Jerod Simek

Jerod Simek’s trip to the NCAA-II finals highlighted the 2012-13 seasons for the Truman men’s and women’s swimming teams. Simek, a senior, placed 17th in the 500 freestyle, 16th in the 1,000 freestyle and 14th in the 1,650 freestyle championships–held in Birmingham, Ala.

The two squads opened the season in October 2012 at the Missouri Show-Me Swimdown, where the Bulldog women took fourth, and the men grabbed seventh. After three dual meets, the teams closed the fall portion of the season at the University of Chicago “Phoenix” Fall Classic, in which the women came from behind to win the event, and the men held solid in third place.

Following three additional duals, the teams headed north for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Swimming and Diving Championships/Meet, held in Rochester, Minn. A consistent event landed the women in second place, while the men took third in both teams’ inaugural years at the event. For the women, it marked the 24th straight season of placing either first or second in a conference meet.

A Truman swimmer performs the backstroke during a meet against Western Illinois.

Junior Casey Jepsen was named the NSIC Women’s Swimmer of the Year, while freshman Brynn Guardado earned NSIC Women’s Freshman of the Year honors. Three school records fell at the event, as freshman Levi Hanks set a new time in the men’s 200 freestyle (1:40.24), and Simek captured new top marks in both the 1,000 free (9:18.10) and the 500 free (4:31.29).

The women graduating seniors included Taylor Birsa, Allison Harding, Calla Kingery and Alyssa Smith, while the men lost Simek and Tony Hernandez to graduation.