FEDERAL WAY, Wash.- Arizona completed day two of the Big 12 conference championships with multiple Cats posting top times and earning finals podium finishes.
The Wildcat sprint team had a standout performance on day two. Arizona's sprint swimmers made up ? of the scoring pool in the 50 free finals, with eight men and eight women securing finals spots in the event.
Three Arizona women took spots in the A final, with senior Lexi Duchsherer taking home silver for the Cats. Duchsherer's 22.01 finish in the event puts her at No. 5 in the Arizona record books. Julia Wozniak and Riley Botton followed, securing fourth and sixth place in the 50 freestyle finals, respectively, in addition to putting up NCAA B Cut times.
Tomas Lukminas was the sole Wildcat in a sea of Sun Devils in the 50 free A final, but the freshman managed to pull away with a sixth-place finish and an Arizona season-best with a 19.36.
Arizona's 500 free swimmers also had a great day, with six swimmers making the finals. Junior Malia Rausch and freshman Joel Nace were among the top 8 swimmers, making the A finals for the event. Rausch took home bronze with a 4:44.48, and Nace secured a seventh-place finals finish with a 4:20.23, a season-best for Arizona.
Four Arizona divers made it to A finals, earning spots on the podium and scoring for the Cats. Gage DuBois earned his second silver of the championships, this time in an individual diving event, after a nail-biter of a second-place finish in the 3m event (388.85). Freshman Colin Agor followed in fifth, tallying 25 points for the Cats with a score of 347.00.
On the women's side, Arizona's divers were no less dominant. Brooke Earley and Zara Ayazi went third and fourth, respectively, in the 1m diving finals, putting 53 points towards Arizona's total score.
Paige Armstrong had an excellent showing in the 200 individual medley, earning an NCAA B Cut time in prelims (1:59.11) and taking home sixth place in the A finals of the event.
The Cats are back in action tomorrow with the 100 fly, 400 IM, 200 free, men's 1m and women's 3m events tomorrow. Preliminary events begin at 11 a.m. MST, and finals for diving will begin at 6:15 p.m. MST, while swimming finals are set to start at 7 p.m. MST. Fans can stream the meet on ESPN+.
Top 8 finishes:
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2nd place: 50 free, Lexi Duchsherer (22.01)*† (NCAA B Cut)
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2nd place: 3m, Gage DuBois (388.85)*†
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3rd place: 1m, Brooke Earley (304.35)
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3rd place: 500 free, Malia Rausch (4:44.48) (NCAA B Cut)
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4th place: 1m, Zara Ayazi (299.80)
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4th place: 50 free, Julia Wozniak (22.25)(NCAA B Cut)
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5th place: 3m, Colin Agor (347.00)*
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6th place: 50 free, Tomas Lukminas (19.36)*† (NCAA B Cut)
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6th place: 200 IM, Paige Armstrong (2:00.06)
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6th place: 50 free, Riley Botton (22.28)*(NCAA B Cut)
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7th place: 500 free, Joel Nace (4:20.23)*† (NCAA B Cut)
*personal best
†Arizona season-best
