The Iowa State men’s swimming and diving team took on some stiff competition and fared well in the 1999 Big 12 Relays Friday in Ames.

The Cyclones placed second or third in 15 of the 16 races.

In the one-meter diving competition, ISU’s team of Steve Mohabir and Jim Zagaria finished in second place.

In three-meter diving, the team finished in fifth.

Those results were good enough for 73 points and a third place finish in the five team meet.

Taking home first place honors was the University of Texas with 100 points.

The Longhorns finished first in 12 of the meet’s 16 swimming events and won the three-meter diving competition.

Texas A&M placed second with 86 points.

The Aggies placed in the top three in 13 of the 16 events and won the one-meter diving competition.

The Kansas Jayhawks took fourth place with 58 points and the Missouri Tigers finished in fifth with 50.

“I’m pleased how hard we raced. I think we were very consistent throughout the meet,” ISU head coach Trip Hedrick said. “The team stood up to some very tough competition.”

Out of the fifteen races in which the Cyclones placed third or higher, ISU had six second place finishes.

The team of senior Lovrenco Franicevic, junior Henrik Ingesson and sophomore Jeremy Wilson finished the 300-yard butterfly relay with a time of 2:33.50.

In the 300-yard backstroke relay, senior Brian Rogers, junior Peder Skoog and freshman Karl Sunrydh raced to a time of 2:31.13.

ISU’s 1500-yard freestyle relay team of Franicevic, senior Evan deSzoeke and junior Josh Nogar finished with a time of 14:11.60.

The Cyclones’ 800-yard freestyle relay team of Skoog, deSzoeke, Franicevic and senior Rob Breshears swam a time of 6:59.73.

In the 800-yard medley relay, Franicevic, deSzoeke and sophomore Aron Nakama finished with a time of 8:17.71.

Another second place finish was turned in by the 100-yard freestyle relay team. The team of Breshears, Skoog, junior Jeff Gahan and sophomore Dylan de Bruin finished with a time of 38.35 seconds.

“We had pretty solid performances all the way around,” Hedrick said. “Peder Skoog had a real good intra-squad meet and continued that momentum right into this meet. Jeremy Wilson also had several excellent butterfly events.”

However, there is some room for improvement, according to the coach. Hedrick cited the individual medley events as an area where the team could improve.

“We are really young in the breast stroke events,” said Hedrick. “When we get Mitch McGinty back, he should help.”

The Big 12 Relays were held in a relay-style format, meaning that there were no individual races. This format can really test a team’s endurance and stamina.

“This type of meet is very physically and mentally challenging,” said Hedrick. “It gives us a chance to have a high number of races in a short amount of time.”

Iowa State seemed to handle that challenge well.

“I was pleased with the team’s fitness level and how well we held up,” Hedrick said.

The Cyclones will now prepare for their next meet as the Missouri Tigers visit Ames on Friday for a Big 12 Conference duel.

“We face kind of a rebuilding Missouri team,” said Hedrick. “It’s a young team, but they are returning some excellent swimmers and have a talented group of freshmen. It should be a high-spirited meet. We’re expecting a good challenge.”

The Missouri meet is at 6 p.m. on Friday at the Beyer Hall Pool.