2024 Big 12 Championships: Day 5 Prelims Live Recap

2024 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS

• Dates: Tuesday, February 27 – Saturday, March 2
• Morgantown, West Virginia
  • The Aquatic Center at Mylan Park
• Defending Champions:
  • Men: Texas (27x)
  • Women: Texas (11x)
• Championship Central
• Psych Sheets
• Live Results
• Live Results also available via Meet Mobile: “2024 Big 12 Swimming & Diving Championships”
• Live Video (ESPN+ Subscription Required)
• Day 1 Finals Recap
• Day 2 Prelims Recap | Day 2 Finals Recap
• Day 3 Prelims Recap | Day 3 Finals Recap
• Day 4 Prelims Recap | Day 4 Finals Recap

Day 5 Prelims Heat Sheet

The last and final preliminary session of the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships is about to get underway. Texas holds the top seed in each of the six events being swum this morning save one, the 100 free, where BYU’s Jordan Tiffany will look to hold off the Longhorn contingent.

Olivia Bray holds the top seed in the 200 back and will look to defend her title for the 3rd year in a row, while on the men’s side, freshman Will Modglin will look to add his name to the list of Texas greats.

Tiffany enters as the only man with a sub-43 second time (42.60) but will have Coby Carrozza (43.07) and Nate Germonprez (43.17) hot on his heels. With Kelly Pash‘s scratch, Longhorn Grace Cooper (47.79) finds herself in a similar situation as Tiffany, being the only swimmer sub-48 seconds but with the competition behind eager to join the club.

The women’s 200 breaststroke should be a strong event as senior Anna Elendt holds down the top spot (2:06.19) but has teammates Channing Hanley (2:09.64) and Lydia Jacoby (2:10.42) looking to push here. We wrap up with the men’s 200 breast where Texas has a pair of freshman Brayden Taivassalo (1:53.89) and Will Scholtz (1:54.35) atop the field looking to fend off BYU’s Brad Prolo and TCU’s Guilherme Camossato, both of whom are entered with identical times of 1:54.74.

WOMEN’S 200 Backstroke– PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:47.24, Beata Nelson (Wisconsin)– 2019 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Record: 1:49.91, Tasija Karosas (Texas) – 2017 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Championship Record: 1:50.09, Olivia Bray (Texas) – 2023
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:50.50
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 1:53.34

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Olivia Bray (TEX) – 1:55.15
2. Tania Quaglieri (TCU) – 1:56.58
3. Berit Berglund (TEX) – 1:57.16
4. Mikayla Popham (TCU) – 1:57.77
5. Danielle Titus (UH) – 1:57.93
6. Emma Kern (TEX) – 1:58.12
7. Alicia Wilson (TEX) – 1:58.18
8. Emma Marusakova (BYU) – 1:58.62

Through the first three heats, the top time of the morning belonged to the University of Houston’s Danielle Titus. The senior posted the only sub 2:00 time so far, swimming a 1:57.93, just off her personal best of 1:57.10 from 2022.

Heat 4, the first of the circle seeded heats saw TCU’s Tania Quaglieri assert her authority opening up a two body length lead on the field by the 100 mark. The Horned Frog would take the win in a time of 1:56.58 but tightened up on the end as Texas’s Alicia Wilson closed some of the gap to touch second in 1:58.18.

The penultimate heat of the women’s 200 backstroke saw lane 4’s Berit Berglund backhalf the race and tough in 1:57.16 passing BYU’s Emma Marusakova at the 100 yard wall. TCU’s Mikayla Popham stormed home with a split of 29.89 on the last 50 to secure third in the heat.

The final preliminary heat saw Texas teammates Olivia Bray and Emma Kern take it out hard, but Bray, the two time Big 12 Champion in the event looked smooth and in control posting the fastest time of the morning at 1:55.15 over three seconds ahead of Kern’s 1:58.12.

There appeared to be a timing/starter malfunction in the third heat as Iowa State’s Emma Kuhn noticeably left several seconds late.

Update: It appears as if Kuhn was granted a reswim and posted a time of 2:02.40, bettering her original time of 2:08.81 and surpassing her entry time of 2:02.86.

MEN’S 200 Backstroke – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:35.73, Ryan Murphy (Cal) – 2016 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Record: 1:36.42, John Shebat (Texas) – 2019 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Championship Record: 1:38.61, Ryan Harty (Texas) – 2019
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:39.13
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 1:40.62

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Hunter Gubeno (CINC) – 1:41.69
2. Will Modglin (TEX) – 1:41.85
3. Chris O’Connor (TEX) – 1:42.89
4. Edgar Cicanci (TCU) – 1:44.44
5. Justin Heimes (WVU) – 1:44.78
6. Nigel Forbes (TCU) – 1:45.67
7. Logan Walker (TEX) – 1:45.91
8. Joe Swain (CINC) – 1:46.01

With just three heats, the men’s 200 back started with a bang. Cincinnati’s Hunter Gubeno stamped out a decisive victory, hitting the pad in 1:41.69, just a few tenths off his personal best and faster than his entry time of 1:42.40. Second in the heat went to West Virginia’s Justin Heimes at 1:44.78.

Slower than his entry time but safely through to the A-final was heat 2’s winner Chris O’Connor. The Texas senior who entered with a time of 1:40.42 touched the wall in 1:42.89. Also not feeling the pressure and finishing in what can only be described as a lackadaisical manner was Will Modglin, the Texas freshman who won heat 3 in a time of 1:41.85, well off his 1:38.99 entry time.

Due to the small field, its not surprising that several swimmers decided to do just enough to make the final, so as to conserve energy. The lack of depth, however, does yield some interesting results as TCU freshman Nigel Forbes qualified through into the A-final with a time of 1:45.67 despite entering the meet with No Time.

WOMEN’S 100 Freestyle – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 45.16, Gretchen Walsh (Virginia) – 2024 ACC Championships
• Big 12 Record: 47.32, Claire Adams (Texas) – 2018 Texas Hall of Fame Invitational
• Big 12 Championship Record: 47.46, Claire Adams (Texas) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 47.18
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 48.37

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1.  Erin Gemmell (TEX) – 48.36
2.  Grace Cooper (TEX) – 48.50
3.  Ava Longi/Emma Davidson (TEX) – 48.88
5.  Sienna Schellenger (TEX) – 49.27
6.  Jessica Davis (CINC) – 49.45
7.  Serena Gould (TCU) – 49.76
8.  Alexa Fulton (TEX) – 49.80

As expected the 100s were a fast affair but interestingly had less entrants then the women’s 200 back (five heats as compared to six). Leading the way into tonight will be Texas first-year Erin Gemmell. Gemmell, who won the 500 and placed 2nd in the 200 swam 48.36 this morning placin here ahead of her teammates Grace Cooper (48.50) and Ava Longi/Emma Davidson (48.88).

As a team Texas did well placing six individual into the final with Sienna Schellenger and Alexa Fulton touching in 6th and 8th, respectively with times of 49.27 and 49.80.

The only two non-Longhorns tonight are Cincinnati’s Jessica Davis (49.45) and Serena Gould from TCU (49.76).

MEN’S 100 Freestyle– PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 39.90, Caeleb Dressel (Florida) – 2018 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Record: 41.06, Tate Jackson (Texas) – 2018 Texas Hall of Fame Invitational
• Big 12 Championship Record: 41.26, Daniel Krueger (Texas) – 2020
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 41.50
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 42.32

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Jordan Tiffany (BYU) – 42.60
2. Nate Germonprez (TEX) – 42.79
3. Camden Taylor (TEX) – 42.91
4. Jon Osa (CINC) – 43.37
5. Coby Carrozza (TEX) – 43.40
6. Drew Hawthorne (CINC) – 43.62
7. Payton Plumb (BYU) – 43.76
8. Manning Haskal (TEX) – 43.78

BYU’s Jordan Tiffany defended his top billing by equalling his entry time of 42.60 to win heat 4 and take center stage tonight. The junior posted the fastest first 50 of the field, going out in 20.28.

Texas moved four individuals into the A final, with freshman Nate Germonprez (42.79) and Camden Taylor (42.91) leading the way. Germonprez had the only sub-:11 last 25 (10.95) and fastest last 50 at 22.25 so look for him tonight to try to pass Tiffany on the closing stages.

Cincinnati’s Jon Osa’s decision to scratch out of a near lock A-final in the 2oo back, seemed to pay off as the Grad Student who was the #9 seed entering the meet finished in a time of 43.37, which was good for 4th.

WOMEN’S 200 Breaststroke– PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 2:01.29, Kate Douglass (Virginia) – 2023 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Record: 2:03.26, Anna Elendt (Texas) – 2023 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Championship Record: 2:03.92, Anna Elendt (Texas) – 2022
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 2:05.73
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 2:09.68

‘A’ Final Qualifiers: 

1.  Anna Elendt (TEX) – 2:09.69
2.  Mia Cheatwood (WVU) – 2:09.87
3.  Lydia Jacoby (TEX) – 2:10.18
4.  Nina Vadovicova (TCU) – 2:12.53
5.  Julie Rose (CINC) – 2:13.07
6. Mackenzie Miller (BYU) – 2:13.13
7. Flo Peter (UH) – 2:13.13
8. Campbell Stoll (TEX) – 2:13.25

Texas Sophomore and 2020 Olympian Lydia Jacoby paced her way to an easy 2:10.18 in the first of the circle seeded heats this morning. Out in 1:02.25, the Longhorn swam a controlled back 100 to easily qualify for tonight’s final.

Her teammate and the #2 overall seed, Channing Hanley, had a tough race in the next heat dueling with BYU’s Mackenzie Miller. Hanley lead at the 100, 1:03.74 vs 1:03.89 but a poor 3rd 50 (35.53 vs Miller’s 34.90) saw Miller pass her and ultimately win the heat. Hanley with the results of the last heat taken into account wound up 9th overall and missing the A final.

2023 Champ and NCAA runner-up Anna Elendt took the last heat and top time this morning, posting a time of 2:09.69. Well, off her season best of 2:06.19, it will be interesting to see just how much she has left in the tank.

West Virginia’s Mia Cheatwood nearly ran down Elendt, closing almost a full second faster than the German and finishing just .18 behind, but it remains to be seen if Elendt was just conserving energy.

MEN’S 200 Breaststroke – PRELIMS

• NCAA Record: 1:46.91, Leon Marchand (ASU) – 2023 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Record: 1:47.91, Will Licon (Texas) – 2017 NCAA Championships
• Big 12 Championship Record: 1:49.89, Will Licon (Texas) – 2017
• NCAA ‘A’ Cut: 1:51.09
• 2023 NCAA Invite Time: 1:52.94

‘A’ Final Qualifiers:

1. Brayden Taivassalo (TEX) – 1:54.61
2. Guilherme Camossato (TCU) – 1:55.35
3. Will Scholtz (TEX) – 1:55.81
4. Brad Prolo (BYU) – 1:56.04
5. Emerson Edwards (BYU) – 1:56.21
6. Danny Berlitz (WVU) – 1:57.36
7. Felipe Goncalves (TCU) – 1:57.65
8. Jadon Wuilliez (TCU) – 1:58.69

The 200 breast tonight will be a young affair with half of the field comprised of freshman and all of the top 3. Leading the way is Texas’s Brayden Taivassalo, who defended his top billing to nab lane 4 for tonight. The Canadian, who won silver in the LCM version of this event at the 2023 Pan-Am games, swam a time of 1:54.61, less than a second off his seed time of 1:53.89.

Taivassalo was out slower (55.45) than both Guilherme Camossato (54.86) and Will Scholtz (54.97) but was the only swimmer in the field to come home with both back half 50 under 30 (29.35 and 29.81).

Camossato, a freshman at TCU, and Sholtz, Taivassalo’s team and classmate, will flank the Canadian tonight in lanes 5 and 3, respectively.