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Final
Swimming and Diving
Cardinal & Gold
Iowa State University Athletics
Wednesday, February 27
Austin, Texas
Iowa State University
vs
Big 12 Championships
Thorson Earns All-Big 12 Honor On Final Day Of Conference
03.02.2019 | Swimming and Diving
AUSTIN, Texas – The Iowa State Cyclones (7-4, 2-1 Big 12) finish the 2019 Big 12 Championships in fifth place. The meet ended with a school record-setting performance in the 400 freestyle relay.
The Big 12 Championships were capped off by a school record 400 freestyle relay. The team of Andersen, Hundley, Emma Ruehle and Elynn Tan combined for a 3:21.21, breaking the record for the third consecutive year.
The 200 breaststroke was the best event of the 2019 Big 12 Championships for the Cyclones. For the third-consecutive year, multiple Cyclones have earned All-Big 12 honors. Thorson (First Team) and Martha Haas (Second Team) finished fourth and sixth, respectively. All three finalists for the Cyclones swam a PR; Thorson at 2:15.80, Haas with a 2:17.63 and Bryn Ericksen won the consolation final with a 2:20.10 to finish ninth.
"We got to swim right next to each other," Thorson said. "It was a really great experience. Watching Bryn beforehand really got us hyped up."
"Seeing each other's hard work payoff is really exciting," Haas said.
Thorson qualified for the finals in part due to a disqualification in prelims. Squeaking into finals in the eighth spot, the sophomore shaved over 4 seconds off her preliminary time.
"I said that this was like Tuesday night practice," head coach Duane Sorenson said. "They just went out and raced each other. We always say if you have a lane you have a chance, and she had a fantastic effort."
The 100 free featured a time just 0.08 off the school record, a 49.87 by Anna Andersen. The effort earned a fifth-place finish and was the fifth-fastest ever by a Cyclone. Tan clocked the fastest 100 free ever swam by a Cyclone freshman at 50.91, ending the night in 12th.
Haley Ruegemer's 1650 free swim of 16:46.80 earned her a fifth-place finish in the event, the time ranking as the fourth-fastest in Cyclone history. Ruegemer joined Petra Plaminkova and Kasey Roberts as the only three Cyclones to earn three All-Big 12 honors in two events. Kami Pankratz dropped nearly 22 seconds off her time from last year, touching at 17:22.19 to finish 13th. Lucia Rizzo's 2:02.34 in the 200 fly won the consolation final. She finished ninth and the time moved her to fourth in school history.
Dana Liva had a solid day in the diving well, posting a 211.95 in the final round to finish sixth. She became the sixth Cyclone to earn multiple All-Big 12 honors on the platform. In the 200 back, Evan Hundley and Emily Haan survived a close finish to earn 10th and 11th, scoring crucial team points for the Cyclones. Hundley's time put her as the seventh-fastest 200 backstroker in Iowa State history.
"I'm really happy with the way our women responded to today's session," Sorenson said. "They came back tonight and had a ton of personal bests. They capped it off by breaking our school record in the 400 freestyle relay with three underclassmen."
PRELIMS
Anna Andersen earned a finals spot in the 100 free with a 50.16, the 12th-fastest time in school history. The 200 breast marked the only event with multiple Cyclones in the championship final. Haas and Thorson both qualified with the sixth and eighth-fastest times in prelims. Liva finished prelims in fourth place with a 231.80 on the platform.
Liva and Sydney Ronald will be back in action at the Zone diving meet beginning Monday, March 11. Follow the team on Twitter (@CycloneSD) or on Facebook at facebook.com/cycloneSD for in-game updates, post-meet recaps and results throughout the season.
Players Mentioned
Sprint Free/Back
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Sprint Free/Breast
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Sprint Free/Back
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Sprint Free/Breast
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Sprint Free/Back
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Diving
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Fly/IM
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Distance Free/Fly/IM
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Breast/IM
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Diving
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Distance Free/IM
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Mid. Distance/Back/IM
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Sprint Free/Fly
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