COLUMBIA, Mo. -- After the first day of competition and only two events, the University of Texas women stand in a tie for first place with 74 points and the Texas men are in second with 40 points at the Big 12 Championships hosted by Missouri in Columbia, Mo.
Michael Klueh put in a stellar performance in the opening leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay with a split of 1:34.67 in the event's first 200 yards sets a new Big 12 Championship meet record. He beat the previous record set by Anthony Rogis of Nebraska (1:34.97) set in 1999.
"It was a great effort in his first Big 12 Championships," said head men's coach Eddie Reese. "We did some things well but this is another step toward the NCAA Championships. Tomorrow is big day with more time in the pool, we need to stay focused and continue to improve every day of the meet."
The Texas women won the opening event of the championships by finishing the 200-yard medley relay with an automatic NCAA qualifying time of 1:38.48. It was the fastest time of the season for the Longhorns and currently the second fastest time in the nation.
"The win was a great way to start the meet and puts in a good position after the first day," said co-head women's coach Jill Sterkel. "I liked the effort I saw out of the team today and think our seniors will keep the momentum going. I want them to succeed but we also need to keep working hard to score points and improve on our times for NCAAs."
The win, UT's ninth consecutive at the Big 12 Championships in the event, brought Connie Brown, Elizabeth Tinnon, Lina Petersson and Hee-Jin Chang all to the top of the podium. For Tinnon it was her ninth time to earn a conference title, Brown her seventh while it was the first for both Petersson and Chang.
The Longhorn men, currently ranked seventh nationally, posted a national consideration time in their 200-yard medley relay victory. Thomas Sacco, Matt Molnar, Daniel Rohleder and Jeremy Harris earned Texas' 10th consecutive conference crown, and posted the now sixth-fastest time in the country. It was Sacco and Rohleder's second while it was Molnar and Harris' first.
The championships resume Thursday at 10 a.m. with preliminary action, while the finals are slated for 6 p.m.
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