the final day by 27.5 points, led by their senior co-captain Chelsie Miller. Her first win of the day came in the 1650 free, where she swam 15:31.02 to break a three-year old Meet Record by 17 seconds. She was one of three swimmers under that old record – teammate Libby Walker swam 16:36.15, and Nebraska’s Katt Sickle swam 16:47.23 for 3rd place. None of those three times are close to qualifying for the NCAA Championships, but it was a best time for Sickle, while both Walker and Miller had better events (the 200 fly) coming up later in the session.
In that race, Miller added another win with a 2:00.48. That followed up on her 2:00.25 swim from prelims that broke the Meet record, and made for Miller’s 4th individual title of the meet on three individual Meet Records.
Miller’s efforts were supported by Yulduz Kuchkarova in the 200 backstroke. She crushed the meet record by 3 seconds, and beat the field by about the same amount to finalize a sweep of the backstroke races.
It was one final push from Nebraska’s sprint freestylers, though, that nailed home their victory, beginning with a win in the 100 free from senior Taryn Collura in 49.00. That made her a perfect 3-for-3 at the meet in individual events, following earlier wins in the 50 free and 100 fly.
Collura then put away the session-closing 400 free relay early with a 49.30 leadoff split for the Cornhuskers, and she was followed by teammates Erin Oeltjen (50.74), Bria Deveaux (50.86), and Lindsay Helferich (51.27) to win by a full second over Illinois (3:23.16). Both teams were faster than Notre Dame’s 2012 Meet Record.
The day’s other title went to Kasey Roberts of Iowa State in the 200 breaststroke in 2:14.61.
This year marks the first time since its incarnation in the fall of 2012 that Kansas has come up short in its home invite.
Great job, Husker S&D! Fun to watch your hard work lead to success, even if it is through meet mobile.. See you all again at 6AM, the first day at Woods Pool, this summer!