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Dennis Murphy

For the students, by the students

Diving team no longer undefeated
Missouri women bring down Nebraska in last dual
By Nicky Frazier, Corner Post staff

Feb. 2, 2005, was a day the University of Missouri women’s swimming and diving team will never forget. It was a Saturday in Lincoln, Neb. At 1 p.m., the MU team took on the undefeated University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. This team was going to be tough to beat, but the Tigers were ready.

The MU team got into Lincoln around 10 p.m. Friday. The girls were tired, but excited. Some stayed up and chatted with each other or with boyfriends (on the phone), some watched TV, and some were too spent to do anything but sleep. By about 11:30 p.m., everyone was in bed and dreaming about tomorrow.

At 9 a.m. the divers woke up and ate breakfast. The swimmers had already been up and at the pool for a wake-up swim. At breakfast, the girls visited with the families who came to watch because it was the last dual meet of the year. By 11 a.m. the team was ready to go.

They loaded the bus, and the driver, Ruben, took them to the Devaney Center. As the bus arrived, everyone could feel the energy around the meet. In the same building as the pool, there was also a track meet and a basketball game taking place. The entire building was filled with eagerness and excitement.
After warm-ups, the team got into their team sweats and lined up, ready to be announced. Each girl’s name was called out individually, until they stood in a line united as one. Then, as the lights went down, and a spotlight hit the pool deck, the Nebraska girls were called out. The atmosphere was set. There was a something in the air – desire.

The meet began, and the tension rose with every stroke in the water. Finally, the divers got to start. The one-meter springboard dual went well, with the Tigers taking third, fourth and fifth places. After the first diving event, halfway through the meet, the score was 74 – 76 Nebraska.

The teams were neck and neck through the whole meet. Energy was high, and so were the stakes. Nebraska wanted their undefeated season as much as the Tigers wanted to take it from them. MU moved into the second and last diving event, three-meter springboard.

The diving team dove very well. Unfortunately, diving is a very subjective sport, one that relies solely on the judgment of others. One of the Tigers dove exceptionally well. It was the best she had all year. However, she fell prey to the competitiveness of the other team’s coach, as he threw up scores that were lower than deserved. His strategy paid off – the score went from 125 – 119, Missouri, to 130 – 133, Nebraska.

Now that the divers were done, they hurried over to cheer on the swimmers for the final two events. The tension in the air was almost tangible. The girls took their marks and bolted off the blocks. With the top three swimmers within half of a second of each other, the Tigers pulled out a 1st, 4th and 5th place finish, making the score 142 – 141, Missouri. It would require last relay to win the meet.

The Tigers stood and watched their team push each other to victory.
Final score: 147 – 153, Missouri. The Tigers ended an undefeated team’s winning streak, but they also gave the senior girls a great finish to a great dual meet career.

The Tigers will be facing the Cornhuskers February 23 - 26, at the Big 12 Swimming and Diving Championships in College Station, Texas. They will be out for revenge, but the Tigers will bite right back.

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