Content about Neil Caskey
The No. 2 Texas Longhorns men’s swimming and diving team fell short of winning their 11th national title over the weekend, coming in second place to No. 6 California.
Following a strong performance on Thursday in which the Texas men finished third in points earned, Friday saw the Longhorns get off to a great start, as 10 individuals and one relay squad posted preliminary times strong enough to qualify for the finals later in the day. Texas pushed into second place by the end of day two, but couldn’t string together enough close wins to edge the Bears by day three.
Texas moved a step closer towards extending its 15-year reign as conference champion of the Big 12 on Wednesday.
The conference championships, held in Columbia, Mo. started yesterday and will finish on Saturday. Competing for the men’s championship are the three schools sponsoring swimming programs in the Big 12: No. 2 Texas, No. 18 Texas A&M and No. 25 Missouri. Texas has won every Big 12 championship in history and will look to extend the streak to 16-straight over the course of the four-day championship.
The No. 2 Longhorns raced to flawless finishes and a victory over No. 8 Auburn, improving to 4-1 in dual meets this season. Texas looks to bring the same intensity as they face No. 1 Arizona on Saturday in Tucson.
On a team ranked No. 2 in the country, it can be difficult to stand out. Senior swimmer Neil Caskey has done this and more for the Longhorns all season long.
Caskey has dominated the competition this season, winning at least one event in every meet except one. To those closest to the team this comes as no surprise.
The holidays are a time for fun, gifts and happiness. Winter break brought all of these for the Longhorns.
The No. 2 ranked men’s swimmers and divers were dominant over the break, defeating No. 9 Georgia and No. 7 Auburn by 35 and 30 points, respectively.
The Longhorns came, saw and conquered in this week’s Texas Invitational by finishing in first place all three days of the competition.
With the first half of the 2011-2012 season coming to a close, the Longhorns stand as one of the top teams in the nation and have spread the success among veterans and newcomers alike.
Texas only has one blemish on its record to this point, as UT dropped a competition in the dual meet with Indiana and Michigan, falling by one point against the Wolverines.
The No. 2 Longhorns crept back into the win column on Friday with a victory over the SMU Mustangs, 154 to 127.
Senior Neil Caskey continued his dominant year by winning both the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard freestyle, with times of 48.56 and 1:40.56, respectively. Junior Nick D’Innocenzo also did well, winning the 100-yard backstroke and the
200-yard IM.
The Longhorns tasted defeat last week, but with many great performances already under their belt, it won’t likely become a habit.
Despite splitting a win and a loss in the dual meets with Indiana and Michigan, Texas is swimming at a high level and is currently ranked No. 2 in the CSCAA Poll.
Senior Neil Caskey has been the most pleasant surprise this season, recently being awarded the Big 12 Swimmer of the Week honors following his four wins in the last two meets.
After emerging the victors in their first meet of the year, the Longhorns are prepared to plow through their next test in the annual dual meet with Indiana and Michigan.
The men looked very strong in the Southwest Collegiate Plunge last weekend, bringing home the title for the third year in a row. After the final event was held, it was obvious that the Longhorns were poised for a remarkable year.
Coming into the season it was the hope of the Longhorns that all the classes would do their part and the team, a blend of youth and experience, looked very promising.
Senior Neil Caskey
Men’s swimming: Southwest Collegiate Plunge
Pure domination characterized the Longhorns’ performance this weekend in the Southwest Collegiate Plunge. The team captured the title by totaling 796 points — 46 more than second-place Texas A&M — for its first win of the year.
In a meet rescheduled to Saturday because of Friday’s inclement weather, Texas defeated Texas A&M 170-127.5 with 10 wins from eight different swimmers.
The confusion didn’t stop with the weather as swimmers on both teams were forced to compete in different events than initially planned as a result of the day change.
