GREENSBORO, NC – The first night of the Big 12 Championships set a tone for the Wildcats. With five podium finishes and a championship in the women's 200 medley relay, Arizona opened the meet with momentum.
The highlight of the evening was the women's 200 medley relay; placing first and claimed the Big 12 title. This wasn't just luck; however, this squad has been training all year for this exact moment.
"That relay win was a testament to preparation and team spirit," said head coach
Ben Loorz. "They've been a very connected group all season, and have really built the habit of winning, meet after meet. To see them put the hammer down like that tonight reminds me of what my dad used to say — 'I love it when a plan comes together!'"
Lila Lillie,
Eleni Gewalt,
Patricija Kondraskaite, and
Julia Wozniak won with a time of 1:35.54. This victory was the first of the championship for Arizona and energized the deck for the remainder of the night.
The men followed with a strong second-place win in the 200 medley relay, delivering crucial team points to keep the Wildcats in the mix.
As for distance relays, both squads placed second in the 800 free relay.
Kayman Neal,
Elise Clift,
Meric Demirtepe, and
Malia Rausch finished in 7:08.05.
Ralph Daleiden,
Tomas Lukminas,
Ben Butler, and
Orion Henderson finished in 6:12.65.
On the boards, the Wildcats continued to show their depth as a program.
Luke Hernandez,
Bo Bridges, and
Colin Agor secured a bronze medal in the men's team event. The women's diving team event also finished fourth.
With four days remaining in Greensboro, Arizona is just getting started. The preliminary round will begin tomorrow at 8:00 AM MST, and finals will start at 4:00 PM MST. Live broadcasting will be available on ESPN+.
