Mustang Swimmers & Divers Set To Host Texas A&M:
SMU gets its full team back together for just the third time since November when the Mustangs host Texas A&M in Perkins Natatorium on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. Last season SMU traveled to College Station where the Mustangs fell to the Aggies, 142-92. In the dual meet, SMU was led by now junior diver Devin Burnett as he earned first place in the 3-meter dive. For the swimmers, now seniors Nicolai Hansen and Julian Fletcher paced the Mustangs as Hansen took first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:00.80 and Fletcher took second with a time of 2:05.54. The Ponies will look to avenge last season’s loss as they host their final event of the season in the Perkins Natatorium.
Senior Recognition Night at SMU:
Prior to the meet, head coach Eddie Sinnott and the SMU men’s swimming and diving team will recognize seniors Giedrius Andriunaitis, Julian Fletcher, Nicolai Hansen, Ryan Koops, Ramom Melo, Matthew Napier-Jameson, Braeden Newton, Matt Roney and Nelson Turk for their outstanding efforts inside and out of the pool. SMU would like to congratulate all of them on their accomplishments and wish them luck in all their future endeavors.
Looking Ahead:
Following the dual meet with Texas A&M, the Mustangs will be idle until the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championships where the Mustangs are aiming for their 17th conference championship in the last 18 years. The American Championships are from Feb. 19-22 in Louisville, Ky.
Looking Back:
Junior diver Devin Burnett placed first (393.55) in the 1-meter and 3-meter (371.70) dives and was named the Most Valuable Diver of the meet as the SMU men’s swimming and diving team placed sixth at the 30th annual Classic at SMU.
No. 1 ranked Michigan won the highly-competitive Classic with 333 points while No. 3 Florida was a close second (321 points). Placing third through sixth was No. 6 USC (298), No. 8 Louisville (266.5), Purdue (244.5) who is receiving votes and SMU (210).
Mustangs in The American Ranks:
SMU has 11 swimmers ranked in the top 10 of the American Athletic Conference including two ranked in the top 5 across 13 events. The Mustangs also have four relay teams ranked second in the conference.
For the swimmers in the top 5, Ziga Cerkovnik ranks fifth in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 20.46 that he clocked at the 30th annual Classic at SMU. Nicolai Hansen ranks in the top 5 in three races including the 200-yard freestyle (4th (1:37.61)), 200 breaststroke (5th, 2:01.26)) and the 100-yard breaststroke (5th, 55.66)) for times he recorded at the Classic as well.
Regarding the relays, SMU has four relay teams ranked second in The American beginning with Ziga Cerkovnik, Matt Roney,Ryan Koops and Hansen in the 200-yard freestyle relay as they posted a time of 1:21.42. In the 200-yard medley relay, Matas Andriekus, Matthew Napier-Jameson, Cerkovnik and Koops recorded a time of 1:30.45 and in the 400-yard medley relay the group of Cerkovnik, Andriekus, Napier-Jameson and Koops have clocked a time of 3:19.03. Each of these three times was recorded at the 30th annual Classic at SMU. In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Ramom Melo, Giedrius Andriunaitis, Koops and Roney recorded a time of 3:00.83 at the Texas A&M Invitational.
SMU Drops Dual Meet At LSU:
Junior diver Devin Burnett finished first in both the 1 and 3-meter dives as he posted scores of 359.55 and 397.50, respectively, as the SMU men’s swimming and diving team fell to LSU, 185-112 in SMU’s second dual meet of the season. Freshman Ziga Cerkovnik made his collegiate debut today and placed first in the 50-yard freestyle (20.59) and second in the 100-yard butterfly (49.88). In relays, the Ponies won the 400-yard freestyle relay as the team of seniors Matt Roney, Ryan Koops, junior Giedrius Andriunaitis and Cerkovnik placed first with a time of 3:05.15. Individually, Roney finished runner-up in both the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle races with times of 46.40 and 1:40.3, respectively. In the 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley, senior Nicolai Hansen placed runner-up in both with times of 2:04.34 and 1:52.93, respectively. Hansen also finished third in the 100-yard breaststroke in 56.54.
Mustang Divers Competed At Georgia Diving Invitational:
SMU competed at the Georgia Diving Invitational to open up the new year. Junior diver Devin Burnett placed first in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives as well as third in the platform dive. Freshman Bryce Klein earned fourth place honors in the 3-meter dive and placed sixth in the 1-meter dive.
In addition, junior Hayden Hodges finished ninth in the 1-meter dive, 13th in the 3-meter dive and 17th in the platform dive while sophomore Parker Meinecke placed 18th in the platform dive, 21st in the 1-meter and 23rd in the 3-meter.
Freshman Bryce Klein Competed At U.S. Diving National Finals:
Freshman diver Bryce Klein finished 11th (320.10) in the 1-meter dive, 24th (314.6) in the 3-meter dive and qualified for the finals and finished sixth (751.43) in the synchronized 3-meter dive finals as he paired with Texas graduate student and former Stanford diver Dwight Dumais. The duo placed fifth (365.73) in the preliminary round on day four to qualify for the finals.
SMU Places Fifth At Texas A&M Invitational:
The Mustangs men’s swimming and diving team placed fifth of six schools at the Texas A&M Invitational back in late November. SMU was led by diver Devin Burnett as he won the platform dive with a score of 393.55, finished third (371.4) in the 1-meter dive and placed sixth in the 3-meter dive with a score of 380.5. In addition for the Mustang divers, Bryce Klein placed seventh in the 1-meter dive (310.8) and ninth (322.8) in the 3-meter dive as he competed in the first two events of his collegiate career.
For the swimmers, Matt Roney and Ryan Koops paced the SMU swimmers as they finished third in the 200-yard freestyle (1:37.92) and fourth in the 50-yard freestyle (20:50), respectively. In relays, the Ponies placed fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay as Giedrius Andriunaitis, Ramom Melo, Koops and Roney finished in 3:00.83 and the group of Julian Fletcher, Koops, Melo and Roney earned fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:22.29.
SMU Falls To TCU In Season Opener:
Divers Devin Burnett and Hayden Hodges finished first and second in the 1-meter and 3-meter dives, respectively, as the SMU men’s swimming and diving team opened its season by falling at TCU, 177.5-122.5. In addition to Burnett, SMU placed first in three other races. The Ponies won the 400-yard freestyle relay as the team of Matt Roney, Ramom Melo and Ryan Koops andJustin Gibson finished with a time of 3:04.28.
Tradition of Excellence:
SMU has won 16 conference championships in 17 years from three different conferences, including Conference USA, the Western Athletic Conference and the former Southwestern Conference. The Mustangs look to continue their success in the new American Athletic Conference. Head Coach Eddie Sinnott begins his 25th season, having been named conference Coach of the Year 16 times. During his tenure, SMU has had 11 NCAA top-15 finishes, 337 All-America honors and 237 conference champions.
Mustangs Return Two All-Americans:
Senior Captain Nicolai Hansen and senior Ryan Koops return with All-America honors they earned as part of the 14th place 400-freestyle relay team at the 2013 NCAA Championship.
2013-14 Outlook:
The SMU men’s swimming and diving team has a new league for 2013-14 but the goal is the same. The Mustangs are aiming for their 17th conference championship in the last 18 years. SMU returns two All-Americans, nine All-Conference USA selections and 23 letterwinners as it seeks to claim the first American Athletic Conference Championship this winter. The Mustangs will be led by senior captain Nicolai Hansen. Hansen is one of nine seniors. who head coach Eddie Sinnott says is a “strong group of individuals”, noting that there is a senior in every event except diving.
This release was provided to SwimSwam courtesy of SMU Swimming and Diving.