The No. 22 Texas A&M women’s swimming team will be looking to rebound from last week’s Big 12 Championships held at the University of Texas when it returns to Austin to compete in the Bevo�Invitational this weekend.
After claiming a fourth consecutive runner-up finish in the conference, the Aggies will head into the event for one last chance at claiming race times capable of propelling themselves into the NCAA Championships to be held on March 20-22 in Auburn, Ala.
In the Big 12 meet at the Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center, the Aggies finished second for the fourth year in a row behind the women from UT. The Longhorns claimed their fifth straight Big 12 title.
In the process, the Aggies still managed to make one of the best showings in school history, claiming three individual races for the first time under current Head Coach Steve Bultman.
“We’re excited about getting second,” Bultman said. “At this point it is as good as we can do. We were closer to them this year than we were last year, and that is what we gauge it on — as a team we placed really well.”
Highlighting the Aggies’ three wins was an impressive performance by freshman Paty Villareal. She won the 1,650 yard freestyle in a personal best time of 16:35.27, a time good enough to get consideration for the NCAA meet.
“I’m really happy,” Villareal said. “I wasn’t expecting to swim that fast, but I was ready to go. It had been a long season and I had been working hard. It was real exciting.”
Along with Villareal, the Aggies were able to pick up consideration times in nearly every event, including two of their relay squad events. But, the Aggies were only able to wrap up one guaranteed spot in the upcoming championships. Sophomore Courtney Patterson swam 54.99 in the 100-yard backstroke, setting the school record, and clinching a spot at the meet.
Sophomore Ashley Roark also claimed a conference championship in the 400-yard individual medley in the meet.
Even with the strong performances, the Aggies’ future at the nationals is still in doubt, which is leading many of the women to take the trip back to Austin this weekend for the last-chance Bevo Invitational.
Unlike many other NCAA sports, entire teams do not compete for the national title in collegiate swimming. Instead, individual swimmers strive for a predetermined time throughout the season to qualify for the final meet. When the swimmers qualify, they swim at the meet representing their respective schools, at which point the score is accumulated from those swimmers who make it. the more swimmers who qualify for the NCAA meet, the better chance a school has for doing well.
“We know for sure we have one swimmer, and then, if you look at what has happened in the past, we thought we had four individuals and two relays, but looking right now, it’s a fast year,” Bultman said.
The fast year has raised some doubt about exactly how many Aggies will be going to the nationals. The women are preparing for this weekend’s meet in hopes of lowering their times and clinching spots for the championship.
“At one point last weekend we were on cloud nine,” Bultman said. “We thought that we were golden, but then you watch other teams, and other swimmers are swimming so fast that now you have to wait and see.”
The Aggies are set to square off against the clock one last time this Friday and Saturday in Austin.
Sommer
Emily
monica
liz