Columbia News

The University of Missouri swimming team completed its regular season at the Mizzou Aquatic Center with the conclusion of the Mizzou Qualifier. The Tigers now await results to determine if their times will qualify them for NCAA Division I competition.

The diving squad is set to begin its postseason with the NCAA Zone Diving Championships, which start on March 10 in Iowa City, Iowa.

Mizzou head coach Andrew Grevers commented on the team's performance, stating, "I couldn't be more pleased of the team's performance as a whole. I think the women exceeded a lot of expectations, not necessarily ours, but if you looked at the Swim Swam rankings, they did a couple places better than they were expected, and we had so many more individuals score this year than last year. We were on the bubble as far as making NCAAs with certain individuals. We had a highlight this weekend with Zara Zallen absolutely punching her ticket in the 100 free. All in all, it was just a phenomenal conclusion to a great season for the team as a whole. We're moving forward with our groups as we focus on NCAAs."

On Sunday, March 2 preliminaries and finals saw several athletes achieve personal bests and top finishes across multiple events. Sierra Smith led in both preliminary and final rounds of the women's 50 freestyle. Luke Nebrich posted one of his fastest times in the men's 50 freestyle during time trials and finals.

Other notable performances included Zoe Schneider's personal best in the women's 200 butterfly prelims and Jan Zubik's seventh fastest time in program history for men's 200 butterfly finals. Several swimmers set new personal records or achieved some of their fastest times ever recorded by Missouri athletes.

Looking ahead, Mizzou's diving team will compete at NCAA Zone Diving Championships from March 10-12 in Iowa City. The Women's NCAA Championships are scheduled for March 19-22 in Federal Way, Washington, followed by Men's NCAA Championships from March 26-29.