Ames, Iowa ? Senior Morgan Sharp finished first by six-hundredths of a second in the 200-yard freestyle Friday, helping Kansas University’s swim team to a one-point advantage (75.5-74.5) heading into day two of competition against Iowa State.
Sharp finished with a time of 1:51.24, just ahead of Karyl Clarete of Iowa State (1:51.30). The senior also swam the fastest leg in the 200-yard medley relay team that won with a time of 1:45.83.
“She led the team today,” KU coach Clark Campbell said. “She out-touched for the win by six-hundredths a seconds. Dual meets are weighted by winning events and by out-touching (Sharp’s) competitors we are in a better position going into tomorrow. It was easy to see that she was not going to be denied getting to the wall first tonight. I saw fire in her in the last 25 yards of both races.”
Other top finishers for Kansas included sophomore Chelsie Miller, who finished first in the 200-yard butterfly at the 2:04.68 mark and fellow classmate Bryce Hinde, who tied for first in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.95).
“The Iowa State swimmer that Bryce tied with has already qualified for the NCAA Championships,” Campbell said. “It was a good race for her since she has been struggling since coming back from Christmas. It was a good race for her to take into the Big 12 Championships.”
Despite the four-hour bus ride before getting in the pool to compete, Campbell said he was pleased with the way most of his team handled the first day of the meet.
“It’s always a challenge to go on a bus trip, get off and compete right away,” Campbell said. “This was one of our better bus meets by far. About half the team swam well today, while the other half struggled coming off the bus. Usually we don’t get 50 percent of the team. I was happy with those that swam well and they put us in a good spot tonight. Those that didn’t have a chance to rest up and have a good day tomorrow.”
Results
Friday at Iowa State (Two-day dual meet)
Kansas 75.5, Iowa State 74.5
Kansas Day One results
200 Medley: 1. Yuleya Kuchkarova, Bryce Hinde, Pia Pavlic, Morgan Sharp, 1:45.83. 3. Hannah Angell, Alison Lusk, M Sofiia Filatova, Leah Pfitzer, 1:48.56. 6. Caroline Patterson, Gretchen Pocisk, Deanna Marks, Haley Molden, 1:53.18.
1000 Freestyle: 2. Alison Moffit, 10:27.79. 4. Lindsay Manning, 10:36.14. 5. Sammie Schurig, 10:45.30.
200 Freestyle: 1. Morgan Sharp, 1:51.24. 4. Allison Merecka, 1:55.48. 6. Haley Molden, 1:57.93.
100 Backstroke: 3. Sofiia Filatova, 58.25. 4. Yuleya Kuchkarova, 58.42. 6. Hannah Angell, 59.47. 9. Caroline Patterson, 1:01.67. 11. Laura Bilsborrow, 1:02.41. 12. Sara Snow, 1:03.69.
100 Breaststroke: 2. Bryce Hinde, 1:04.95. 4. Alison Lusk, 1:06.20. 6. Gretchen Posick, 1:09.05.
200 Butterfly: 1. Chelsie Miller, 2:04.68. 2. Deanna Marks, 2:07.89. 4. Malia Johnson, 2:10.35.
1-meter dive: 2. Meredith Brownwell, 274.72. 3. Graylyn Jones, 246.37. 4. Amanda Maser, 236.17. 6. Madeline Martin, 217.42. 8. Alyssa Golden, 207.37.
Freshman Chelsie Miller picked up two first-place finishes to get Kansas University’s women’s swim team off to a hot start and build a 106-44 edge after the first night of its two-day dual with Iowa State on Friday at Robinson Natatorium.
Miller, set a season-best time in the 200-yard butterfly (2:03.94), just half an hour after leading a Kansas (5-4, 1-0 Big 12) sweep of the 1,000-yard freestyle, in which she also set a season-best mark (10:13.43). The Jayhawks will conclude their meet with the Cyclones starting at 10 a.m. today at Robinson Natatorium.
