The No. 6 women’s swimming and diving team enter this week’s Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championship at the Lee and Joe Jamail Swimming Center as both the defending champions and this year’s favorite for the win. Texas has proven to be a perennial power at this meet, coming out on top in 12 of the 18 meets since the conference began and collecting 128 individual titles, 59 relays titles and 37 diving championships in the process.
A slew of individual Longhorns come into this week as defending champs, including senior swimmer Gretchen Jaques. Jaques will look to repeat in the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststroke and to contribute to repeat relay titles in the 200-meter and 400-meter free relays and the 200-meter and 400-meter medleys. Jacques holds the 2nd fastest 100-yard breaststroke in the nation, as well the No. 5 spot in the 200-yard breaststroke.
Fellow senior Kelsey LeNeave also comes into the meet as a defending champion in two individual events, the 500-meter and 1,650-meter freestyle. LeNeave has had a strong senior season, with times good enough to rank her in the top 15 nationally in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly.
A trio of sophomores, swimmers Madisyn Cox and Tasija Karosas and diver Murphy Bromberg, look to build on its success at the 2014 meet. Cox is the defending champ in the 200 IM and has turned in a strong sophomore season to complement her breakout freshman year in which she was named Newcomer of the Meet at the 2014 Big 12 Championships.
Karosas won the 200-meter backstroke last year and will be a key piece in the 800-meter relay. Karosas also hopes to medal in the 200-meter freestyle this week.
Bromberg is the defending champion in platform diving and, along with senior diver Emma Ivory-Ganja, looks to dominate all three boards this week.
Senior swimmer Kaitlin Pawlowicz is ranked in the top 25 nationally in four different events, including the 500-meter, 100-meter and 1,650-meter freestyle. Pawlowicz currently holds the 3rd best time in Longhorn history in the 1,650-meter freestyle and is the favorite to win each race at the Big 12 Championships after placing in the top 3 in two races at last years championships.
The 2015 Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships will be held in Austin from Wednesday until Saturday.
