Swimming Recap: Bulldogs Complete TYR Cup with 20 Total NCAA B-Cuts

EVANSTON, Ill. - - Four more NCAA B-cuts on day three of the Northwestern (Ill.) TYR Cup brought Truman's weekend total to 20, as the Bulldog women dominated the 100 Free to highlight the final day of competition at the predominantly Div. I event at the Big Ten campus.

Nikki Sisson (9th; 51.95), Alison Strickler (17th; 52.25) and Evyn Spencer (18th; 52.54) each added NCAA Div. II B-cut times in the 100 Free, as the Bulldog women added four NCAA standard times on the day. Abby Hempen, who broke the B-cut barrier by more than two seconds in the prelims of the 200 Breast, came through nearly two more seconds faster in the finals, touching in third place with a mark of 2:17.22.

Other top women's finishes on the day included two top-six times for Hannah Nicks in the 50 Back and 200 Back, along with an eighth-place spot for Grace Fodor in the 50 back as well.

On the men's side, Will Shanel finished fourth in the 200 Fly with a time of 1:51.94, while Tim Regan brought home eighth in the 1650 Free at 16:13.43 - just off the NCAA B-cut timeline.

For the event, the Truman women captured 18 NCAA B-cut times, while the men capped their fall season with two.

"We had a very solid meet across the board with some standout swims," associate head coach Jessica Hessel said. "We are still a relatively young team, but lack of experience wasn't an issue for us to step up and swim with confidence. Our seniors have been great leaders, and we are ready to start training again to prepare for our conference meet in mid-February."

Both teams are now off from competition until Friday, Jan. 16, when Div. I St. Louis University (both) and Div. II Missouri S&T (men only) visit the Pershing Natatorium.

Full results from Truman swimmers from the three-day event are listed below.

Day Two Recap
Freshman Will Shanel broke a nearly six-year old record in the 400 IM, as he, along with six women's individuals and two women's relays set NCAA B-cut times during day two at the Northwestern (Ill.) University TYR Cup.

Shanel swam the men's 400 IM preliminary on Saturday morning in a time of 3:59.11 to break the previous school record of 3:59.25, held by Andrew Berdine since February 2009. He also set a B-cut time, besting it by 5.5 seconds, as he later placed sixth in the evening final at 4:01.30.

Meanwhile, on the women's side, the Bulldogs sent two more teams through with NCAA B-cuts, as the 200 Medley Relay team of Hannah Nicks, Abby Hempen, Evyn Spencer, and Alison Strickler got the evening finals underway with a sixth-place time of 1:45.61. Then, in the finale, the 800 Free Relay quartet of Kortney Betz, Nikki Sisson, Jasmine Roghair, and Kristi Van Oost finished seventh with a mark of 7:45.59.

Hempen notched two individual B-cuts in the 400 IM (4:30.59) and 100 Breast (1:04.89; 10th), besting teammate Neumann by one place in the 100 Breast with her B-cut time of 1:05.13. Sisson cut more than two seconds off her prelim time to earn a B-cut in the 200 Free (1:52.29), while Spencer added a B-cut of her own in the 100 Fly by dipping under the cut line in the finals with a 56.52 mark.

One of the most exciting finishes of the night came in the 100 Back, as Nicks - who missed the NCAA cut line by .08 seconds in the prelim - came up on the right side by .01 in the finals, touching with a time of 57.42 to put her name on the B-cut ledger.

On Sunday, the Bulldogs will close the three-day TYR Cup by competing in the 50 Fly (not an NCAA Div. II championship event), 200 Back, 100 Free, 200 Breast, 50 Back (not an NCAA Div. II championship event), 200 Fly, 1650 Free, and the 400 Free Relay.

Day One Recap
Five individual women, a women's relay, and one male earned the team's first NCAA Div. II B-cuts of the season on Friday, as the Bulldogs wrapped up the first of three days at the Div. I Northwestern (Ill.) University TYR Cup.

The Bulldog women's 400 Medley Relay squad of Grace Fodor, Abby Hempen, Evyn Spencer, and Nikki Sisson set a B-cut time of 3:53.86 to finish 10th in the all Div. I field (excluding Truman). Sisson earned a total of three B-cuts on the day, as she also picked up a B-cut time in the 50 Free (24.05) and the 500 Free (5:05.00), while both Spencer (2:04.82) and Hempen (2:07.63) each logged B-cut times in the 200 IM. Kortney Betz picked up a B-cut time in the 500 Free (5:04.94), while on the men's side, Tim Regan brought home 10th and a B-cut time in the 500 Free with a time of 4:37.34.

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Players Mentioned

Abby Hempen: Breast/IM; Senior

Ally Neumann: Breast; Sophomore

Hannah Nicks: Free/Back/IM; Sophomore

Emily Ponte: Free; Sophomore

Evyn Spencer: Free/Back/Fly/IM; Sophomore

Alison Strickler: Free/Back; Sophomore