THE WEEK AHEAD
The SMU men’s swimming and diving team heads to Fort Worth, Texas, on Wednesday to face Metroplex rival TCU in a dual meet at 7 p.m. CT at the University Recreation Center. Live results will not be available for the meet, but live updates will be available on Twitter (@SMUSwimmingM).
CONFERENCE FAVORITES
The senior duo of Sam Straughan and Daniel Pitts opened the 2015-16 season by leading the Mustangs to multiple event wins over Oklahoma Baptist at the North Texas Relays on Oct. 2. For their efforts, they swept the first weekly American Athletic Conference swimming and diving awards.
Straughan helped SMU race to three of its seven victories on the night, including in the 300 butterfly, 300 backstroke and 4x100IM team events. Straughan anchored the backstroke relay in which the Mustangs came from behind to top OBU by .45 seconds. This is the second AAC honor for Straughan after winning the award Nov. 18, 2014.
Pitts was the Ponies’, and the event’s, top scorer in diving action, posting a 223.00 in 1-meter and a 203.00 in 3-meter.
LAST TIME OUT
The Mustangs picked up seven event victories over Oklahoma Baptist at the North Texas Relays to open the 2015-16 season. Swimmers competed in three and four athlete events to make up the altered format meet hosted by the University of North Texas.
Ziga Cerkovnik, Nick Hook, Justin Gibson, Christian Scherubl and Sam Straughan all contributed to three relay wins, while Matthew Colket, Lucas Schenke and Aaron Schlemovitz helped in a pair each. Mustang divers Daniel Pitts and Parker Meinecke were also the top scorers in 1- and 3-meter.
SCOUTING THE HORNED FROGS
TCU opened the 2015-16 season with dual-meet victories over Texas-Permian Basin and Incarnate Word. The Horned Frogs finished second of three teams at the 2015 Big 12 Championship.
SUMMER ’STANGS
– Bryce Klein and Christian Scherubl represented their respective countries at the 2015 World University Games. Klein represented team USA on the diving side, while Scherubl swam for Austria. Klein competed in both three meter and synchronized three meter events. In the synchro event, Klein and partner placed sixth. On the swimming side, Scherubl placed fourth in his heat of the 50 free, and went on to finish tied for fifth in his heat of the 100 and sixth in the 200.
– Alum Julian Fletcher represented Bermuda at the Pan Am Games finishing fifth in the Consolation Final of the 100 breast.
– Julian Fletcher and Christian Scherubl also competed at the FINA World Championship, with Fletcher placing 49th in the 200 and 52nd in the 100 breast and Scherubl finishing 57th in the 100 free and 17th as part of Austria’s 4×200 meter free relay.
– Recently graduated Tyler Rauth had a standout performance in the 100 fly at USA Nationals, posting a U.S. Olympic Trial qualifying time of 54.28. Sam Straughan competed in the 100 back and 100 fly, placing 66th in the 100 back.
– At USA Diving Nationals, Bryce Klein competed in both the one- and three-meter dives. In one meter prelims, Klein posted a 277.10 for 19th, while he was 23rd in three meter at 294.50. Both Klein and Devin Burnett have qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials.
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.
2015 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP
The Mustangs closed the 2014-15 season with a 39th-place finish at the NCAA Championship in Iowa City, Iowa. Devin Burnett, who qualified in all three diving events, earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the three-meter dive after finishing 15th and earning the lone points for the Mustangs at the national championship.
ALL-AMERICAN
Devin Burnett qualified for the NCAA Championship in all three diving events (1-meter, 3-meter, platform) and earned Honorable Mention All-America honors in the 3-meter with a 15th-place finish. Burnett is SMU’s first diving All-American since Matthew Culbertson in 2009.
SMU, RAUTH HONORED BY CSCAA
Tyler Rauth earned Academic All-America honors from the CSCAA for his work in the pool and in the classroom, while the Mustangs completed the season earning the team honor in both the fall and spring. The men ranked behind only 6 other Division I teams with a 3.42 grade-point-average.
THREE DIVERS QUALIFY FOR NCAA ZONE DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP
Devin Burnett, Hayden Hodges and David Bunn all qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championship. Burnett and Hodges qualified in the all three diving events. With three top-10 finishes Burnett, qualified for the national championship in all three dives. Hodges and Bunn both earned their highest finish in the platform, with Hodges placing 12th and Bunn finishing 14th.
SCHERUBL SETS TWO SCHOOL RECORDS
Christian Scherubl set SMU records in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle during his first collegiate season. Scherubl swam a 1:34.89 in the 200-yard free, breaking Lars Frolander’s record of 1:34.96 set in 1997. In the 500-yard free, Scherubl swam a 4:18.23, topping Chad Hundeby’s record of 4:18.60 set in 1991. Scherubl’s 500-yard free was also an American Athletic Conference Championship meet record.
Swimming news courtesy of SMU Swimming & Diving.