Columbia News

The University of Missouri swimming and diving teams opened their 2025-26 season with a loss to Purdue at the Morgan J. Burke Aquatic Center on Saturday. The Purdue women’s team defeated Missouri 184-116, while the men’s team won 192-108.

Despite the overall result, Missouri athletes recorded eight individual wins and a relay victory during the meet. Newcomers Quinlan Gould and Libby Bakker made immediate impacts in their first appearances for the Tigers. Gould, who transferred from Arizona State, secured first place in the 100 backstroke with a time of 47.22 seconds. Bakker, a freshman from Maple Grove, Minnesota, earned her first career win by finishing the 200 backstroke in 1:59.06.

Lina Bank achieved three wins at West Lafayette, Indiana. She finished first in both the 100 breaststroke (1:02.14) and 200 breaststroke (2:18.39), as well as contributing to a victory in the women’s 200 medley relay with a split of 27.41 seconds.

Senior Jan Zubik also collected two wins for Missouri by taking first place in the 100 butterfly (46.65) and following up with another win in the 200 individual medley (1:47.07).

Other notable performances included Sydney Bales, Bank, Grace Hanson, and Katie Kuehn winning the women’s 200 medley relay with a time of 1:40.59; senior Collier Dyer winning the men’s one-meter springboard diving event with a score of 364.58; and Matthew Judkins earning his first career win in the men’s 200 butterfly with a time of 1:45.75.

Missouri will next compete at home against Vanderbilt and McKendree on November 1 at Mizzou Aquatic Center, with competition scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., streamed live on SEC Network+.