USC Women and Cal Men Lead Husky Invite After Day Two

Women of Troy Lead Husky Invite, Men In Second
The No. 11 USC women's swim team and the No. 22 men's team continued to dominate space on the winner's podium after the second day of the three-day 2008 Husky Invite at the Weyerhaeuser Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash., on Friday (Dec. 4).

USC freshman Katinka Hosszu, who won the 200y IM on Thursday, came back to win the 400y IM on Friday, lowering her NCAA `B' cut to 4:10.49. Fellow freshman Ania Kowalcyzk was fourth (4:20.12).

Junior James Martin, second in the 200y IM a day earlier, followed Hosszu's win with one of his own, taking the men's 400y IM in 3:49.00, an NCAA `B' cut and a season-best by almost 10 seconds. Sophomore Kevin Little led three other Trojans in the final, taking sixth (3:59.68). Freshman Will Orlady was seventh (4:01.44) and freshman Colin Heinrich was eighth (4:08.36).

Next in the 100y fly, senior Kristen Lahey finished second in 53.88, an NCAA `B' cut. On the men's side senior Ankur Poseria also took second in 47.56 (he went an NCAA `B' cut 47.00 in prelims). Senior Kevin Bartell also made the final, finishing seventh (49.38).

Krissy Forelli led USC finishers in the women's 200y free, taking fifth in 1:49.96 while senior Rachael Waller was seventh (1:50.44).

Junior Zoltan Povazsay, who was second in the 500y free on Thursday, came back to win the 200y free in 1:36.34, an NCAA `B' cut and Troy's fastest in the event this year. Sophomore Luke Tanner was seventh in 1:41.23.

Senior Rebecca Soni next won the 100y breast in 1:00.34. Soni, often a leader from start-to-finish in regular-season swims, came from behind to defeat Washington's Genna Patterson by less than a quarter of a second. Senior Katy Houston was fifth (1:01.17, NCAA `B' cut) and Kowalczyk was sixth (1:03.43). Sophomore Dillon Connolly was seventh in the men's 100y breast (56.14).

Lahey, who earlier this season reset her USC record in the 100y back, won the race Friday in 53.39, four tenths off her school mark. Junior Whitney Stephenson was sixth (56.70).

Sophomore Jake Grosser and freshman T.J. Auner each reached the final of the 100y back, finishing fifth (49.95) and eighth (51.18), respectively.

Dugonjic Sets Cal Record in 100 Breaststroke at Husky Invite

Sophomore Damir Dugonjic swam an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 52.14 to win the 100-yard breaststroke and break his own school record for fourth-ranked California on Friday night in the Husky Invitational at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. The Golden Bears, the only school of the top four with only one team (the Cal men) competing in the meet, lead the meet with 968 points.

Dugonjic set the previous Cal record of 52.50 last season.
Cal also collected several NCAA B qualifying times, including its winning 200-yard medley relay time of 1:26.18. Senior David Russell led off the relay, Dugonjic was second, sophomore Nick Cordes was next and sophomore Nathan Adrian anchored the race. The Bears foursome of Adrian, sophomore Graeme Moore, junior Matt Scanlan and senior John Foster also swam a B qualifying time (6:26.36) to win the 800-yard freestyle relay, which was the last race of the night.

Adrian also posted a 200-free B qualifying time with his time of 1:35.37 that led off the relay.

In the 100 butterfly, Adrian won the final in a B cut of 47.47. Moore actually posted a better time than Adrian in winning the consolation final in 47.32 to place ninth. Cal posted three NCAA B times in the 100 breaststroke: freshman Martin Liivamagi won the consolation final in 54.46, sophomore Martti Aljand won the C final in 54.13 to finish 17th and junior Sean Mahoney was 18th in 54.53.

Earlier in the day, Mahoney swam an NCAA B qualifying time of 3:50.38 to win the 400 individual medley preliminary race. Cal’s best result in the 400 IM final was Liivamagi’s third-place finish in a time of 3:55.68.

Russell placed second in the 100 backstroke final in an NCAA B qualifying time of 47.19.

On Saturday, the final day of the three-day meet, men’s action begins with the 200 backstroke slated to start at approximately 9:50 a.m.

More UW Records Fall on Day Two of Husky Invite
Friday was an historical day for the University of Washington swim team at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center as they continued to re-write the record books on day two of the 60th annual Husky Invitational.
 
In all, two individuals and one relay set school records on the day with nine individuals and two relays also earning NCAA B times. The UW women sit in second place in the team standings with 885 points, trailing only USC, which has 923. The UW men sit fourth heading into the final day with 632 points, trailing Cal, USC and UC Santa Barbara.
 
Senior Evan Bernier (Woodinville, Wash.) set his third career school record, finishing third in the 100 back in 47.82 seconds and earning NCAA consideration. Bernier was being chased by fellow senior Jon Banker, who finished fourth in the race in 47.98 to also earn and NCAA B time and move up to No. 2 all time in UW history. Bernier had already earned a B time in the prelims when he missed the school record by two-tenths of a second, but he came back in the finals to take over the record.
 
The men’s 800 free relay also broke a school record which had been held since 2004. Bernier, Scott Spansail, David Bai and Ben Aaberg teamed up to swim a time of 6:30.24, which was an NCAA B time and also moved them into the record books. They finished second in the race behind Cal.
 
Genevieve Patterson was a record-breaker for the women, as she set a new school record in the 100 breast. Already having earned an NCAA B time in the event in the Texas A&M Invitational, Patterson lowered that time in the finals Friday when she was clocked at 1:00.56 to finish second in the race and move onto the top of the UW charts. Her previous top time was 1:01.33.
 
The women simply dominated the 200 free race, taking the top four spots and five of the top six. Petra Radovic led the way, winning the race in 1:47.04 which moved her up to No. 3 all time and earned her NCAA consideration. Freshman Kelly Flynn finished second in 1:48.73, lowering her personal-best time which ranks No. 6 all time. Amelia Messegee was third followed by Liz Johnson in fourth, while Ally Rich finished sixth, with her time just missing the all-time top 10 by .01. Mesegee’s 200 free prelim time of 1:49.22 moved her into eighth all time while Johnson’s prelim time of 1:49.56 ranks 10th all time.

Junior Erin Campbell also continued to be a consistent threat for the Huskies. She earned another NCAA B time, this one coming in the 100 fly. She won the race in 53.07 after earning a B time in the prelims when she swam 53.52. She holds the school record in the event, swimming 52.61 last season.
 
Campbell also led the 800 free relay to an NCAA B time, swimming a lead-off 200 time of 1:49.07 which ranks No. 7 all time at UW. Campbell was followed by Radovic, Flynn and Messegee, who won the race in a time of 7:14.01.
 
Freshman Hannah Ross was the final woman to earn an NCAA B time Friday, which she swam in the 100 back. She finished second in the finals in 54.30, moving past Campbell into No. 2 all time in UW history.
 
Other women performing well Friday were Danielle Gong, who finished second in the 400 IM in 4:17.53 which smashed her old career best of 4:22.14 and moved her from No. 8 all time to No. 2. Her sister, Jen, finished third in the finals in a season best of 4:19.49.
 
Finally on the women’s side, Marisa Chang moved up to No. 3 all time in 100 fly with a time of 54.96, finishing sixth in the event.
 
The men had three additional swimmers earn B times, including Spansail, Russ Mahan and Yonatan Cohen. Spansail just missed his third school record of the year, as his time of 1:36.63 in the prelims of the 200 free moved him from No. 10 all time to No. 2. He earned an NCAA B time and went on to finish fourth in the finals in 1:37.61
 
Mahan and Cohen finished second and third, respectively, in the 100 breast, with Mahan moving up to No. 2 all time with his time of 53.99. Cohen, meanwhile, also set a new personal best, finishing in 54.30 to rank No. 3 all time. Both swimmers earned NCAA B times.
 
Also swimming well for the men were Banker, who improved to No. 5 all time in the 400 IM with a prelim time of 3:54.01, and David Bai, who moved up to No. 6 all time in the 200 free with a prelim time of 1:38.19. He went on to finish sixth in the finals in 1:38.82. Ben Aaberg finished 10th in the same race in 1:38.39, the ninth-fastest time in school history.
 
“Scott (Spansail) swam great and Petra (Radovic) had a heck of a day. Our relays were really great. And Erin Campbell continues to impress and lead this team,” UW head coach Whitney Hite said. “I was really happy to see Genevieve get a school record along with the 800 free relay. In the 100 back, we had both Jon Banker, who’s having a heck of a meet, and Evan Bernier break the men’s 100 back record with Evan taking it over. Both of those guys are swimming great.
 
“I was also impressed with Danielle Gong and David Bai,” Hite continued. “David made a huge step today in the 200 free, as did Petra. These are big moves and I’m really proud to say that for the first time in school history all of our top-10 times in the 200 free for the women are under 1:50. My college coach used to say the strength of your team is the 200 free so we’re finally getting there.”
 
Hite also continues to be impressed with his freshmen women, who are swimming well beyond their years.
 
“Kelly Flynn and Amelia Messegee both swam well, with Amelia anchoring the 800 relay. We put them in pressure situations today and they did not disappoint. They did very well,” Hite said. “We’re having a very good meet. We’re doing very well. We’ll keep it rolling for one more day and be good to go.”
 
Saturday marks the final day of the Husky Invitational, with prelims starting at 9:30 a.m. and finals taking place at 6 p.m. at the King County Aquatic Center.

NC State Swimming Continues at Husky Invitational
Members of the NC State men’s and women’s swimming teams continued competition on the second day of the Husky Invitational on Friday, Dec. 5.

On the women’s side, Jen Kopenitz put up a 4:29.18 for eighth place in the 400 IM, followed by Anna Linkenauger in 11th place with a 4:26.33. Earlier in the 400 IM prelims Kopenitz clocked in with a 4:24.11, the fastest mark on the team this year.

Erica Smith posted a 55.63 in the 100 backstroke prelims, adding a 55.69 in the finals for third place.

In men’s action, Mason McGee posted the second fastest time in school history with a 1:37.01 in the 200 freestyle. The swim, good for second place, is the fastest on the team this year and stands as a new personal best for McGee.

Kevin Woodhull-Smith recorded the fastest time on the year in the 400 IM with a 3:55.85 in the prelims, followed by a 3:56.57 for a fourth place finish in the finals. Andrew Lester took 15th with a 4:05.68. Mike Seiferth placed 27th in the 100 butterfly on a 50.98, while Dan Forsythe landed eighth in the 100 breaststroke with a 56.93. Forsythe posted a 56.59 in the same event during the prelims. Stephen Mellor used a 49.97 to take sixth in the 100 backstroke.

Boise State: Records Keep Rolling in at Husky Invite
The record-breaking pace continued in day 2 of the Husky Invitational for the Broncos. Another five team records were set in the second day of the three day meet as the Broncos remained in sixth place, and right on the heels of WAC-rival Hawai’i.

The Broncos didn’t miss a beat as they began the individual events with a record-breaking performance in the 400 IM. Chelsea Lopus finished in 15th with a time of 4:36.63, but it was Emily Irvin in the bonus finals that broke another record with a time of 4:32.62, placing her in 17th.

Another record was broken in the very next event as Amber Boucher continued to have an outstanding meet in the 100 fly. The new team record came in preliminaries when she finished with a time of 56.85. Boucher went on to finish 12th in finals with teammates Sammy Sanchez-O’Dell and Kirdy Franco finishing behind her in 22nd and 24th, respectively.

As if one record wasn’t enough, Boucher returned to the pool in the next event to set yet another record. Boucher set the team record in the 200 free as she swam a 1:53.71 in the preliminaries, later finishing 15th in finals. North also achieved a new personal best in the 200 free with a time 1:53.86 in the preliminaries, finishing 21st in finals.

The records kept rolling in as Irvin broke her second record of the day in the 100 breast. She recorded a time of 1:04.88, beating her own record by one one-hundredth of a second. Her time placed her in 13th overall, followed by Erin Stotts in 19th, Lauren Keele in 20th and Tara Hahto in 23rd.

Denise Green was the top-finisher for the Broncos in the 100 back as she recorded a time of 58.80 to finish in 14th. Morgan McLain was the next to touch, bringing home a 15th place finish, and was followed by Franco in 23rd.

In the relays, the Broncos earned a seventh-place finish in the 200 medley relay, but set their fifth team record of the day in the 800 free relay. The quartet of North, Lopus, Green and Boucher finished in sixth with the new team record of 7:44.22.

The Broncos will look to continue their record-setting pace in the third and final day of the meet on Saturday. The last events will be the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and will conclude with the 400 free relay.