Rice University
TBD
Mighty Casey!
11/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Complete Meet Results html
Complete Meet Results pdf 
PEARLAND, Texas - Senior Casey Clark broke a school record for the second time in as many days, won two individual events, and swam on a winning Rice relay to help lead the Owl swimmers to the Hansel Invitational team title Sunday evening in Pearland, Texas.
Clark and the Owls were in firm control every step of the way through the weekend's three-day, four-team, prelim/finals meet at the Pearland Natatorium. Rice finished with 1,254 points. Tulane was in second with 837.5 points, followed by North Texas (639.5) and the University of Houston (438).
Seemingly to prove that the school record she set in the 100-yard backstroke on Saturday was not a fluke, Clark went out and broke Mandy Mularz' 12-year old Rice record in the 100-freestyle on Sunday. With the lead the entire race, but also with a steady challenge from Tulane's Mia Schachter, Clark finally barreled into the wall with a time of 49.26 for another NCAA provisional cut. It was the fifth different school record of Clark's collegiate career.
Four individual wins (to that point) and two school records is a busy weekend, but Clark wasn't quite finished. The Spring, Texas, native came back just two events later and led a 1-2-3 Rice finish with Erin Flanigan and Kaitlin Benjamin in the 200-butterfly. Clark's 1:58.46 was a little more than one second off her existing Rice record in that event, but she was practically on her own when teammates Flanigan and Benjamin finished at 2:02.37 and 2:03.06, respectively.
To both Flanigan's and Benjamin's credit, both had already swam the rugged 1,650-freestyle earlier in the meet. Flanigan in fact led a 1-2 Owl finish in the mile with Anniina Ala-Seppälä as the duo posted Conference USA's best times in the event this season (16:33.25 and 16:56.93). Benjamin was tenth overall with a 17:47.78.
Rice veterans Rachel Moody (2:16.82) and Madison Livingston (2:19.63) scored big for the team in the 200-breaststroke with season-best times on the way second and third place finishes, respectively. Freshmen Julie Litver (2:01.79), Jaecey Parham (2:01.86) and Kiley Beall (2:02.01) were part of an Owl scoring barrage in the 200-backstroke where the Rice rookies placed third, fourth and fifth.
The Blue & Gray made one final statement in the meet's last event, the 4x100-freestyle relay. Tulane blazed out to a two-second lead at the first exchange, but Clark put Rice back in front on the second leg and senior Marissa Konicke gave Rice a little more room on stage three. True freshman Hannah Deters, who earlier had an eye-opening 50.84 to win the 100-freestyle's consolation final, held-off a final Green Wave charge on the anchor leg for a winning time of 3:23.04. The mark is the best Conference USA this season and completed an Owl sweep of all five relay races over the weekend.
Full results of the meet, as well as a video interview with Rice head coach Seth Huston, are provided at the above links.
Players Mentioned
