THE WEEK AHEAD
The SMU men’s swimming and diving team hosts its final tune up before the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday when Oklahoma Baptist and Wayland Baptist come to town for tri-meet action. The pre-conference time trials will be held at 2 p.m. CT at the Mansfield Natatorium, with senior festivities set to take place as well. Live results will be available at SMUMustangs.com and via the Meet Mobile app.
SCOUTING THE BISON
Oklahoma Baptist is 4-0 and a member of the NCAA Division II Great American Conference. The Mustangs first saw OBU at the North Texas relays in October for their season opener where SMU led the way with seven event wins, while the Bison had a pair.
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
As the No. 6 team in the NAIA ranks, Wayland Baptist boasts a 3-1 dual meet record this season, with its loss coming in its most recent event against UT-Permian Basin.
SENIOR SUCCESS
Since arriving on the Hilltop in 2012, the senior class has helped the Mustangs win the 2013 Conference USA championship, and post runner-up performances at the 2014 and 2015 American Athletic Conference championships. In the classroom, the Mustangs have earned CSCAA Scholar All-America team honors each semester, and were named the AAC Team Excellence Award winner in 2014 and 2015.
LAST TIME OUT
Bryce Klein posted a 407.25 on the 1-meter to set an SMU record in a dual-meet loss at Texas A&M Jan. 29. The Mustangs secured first-place points in six of 13 events.
Klein’s record-breaking performance was good for first, and his mark was well over the qualification score for the NCAA Zone Diving meet in both the 1- and 3-meter.
In the pool, the Mustangs opened individual events with three straight victories, kicked off by a career-best 9:15.33 from Lucas Schenke in the 1,000 free. Schenke’s second victory of the evening came in the 500 free, going 4:31.59 to pace the competition.
A pair of free victories from sophomore Christian Scherubl (1:37.20) in the 200 distance and junior Ziga Cerkovnik (20.25) in the 50 followed Schenke’s performance, and the event closed out with SMU’s 400 free relay team of Cerkovnik, Schenke, Scherubl and Nick Hook posting maximum puts touching the wall in 3:01.58.
SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICA
The Mustang men posted a 3.34 GPA for the 12th highest mark in Division I to earn Scholar All-America honors from the College Swimming Coaches Association of America. The program’s senior class has now earned Scholar All-America status each semester since arriving on the Hilltop in the fall of 2012.
RECORD BREAKERS
Christian Scherubl and Bryce Klein have each set a pair of SMU standards in less than two years of competition. Scherubl holds the program’s fastest times in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles, posting both times as a freshman. The Austria native clocked a 1:34.56 in the 200, and 4:18.23 in the 500. Klein most recently registered a 407.25 to break the 1-meter record, and posted a 424.60 in 3-meter this season.
NCAA QUALIFIERS
Five Mustangs have posted NCAA qualifying scores so far this season, with Bartosz Krzyzaniak and Bryce Klein leading the way with two each. Krzyzaniak has ‘B’ standards in both backstroke distances, while Klein is headed to the NCAA Zone meet in 1- and 3-meter. Two more swimmers have provisional standards, including Christian Scherubl (200 free) and Stefan Popov (100 breast). Parker Meinecke is the fifth Mustang, posting a Zone score in 1-meter.
CONFERENCE FAVORITES
The Ponies have garnered 11 of the 20 conference awards during the 2015-16 season, the most of any of the league’s teams. The Mustangs also have five award sweeps, more than any of their opponents. Bryce Klein has been named the American Athletic Conference Diver of the Week a conference-leading five times this season (Feb. 2, Jan. 12, Nov. 24, Nov. 10, Nov. 3). Fellow diver Daniel Pitts joins him with a nod on Oct. 6. On the swimming side, four Mustangs have earned the honor, including Bartosz Krzyzaniak (Nov. 24), Lucas Schenke (Feb. 2, Nov. 10), Christian Scherubl (Nov. 3) and Sam Straughan (Oct. 6).
CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON
The 2016 American Athletic Conference championship is set for Feb. 17-20 in Houston. NCAA Zone diving qualification takes place March 7-9 in College Station, Texas, and the NCAA Championship takes place in Atlanta,March 24-26.
ROAD TO RIO
Christian Scherubl (Austria) and Lucas Schenke (Germany) have post posted ‘B’ standard qualification times for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. Both have posted marks in the 200 free, while Scherubl has a 100 free time and Schenke has a 400 time.
USA DIVING NATIONALS
Bryce Klein wrapped up competition at USA Diving Winter Nationals placing 11th in the 3-meter event and 10th in the synchronized 3-meter dive. Klein posted a total score of 1162.90 between the three rounds of 3-meter action, which included a 379.10 in Saturday’s final and an average round score of 63.18. In preliminary action, Klein posted a 384.80, and tacked on 399.00 in semifinals to qualify eighth out of 14 divers for finals. Klein also competed in synchronized 3-meter with partner Bradley Christensen of Stanford, who is a fellow Southlake, Texas, native. The pair placed 10th in finals, posting a total score of 623.01 on the day including a 319.71 in finals.
2015 AAC CHAMPIONSHIP
SMU finished a close second at the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship winning 11 of the 21 events. The Mustangs finished 34.5 points behind first-place East Carolina. Christian Scherubl was named The American’s Most Outstanding Swimmer, winning the 100-, 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. Devin Burnett earned Most Outstanding Diver honors for the second consecutive year after winning all three diving events (1m, 3m, platform) and diving coach Jim Stillson was named The American’s Men’s Diving Coach of the Year.
A11-CONFERENCE
11 Mustangs landed on the 2015 All-AAC team. Three divers, David Bunn, Devin Burnett and Hayden Hodges, and eight swimmers, Ziga Cerkovnik, Matthew Colket, Eastman Holloway, Bartosz Krzyzaniak, Tyler Rauth, Christian Scherubl, Sam Straughan, and Tucker Wells, received the honor.
Swimming news courtesy of SMU Swimming & Diving.