
The Tigers just finished a “mini SEC’s” in Georgia and have great strides to make before the end of the season, but there’s also lots to be proud of.
As we wrap up not only the fall semester, but also fall swim season, I felt it was fitting to check-in on the status of the Missouri Tigers. So, if you’ve got a long drive or flight ahead of you, it’s the perfect chance to read about your favorite swimmers and divers.
While the record might not show it, it’s been a season of personal-bests for Mizzou. Before heading to the Georgia Invitational in Athens this past weekend, Grevers spoke on the team’s path to personal success.
“Since being head coach, I think we’ve hit one season, we hit something like 300 lifetime bests in the entire season,” said Grevers. “We are well on that, and we have less competition days this year..so very excited about what they’re doing so far, and expecting a lot more in Athens.”
And right he was.
In the butterfly alone, the Tigers set 18 season-bests in both men’s and women’s events. Meanwhile, the Tigers recorded 20+ bests in the freestyle events. This trend was seen across all four strokes, relays included.
After day one of the “mini-SEC’s”, Mizzou sent 21 swimmers and 3 divers to the finals. The 200 free relay team comprised of Luke Nebrich, Grant Bochenski, Francois Malherbe, and Darden Tate also registered an NCAA B cut qualifying time of 1:16:98.
A “B cut” means the relay met provisional standards and could be considered for a spot in the NCAA Championships. They don’t automatically qualify, but could receive an invitation if their time is ahead of other “B cut” times.
An “A cut” time will guarantee a spot in the Championships.
The Tigers qualified more swimmers for finals in day two of the competitions, with more personal-bests set.
A-finals at the event were swam against the best of the best — we’re talking 2024 Olympians here — and Missouri snagged some podium finishes on day two and three.
Zara Zallen had the first podium finish of day three with a time of 48.58 in the 100 free, recording a third place finish. The women’s 400 free relay team, also consisting of Zallen, secured a fifth-place finish.
Some other podium finishes were the product of Jan Zubik. He took second in the men’s 200 fly and third in the 100 fly.
Overall, the Missouri Tigers, both men and women, took 5th out of five teams.
And, you might be saying to yourself, “Why should I care about a last place finish?” However, the Tigers kept it fairly close throughout competition and are continuing to gain speed (literally) in all events.
This “mini SEC’s” was a prime trial run against top teams like Florida.
“The SEC championships this year are also in Athens, Georgia,” said Grevers. “So it’s an incredible opportunity for our athletes to work on the routine, get comfortable, make that pool our own, and set ourselves up for a great postseason along those lines.”
Missouri also had previous SEC competition against Texas A&M when they hosted an at-home meet at the beginning of November.
The Aggies, ranked at the time, went into the meet as heavy favorites.
However, thanks to swimmers like Lina Bank and Grant Bochenski, the Tigers made it a race all the way until the final relays.
The Tigers did the same with their meet against Purdue, unsuited (no tech suits) for the first time this season. With the men losing by a score of two points, 151-149. The women ended equally as close with a final score of 161-139. (A lot of Purdue’s points tacked on at the end came in the diving well, of which they excel.)
The highlight of the season came from the women in their first meet in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
In the season opener, the women won 11 events and captured the meet by a total of 49 points.
Lina Bank started with a bang, winning in the 100 breast, 200 breast, and the 200 medley relay. Bank has shown complete dominance in the 100 and 200 breast, capturing wins in both events in the first three meets. Her streak was snapped at the Georgia Invitational, when she took 4th in the 100 breast A final, and 1st in the 200 breast B final.
Top Point Getters through Mid-Season:
All grade levels have contributed to the success in the pool, with these top five being the most consistent. (Karen tallied these up.)
Men
- Jan Zubik (junior) – 81 points
- Grant Bochenski (senior) – 70 points
- Collier Dyer (junior – diver) – 65 points
- Alex Ochsenbein (redshirt freshman) – 49 points
- Philipp Peschke (freshman) – 32 points
Women
- Lina Bank (junior) – 81 points
- Zara Zallen (sophomore) – 59 points
- Megan Jolly (freshman – diver) – 50 points
- Gabriela San Juan Carmona (junior – diver) – 48 points
- Zoe Schneider (sophomore) – 46 points
Key Takeaway:
Looking at the list above, only one senior is listed. While Grant Bochenski does sit at #2 and is absolutely vital to the team’s success (big on relays), Mizzou fans should be excited for what’s ahead.
Head Coach Andrew Grevers also pinpointed this earlier this season when asked about the ceiling of the team.
“There’s so much young talent, great senior leadership,” said Grevers. “Because what I’m seeing in training, what I’m seeing with the culture, absolutely both top 25 at NCAA, but I think in a perfect world, if everything goes just right, and they believe as much as we do, it could be a top 15 program. That stat would blow people’s minds, but we have the talent in the water.”
So, let’s talk about the young talent.
First, Katie Kuehn. The Palatine, Illinois, native has made her mark in Columbia. According to Karen’s lovely time sheet (since MU Tigers doesn’t offer up this information), she has the fasted recorded 50 free time (22.53) out of the women. The sprinter also sits at third in the 100 free with a time of 50.31.
Perhaps where you can find the most freshmen in talent, however, is in the distance events.
Freshmen Katie Gresik and Danielle Gleason have already made Mizzou history in the 1000 freestyle. Gresik sits 3rd all-time in the event with a time of 9:50.05, while Gleason is at 4th with a time of 9:50.81. Both swimmers notched this accomplishment at the Texas A&M meet – this event was not a part of the Georgia Invitational.
The same also applies for the men.
Freshmen Conner Boatright and Philipp Peschke have both found success in the 500 free. Boatright’s time of 4:23.96 is just 12 seconds shy of 10th all-time in the event. Boatright already dropped a total of 8 seconds between the A&M meet and Georgia Invitational. Peschke is the second fastest, two seconds shy of Boatright, in the event.
Peschke also has top times in the 100 and 200 freestyle.
Another freshman freestyle machine is Luke Nebrich. His 50 freestyle time of 19.52 is already fast enough to be team-leading and is a lifetime best several times over. Nebrich is also a crucial piece of the freestyle relay team, and his leadoff time of 19.47 is even faster than his current individual event time. Why does this matter? Because in relays, whomever goes first has a stand-still start and so their time actually counts.
But the men don’t just have young talent in the freestyle.
Matthew Judkins looks to follow in Zubik’s footsteps and fill the role in coming years.
Judkins’ has had consistent podium placement in the 100 and 200 butterfly.
Swimmers to watch this spring:
Grant Bochenski
- It’s a sprint! Bochenski is one of the fastest in the pool, and he’s hard to stop. You can find him fighting for the first touch on the wall in the 50 free, 100 free, and 100 backstroke. He also swam a stupid fast 1:35.01 200 free time trial at the UGA Invite despite not competing in the individual event yet this season. You can always rely on him for relays as well.
Jan Zubik
- Now he’s flying (sorry, I had to make a pun!). He’s the consistent favorite for the Tigers in the 100 fly, 200 fly, and 200 back.
Alex Ochsenbein
- Thankful for the redshirt this holiday season! His first official year in the pool has been one for the books as he’s settled into competition. He finished the UGA Invite with a fourth place finish in the 200 breast and also had success in the 50 free. He’s a favorite to watch in the breaststroke events.
Lina Bank
- There’s no stopping her! As mentioned above, the stud opened her season with three consecutive wins in the 100 and 200 breaststroke and has been making waves.
Abbey Taute
- You know how much I love Chicago! The Chicagoland native went undefeated in the 200 back through the first three meets and also recorded a season-best of 1:48.38 in the event at the Invitational.
Zara Zallen
- A freestyle demon! As the season has progressed, so has Zallen. She had consistent podium placement through the first three meets, and against heavy SEC competition she didn’t back down. She placed third in the 100 free and fifth as part of the 400 free relay at UGA.
Katie Gresik
- The freshman continues to slash through the record book in the 1000 freestyle. Currently, she sits just six seconds away from claiming the top seat. With at least four meets to go, will she do it?
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