Auburn Men, Florida Women Off To Early Lead At SEC Meet

Tiger Women Set New US Open and NCAA Records On Day One Of SECs
Auburn relay showed up in force on day one of SECs as the Tigers claimed three of the Championship’s opening four swimming events.  The women’s 800 FR team set new US Open, American and NCAA records in the process.

After the first day of competition, the Auburn men are on top of the pile with 118 points.  Florida trails close with 110.  On the women’s side, the Gators are in first with 116 and are followed by Auburn with 88.

Shortly after a stunning Tyler McGill come-from-behind win in the men’s 800 FR, the Auburn women’s 800 FR lineup of Ava Ohlgren, Caitlin Geary, Melissa Marik and Maggie Bird ignited the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.  The squad set new US Open, American and NCAA records with a remarkable 6:54.02.

“I think we were really building off the guy’s relay,” said Ohlgren on the Auburn women’s 800 FR performance. ”Tyler pulling that out and catching up to the Florida swimmer really got everyone excited.”

Ohlgren’s leadoff split of 1:42.99 earned the nine-time SEC Champion her second individual “A” cut of the season.  The Northville, Mich., native posted her other NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 400 IM at the USA Short Course National Championships.

“This was the third year in a row Ava Ohlgren led off that relay,” said Auburn co-head women’s coach Dorsey Tierney-Walker.  “She has such tremendous heart.  There was no way she would put us in a position where we would have to come from behind.”

Auburn has now won three consecutive 800 FRs along with back-to-back championships in 2003-04.

“Our anchor Maggie Bird did so well with her distance training background,” said Tierney-Walker on her 800 FR anchor.  “I thought she executed well – got in and out of the wall well.  She stayed on the opposite side of the lane from the Georgia swimmer.  Solid swims all around.  We have a lot of momentum going into tomorrow.”

The Auburn men’s 200 MR team of Jared White, Michael Silva, Matt Targett and Jakob Andkjaer touched in with the nation’s top-time of the 2008-09 season.  Their mark of 1:23.69 ranks second all-time at Auburn behind the current NCAA record time of 1:23.24 set by Scott Goodrich, David Maras, Alexei Puninski and Cesar Cielo at the 2008 NCAA Championships.

“It was a great start,” said Auburn co-head men’s coach Brett Hawke.  “It’s exactly what we wanted.  We came in tonight and showed the nation what we’re made of.  Mission accomplished for the first day.” Their time earned Auburn its first “A” cut in the 200 MR.  Auburn earned an “A” cut in the 400 free relay at the 2008 USA Short Course National Championships.

The Tigers have won seven of the last eight 200 medley relays at the SEC Championships and have won eight titles overall.

“I think the two captains, Tyler McGill and Matt Targett, really set the tone today,” said Hawke.  "The way Tyler came over the top of Florida on the anchor was impressive.  We haven’t won that event in a long time.  Today was absolutely huge.”

Auburn relay broke its eight-season dry spell in the men’s 800 FR, as junior Tyler McGill overcame Florida’s Balazs Gercsak in the final leg.  The team of Gideon Louw, Pascal Wollach, Will Dove and McGill clocked in at 6:18.15 for another “A” cut.

The Auburn women’s 200 medley relay team of Rachel Goh, Micah Lawrence, Alanna Dillette and Ariana Vanderpool-Wallace placed second with a time of 1:36.59, earning Auburn its first “A” cut in a women’s relay event this season.  Goh’s backstroke leg of 24.05 was the fastest opening leg of a 200 medley relay this season. Wednesday’s win marks the fifth time Auburn has won the 200 MR since 2002.

After shaky prelim rounds, Auburn divers Kelly Marx and Dan Mazzaferro tied for second in the men’s 1-meter springboard. Each put up a career-high 372.75 points to combine for a total of 33 points for the Auburn men.  Marx and Mazzaferro finished seventh and eighth, respectively, under the eight-man cutline.

“It was a great finish to day one,” said Auburn head diving coach Jeff Shaffer.  “The guys stepped up as upperclassmen in the finals. They showed their competitive ways in how they stepped up from the prelims to the finals.”

Freshman Vanessa Dantin was the lone Auburn representative in the finals of the women’s 3-meter springboard.  The Conroe, Texas native surpassed her previous career best to place fifth with a 343.30.  Her finish earned the Tigers 14 points.

“I was really excited to see Vanessa make it to finals,” said Shaffer. “She posted her two best scores of the year at SECs.  That really sets us up well for the rest of the meet.

Finishing second in prelims, Dantin posted a 331.55, shattering her previous high mark of 305.55 against Florida.  Freshman Anna Aguero placed 18th scoring a 251.90.

Auburn swimming and diving returns to action Thursday at 10 a.m. CST as day two of the SEC Championships commence with the 500 Free prelims.

SEC & UF Records Fall As Gators Conclude Day One at 2009 SEC Championships
One SEC record, one pool record and two UF records fell Wednesday as the Gators completed day one of the 2009 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships in Auburn. After day one, the No. 5 Lady Gators lead the competition in first place with 116 points. Auburn (88), Tennessee (76), Alabama (75) and Georgia (73) round out the top-five, respectively. In men’s swimming action, Florida sits in third place (87 points) behind Auburn (118) and Tennessee (110), who round out the first and second-place spots.

“All of our relays swam really well tonight and I’m very pleased with the first day of racing,” head coach Gregg Troy said. “We had a number of school records and NCAA cuts, which was good. We would have liked to have more of an edge in the 800 free relays, but overall, we had a very good day. In addition to our swimming, our divers did very well today.”

In the most dominating swim of the night, the Lady Gator 200-yard medley relay, composed of junior Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England), freshman Lindsay Rogers (Fishers, Ind.), sophomore Julianne Lago (Miami, Fla.) and junior Stephanie Napier (Chattanooga, Tenn.) defended Florida’s SEC title in the event and set a new SEC record after clocking a 1:36.22 finals performance. The mark was the fastest time in Florida history, was a new James E. Martin Aquatics Center pool record and also punched the Gators’ ticket to the NCAA championships in the relay after downing the automatic standard.

Three Florida women’s divers represented the Gators in finals of the three-meter springboard Wednesday night, as junior Kara Salamone (Hollywood, Fla.) entered finals holding the first-place spot. Salamone dove her way to Florida’s highest finish, a fifth-place, 346.75-point finish that marked a career-best score. Fellow teammates Whitney Stern (Safety Harbor, Fla.) and Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.) placed sixth (318.25) and seventh (304.05), respectively, as Stern eclipsed a career-best score.

On the men’s side, after a record-breaking morning when the UF men eclipsed a school record and an NCAA automatic qualifying time in a time trial of the 200-yard free relay (1:17.60), the Gators returned to finals action ready to compete. Freshman Anthony Lewark (Davie, Fla.) started the night off right with a career-best performance on the one-meter springboard to place fifth overall (364.25). Lewark’s mark fell just shy of the best six-dive one-meter score (369.22) in school history.

Following a career-best for Lewark, the Florida men’s 200-yard medley relay swam an NCAA automatic qualifying time (1:25.14) that finished third overall. Junior Omar Pinzon (Bogota, Colombia) swam a backstroke leg that led the competition, while junior Clark Burckle (Louisville, Ky.) kept the Gators ahead in the breast stroke leg. Senior Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) maintained in the fly leg, and when junior Raul Martinez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) hit the water, both Auburn and Tennessee turned on the jets to edge out the Gators for first and second, respectively.

In 800-yard free relay action, Florida’s men gave Auburn a run for their money, leading the field through the first three legs under the watch of Shaune and Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands), senior Rex Tullius (Port Orange, Fla.) and sophomore Balazs Gercsak (Budapest, Hungary). In the final 25 yards, Auburn’s Tyler McGill pulled the Tigers ahead for the first-place finish, only edging out the Gators by .21 seconds as Auburn finished in 6:18.15 and Florida in 6:18.36. The time was the third-fastest in Gator history.

A trio of freshmen in Shara Stafford (Topeka, Kan), Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) and Melani Costa-Schmid (Palma de Mallona, Spain) and junior Stephanie Proud (Durham, England) cruised to a 7:02.44 in the 800-yard free rethe event. Stafford’s leadoff 200-yard free marked the fourth-fastest time in Gator history as day one of SEC competition closed at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center.

Day two of the SEC Championships will kick off Thursday with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. according to the following schedule:

VOLS SECOND AFTER DAY ONE OF SEC SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Three events into the Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, Tennessee is in second place eight points behind host Auburn. Day one events include the one-meter springboard, 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay.

The preliminary round of the one-meter diving competition went the Vols’ way after junior-college transfer Michael Wright led the field and freshman-sensation Ryan Helms placed second. The final somewhat resembled the finals of UT’s Tennessee Diving Invitational held in January. Alabama’s Aaron Fleshner won the event with Auburn’s Daniel Mazzaferro and Kelly Marx finishing second and third. Helms placed fourth (371.50) while Wright finished seventh (353.30). Junior diver Michael Muscari rounded out the championship field earning an eighth-place (334.95) finish for the Vols. Knoxville-native Brent Sterling placed eleventh in the preliminary round but did not qualify for the championship competition.

Heading into the 200 medley relay, UT held the conference’s best time, but came up less than a second short to Auburn’s relay team. Freshman Ricky Henahan, All-Americas Barry Murphy, Michael DeRocco and Jonas Persson gave Tennessee a second place finish with a mark of 1:24.62.

Like the 200 medley relay, Tennessee owned the SEC’s best 800 freestyle relay time going into the championship. Senior Nolan Morrell, Persson, freshman Anders Storvik and sophomore Chris Winchell earned third place for UT with a time of 6:23.32.

After day one Auburn leads the field with 118 points, Tennessee is second with 110 and Florida is third with 87.

Alabama’s Aaron Fleshner and Carrie Dragland Win SEC Diving Titles
Alabama made a clean sweep of the diving events on day one of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Championships being held in the Martin Aquatic Center when junior Aaron Fleshner won the first title of the meet, the men’s one-meter springboard, and freshman Carrie Dragland took top honors off the women’s three-meter board later in the night.
 
“This was a great, great start for us,” Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. “Aaron and Carrie looked great. They both had their best night. Aaron missed the NCAA record off the one-meter by less than seven points.”
 
In sixth place after the preliminary round, Fleshner amassed 414.15 points in the finals, outscoring the rest of the field by more than 40 points. His total was nearly 100 points better than his 314.25 during the preliminary round. Fleshner will attempt to defend his SEC three-meter title on Thursday. Sophomore Adam Booher also scored for the Tide off the one-meter board, taking 13th place with 286.35 points.
 
Dragland, in third place after the three-meter prelims, scored 366.50 points in finals, six points ahead of the second-place finisher. Sophomore Lauren Dunn also scored off the three-meter board, taking ninth place with 288.35 point.
 
Fleshner’s win is the 23rd individual SEC diving title by a member of the Tide men’s team. It was the first SEC one-meter title for the Tide men since Rafael Alvarez in 1995. Dragland’s title was the 10th by a member of the Alabama women’s team and the first since Lane Bassham won both the one and three-meter boards in 2004.
 
Alabama also set a pair of school records, with the men shattering the 800 freestyle mark while the women lowered the Tide mark in the 200 medley relay.
 
“We got off to a fast start,” McIlquham said. “Two SEC titles and two school records is something we can build on throughout this championship. This is what we’ve been training all season for and this was a great way to get things started.”
 
The Crimson Tide men knocked off the second oldest school record on the books when sophomores Denes Zubcsek and Cosma Catalin, freshman Joe Ziegler and senior Alin Mihalca combined to post a 6:24.98 in the 800 freestyle, bettering the previous mark, set in 1983, by more than three seconds.
 
Sophomore Cassie Craddock, junior Agustina de Giovanni, junior Hannah Brinks and sophomore Ida Persson earned an NCAA provisional standard in the 200 medley relay with a school-record 1:39.38, bettering the previous mark, set in 2002, by half a second.
 
The 200 medley relay of senior Chris Perry, junior Luke Boutwell, sophomore Denes Zubcsek and junior Riley Boulden touched the wall with a season-best 1:27.47, taking seventh place and earning an NCAA provisional standard.
 
The Tide women finished eighth and earned an NCAA provisional qualifying time in the 800 freestyle  when junior Shannon Van Hoy, sophomore Kate Shannon Gray, junior Agustina de Giovanni and junior Maggie Zblewski combined for a 7:18.28.
 
The championships continue Thursday with preliminaries starting at 10 a.m.
 
McGroarty, 200 Medley Relay Lead Lady Vols At Day 1 Of SECs
Freshman diver Jodie McGroarty’s podium finish and a school-record performance by the 200y medley relay team led the Tennessee women’s swimming and diving team on Wednesday at the 2009 Southeastern Conference Swimming & Diving Championships at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center. 
 
The Lady Vols sit in third place with 76 points after the first day of competition. Florida (116) and Auburn (88) hold the top two positions heading into the day two.
 
McGroarty captured the second-highest score (348.10) in Lady Vol history on the 3-meter board en route to finishing third in the event. It’s the second year in a row a Lady Vol made the podium on the 3-meter as Lauren LeRoy grabbed top honors last season with a score of 344.05 in the finals.
 
In the prelims, McGroarty qualified sixth with a score of 315.15. At the time it was her season-best until she shattered that score with her outstanding finals performance.
 
“I’m very proud of Jodie,” UT head diving coach Dave Parrington said. “What I said to her before the event was ‘when you get to the finals in the SEC, all bets are off.’ She took that to heart and competed like a veteran tonight.”
 
The 200 medley relay team of freshman Jenny Connolly, sophomore Tricia Weaner and juniors Jamie Saffer and Michele King placed fourth in a school record time of 1:38.04. King vaulted the Lady Vols from seventh to fourth with her impressive freestyle anchor leg. The old record was 1:38.09 set a year ago at SECs by Weaner, King, current-senior Carly Mathes and former Lady Vol Christine Magnuson.
 
The 800 free relay of freshman Caitlin Perks, sophomore Morgan Farrell and seniors Brittany Nauta and Mathes finished fifth in a season-best time of 7:14.25. It is the seventh fastest performance in Lady Vol history.
 
Both relays are NCAA ‘B’ cuts, as well.
 
“Michele’s leg was extraordinary in the 200 medley (relay),” Lady Vols head swimming coach Matt Kredich said. “The other legs were just a little off. In the 800 free relay we also got one really good swim from Brittany Nauta. We’re just not clicking right now on our relays like we’re used to. Hopefully tomorrow we can correct those little mistakes that are not letting us get on track.”
 
Alabama freshman Carrie Dragland grabbed victory on the 3-meter board with a score of 366.05, while Florida set the SEC record in winning the 200y medley relay (1:36.22). Auburn took first in the 800 free relay with an American and NCAA record time of 6:54.02.
 
The Lady Vols hop back in the pool on Thursday at 10 a.m. for prelim heats of the 500 free, 200 IM and 50 free. Women’s 1-meter diving prelims start at 12:30 p.m. Finals begin at 5:30 p.m. and will include the 200 free relay.
 
At the 2008 conference championships, Nauta, Mathes and King combined with former Lady Vol Magnuson to win the 200 free relay in a time of 1:29.07.
 
Zack Takes Second in 3M Finals; Three School Records Fall on Opening Night
Taryn Zack became the first South Carolina female swimmer or diver to earn an SEC medal since 2007 with her runner-up finish in the three-meter diving event Wednesday night at the SEC Championships at the James E. Martin Aquatic Center.

In addition, South Carolina broke school records in the women's 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay, and senior Kyle Cormier lowered his own 200-yard freestyle school record by half a second with his leadoff split in the men's 800 freestyle relay.

South Carolina's women currently stand sixth with 70 points in the team competition while the Gamecock men are eighth with 22 points.

Zack led the competition through her first four dives, but Alabama's Carrie Dragland executed her final two dives to near-perfection to take the victory by a 366.50-360.90 margin. Dragland gave Alabama a sweep of the diving events Wednesday night with Aaron Fleshner taking the men's one-meter title.

"Taryn really competed well tonight," head diving coach Todd Sherritt said. "Last year as a freshman, she was a great athlete but she didn't really know how to compete in big events yet. She has definitely shown that she knows how to compete now. And hats off to Alabama's diver, she dove out of her mind tonight."

The swimming night got off to an inauspicious start as the men's 200 medley relay team of Trey Tharpe, Armin Hornikel, Nicholas Walkotten and Todd Weyandt was disqualified due to a false start. But the 800 freestyle relay team of Cormier, Rory Grigull, James Crawford and Andrew Atzhorn turned in its best time of the year and earned an NCAA 'B' cut with a time of 6:30.33. In the first 200 yards of that race, Cormier shaved another half-second off his school record 200 freestyle time with a split of 1:35.13.

"The first relay was disappointing," head swimming coach McGee Moody said. "The false start was declared by .01 seconds, which is faster than the human eye can see. I wasn't surprised that Kyle broke the 200 free record, he's been swimming really well. But even in his swim, there were some mistakes that can be corrected. He needs to go lower and I think he can go lower."

On the women's side, both Gamecock relays broke the existing school records. The 200 medley relay team of Megan Sparks, Amanda Dunnigan, Sharntelle McLean and Kassy Kugler finished in a tie for eighth with Arkansas in a time of 1:41.57, breaking a two-year old record of 1:41.75. Later in the night, the 800 freestyle relay team of Lindsey Olson, Amanda Dunnigan, Christine Thompson and Claire Thompson shaved a full second off a five-year-old school record with a sixth-place time of 7:15.37. Olson's leadoff split of 1:48.92 was a personal record and the fastest for South Carolina this season. Both women's relay times were good enough for NCAA provisional qualifying marks.

"The girls' relays swam very, very well," Moody said. "We're going to be in a lot of these team races this week."

Auburn holds the men's team lead with 118 points with Tennessee right on their heels with 110 points. On the women's side, Florida holds the top spot through three events with 116 points, and Auburn is second with 88. The highlight of the night came in the women's 800 freestyle relay as Auburn broke the SEC, NCAA, American and U.S. Open records with a time of 6:54.02.

The second day of swimming gets underway at 10 a.m. Central tomorrow with preliminary heats in the 500 freestyle, 200 individual medley and 50 freestyle. In addition, the Gamecock divers will look to keep the momentum going with women's one-meter and men's three-meter diving.

LSU Swimming Records Fall on Day 1 of SEC's
It didn't take long for the LSU swimming and diving teams to kick into gear at the 2009 SEC Championships as the men's and women's teams combined to shatter four school records in the opening session Wednesday at Auburn's James E. Martin Aquatics Center.

The 18th-ranked men's team set new school marks in the 200-yard medley relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay, and senior Julius Gloeckner overtook former LSU swimmer Rodrigo Castro's nine-year-old record in the 200 free with his lead-off split of 1 minute, 36.09 seconds in the 800 free relay. The Lady Tigers registered a school-record time in their 200 medley relay.

In addition, the teams received fine efforts from the LSU divers as senior Niko Dalman reached the finals of the one-meter springboard, and freshmen Matt Vieke and Katie Lybbert tallied points with top-16 finishes in their respective events.

"We couldn't have asked for much better of a start," LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. "We broke four school records, and the divers performed well. We still have three more days to go, and hopefully, our performance today will encourage the rest of our athletes who haven't competed yet that they can perform at that same level."

After providing a taste of what was to come with a school-record mark of 1:26.99 in a time trial earlier in the day, the Tigers' 200 medley relay foursome of Hannes Heyl, Ben Decker, Christoph Lubenau and Gloeckner swam even faster in the event finals with a blistering NCAA 'B' cut time of 1:26.81 to take fifth.

The LSU women also claimed the school record in the 200 medley relay time trials with a mark of 1:39.21. However, like the Tigers, the squad of Monica McJunkin, Jane Trepp, Katie Gilmore and Katherine Noland would pop an even better time in the event finals as well, improving its mark by nearly a full second with a strong NCAA provisional time of 1:38.30 to place fifth.

Following the women's three-meter diving final, the team of Gloeckner, Andrew Reynolds, Sean LeNeave and Clint Hallum captured the school record in the 800 freestyle relay. Spearheaded by Gloeckner's record split, the Tigers recorded a time of 6:28.83 to top the previous mark set by the same four at the Art Adamson Invitational earlier this year and finished sixth.

In diving, Dalman qualified for the one-meter final with a preliminary score of 316.35 and captured sixth-place in the event final with a 363.70 mark, which was less than 10 points off a medal finish.

Furthermore, Vieke scored 288.50 points in the men's one-meter to take 12th overall, while Lybbert secured 14th-place in the women's three-meter with a mark of 274.20.

"Overall, we did well," LSU diving coach Doug Shaffer said. "Niko missed on one dive, or he would have taken second-place, and for Matt and Katie to come into their first SEC Championships and perform at this level was very encouraging."

The women's 800 freestyle relay squad of Lauren Grandy, Sabrina Messmer, Morgan McGee and Kannon Betzen wrapped up the first day of action with a time of 7:21.67 to finish ninth.

Moreover, senior Brandon Selts became the first Tiger to swim under 20 seconds in the 50 free this season, earning a personal best of 19.96 in a time trial, which is the seventh-fastest in school history. McGee recorded a season best in her 50 free trial, swimming a mark of 23.14.

School Records Fall on First Night of SECs
On the first night of competition at the Southeastern Conference Championships three Kentucky relays set new school records to cap off the start of the 2009 chase for the crown. UK’s women shattered the 200-medley and 800-freestyle relays, while the men duplicated the feat in the 200-medley relay.

UK’s women began the night with a sixth place showing and a new school record in the 200-medley relay. The quartet of sophomores Chatham Penrod and Lindsey Graessle, junior Megan Pulskamp and sophomore Kelsi Hall touched in a time of 1:38.31 for an NCAA ‘B’ time standard. The group eclipses a three-year old UK record time of 1:39.19 set in 2006.

Kentucky’s men equaled the performance earning a sixth-place finish behind a new school record time of 1:27.00. Senior Joe Retrum, juniors Eric McGinnis and Elvis Burrows and senior Shane Eliason formed the quartet that now holds the UK record in the event in their NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time standard performance. The time tops the 1:27.14 mark set just a season ago.

The Blue and White’s women then shattered a 10-year old school record in the 800-free relay with a seventh place finish in a time of 7:16.97. Junior Casey Miller, freshman Chelsea Peterson, senior Kelly Rames and junior Anna Sirmon set the new record and another NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time standard. The previous school record set back in 1999 was a clip of 7:21.89.

The Wildcat men tapped in a fifth place finish in the 800-freestyle relay earning an NCAA ‘B’ qualifying time standard. Sophomore Tyler Reed, junior Kyle Greene, freshman Morne’ Boshoff and sophomore Reinhardt Strijdom tapped in a time of 6:26.87 in earning NCAA qualification to cap off an impressive start to the 2009 SEC Championships.

On the boards, senior Justin Smith earned points for the Wildcats with a 16th place finish on the one-meter springboard. Smith tallied a 259.60 score in the event. Freshman Tom Gimm placed 19th overall by tallying a 204.85 score in his first career SEC Championships.

Sophomore Jessie Snowden placed 12th overall on the women’s three-meter springboard. Snowden recorded a 285.40 score in the event to earn her fourth consecutive scoring event in her collegiate career at the conference meet.

Relay teams, Kastes break records at SECs
In the first day of the SEC Swimming & Diving Championship, the No. 18 University of Arkansas swimming and diving team broke school records in the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relays. Sophomore Katie Kastes also broke her own record in the 200 free during her leadoff leg in the 800 free relay race.
 
“We had a great first night here at the championship meet,” head Razorbacks coach Jeff Poppell said. “We’re very excited with all the performances we turned in tonight and are hoping to build on those performances during the rest of the week.”

In the first race of the meet, the 200 medley relay team of Lynette Ng, Leah Pierce, Kastes and Yi Ting Siow set a Razorback record 1:41.57 in the event, finishing in a tie for eighth place with South Carolina.

To close out the night’s competition, Kastes and Siow joined Katie Whitbeck and Stephanie Carr in the pool for the 800 free relay where the four set a school record time of 7:10.91, placing fourth and shattering the previous record time of 7:19.14 set last season. Kastes and Carr were the leadoff and anchor legs on last season’s record-breaking team, respectively.

Leading off the 800 free relay team, Kastes touched in with a time of 1:46.44 for her 200 yard split, breaking the Arkansas record time of 1:48.57, which Kastes broke last season as a freshman.

In diving, senior Madison Palmer was the lone Razorback to qualify for the three-meter diving finals where she finished eighth with a score of 280.5. Fellow senior Kellyn Williams had the second highest score for Arkansas, placing 17th in the prelims with a score of 255.85.

“Madison finishing in the top eight was good,” Poppell said. “The top eight place at SECs so we’re very happy with her performance tonight.”

After the first day of competition, Florida leads all teams with 116 points and the Razorbacks are sitting in seventh with 61 points.

On Thursday, the Razorbacks (10-1, 3-1) are back in action at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center to compete in the 50 free, 500 free, 200 individual medley, 200 free relay and one-meter diving. Preliminary races are slated to begin at 10 a.m. with finals to take place at 5:30 p.m. For live results and for complete coverage of the SEC Championship and Razorback swimming and diving, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.

Georgia off To Strong Start At SEC Championships
The Georgia swimming and diving teams opened the 2009 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Wednesday in strong fashion by setting three school records and adding two NCAA automatic qualifying times.

After the first day of competition, the No. 1 Lady Bulldogs are in fifth place with 73 points. Florida leads after the first day with 116 points, followed by Auburn (88), Tennessee (76) and Alabama (75).

The No. 12 Bulldogs are in sixth after the first day, totaling 63 points. Auburn leads the field with 118 points, followed closely by Tennessee with 110. Florida (87), Alabama (78) and LSU (72) round out the men’s top five.

“We had a little slip up on our men’s 800 relay, due to Mark Dylla being sick, but other than that, it couldn’t have been a better night,” head coach Jack Bauerle said. “When we set school records, it’s no small feat in our program. We are real proud of how we did. Allison Schmitt was great leading that off; it was a great performance for us.”

The women’s 800 free relay team of Schmitt, Chelsea Nauta, Aleksandra Putra and Morgan Scroggy finished with the top Georgia effort of the day, a runner-up finish with a time of 6:55.80, which broke the school record the relay set at the UGA Fall Invitational earlier this season. Schmitt’s 200-yard leadoff split of 1:42.90 set a new SEC meet record, a new school record and is an NCAA automatic qualifying time.

The women’s 200 medley relay team of Kristen Shickora, Mhyria Miller, Anne-Marie Botek and Jessica Cole earned the final spot on the medal podium with a third-place time of 1:37.27, which was the top time of the season, reached the NCAA automatic qualifying standard and fell just .03 seconds shy of the school record.

The men’s 200 medley relay improved on its sixth place finish from a year ago by finishing fourth with a school-record and NCAA provisional cut time of 1:26.68. The team of Chris Spooner, Neil Versfeld, Dylla and Craig Jennings broke the old record of 1:27.52, which was set back in 2002.

In the 800 free relay, the team of Dylla, Peter Benner, Troy Prinsloo and Bill Cregar finished with the sixth-best time in school history and finished in seventh place with a time of 6:29.20. Dylla’s leadoff split of 1:38.11 was the second-fastest on the team this season.

In the diving well, Webb Worthington led the Bulldog effort on the 1-meter springboard during the morning preliminaries, finishing in ninth place with a score of 290.35. Owen Blank finished in 18th place with a score of 251.45 and Tim Barrett earned an exhibition score of 255.45

For the Lady Bulldogs, Hannah Moore was the top Georgia finisher in the 3-meter springboard prelims, finishing with an 11th-place score of 285.85. Lexie Bryant finished in 16th place with a career-best score of 266.95.

The second day of competition at the 2009 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships will continue Thursday with prelims beginning at 10 a.m. and finals set for 6 p.m. CT.

Vanderbilt wraps up day one of SECs
The 200-yard medley relay team of sophomore Jennifer Molchan and the freshmen trio of Allie Voss, Kelly Obranowicz and Zoe Cooper-Surma swam a school record 1:46.31, highlighting the Vanderbilt’s performance at day one of the 2009 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships in Auburn, Ala. Vanderbilt’s record 200 medley relay placed 10th overall.

The 200-medley relay time shatters the previous record of 1:47.11, which was set by the relay of Jenny Higgins, Kim Broughal, Amy Batchelder and Julie Caldwell in 1990. It marks the second consecutive season that the Commodores set a school record at the SEC meet. Last year Leigh-Ann Axt broke the school’s 200-yard butterfly record, swimming a 2:02.32, breaking Wrenn Terrill’s previous record time by over a full second.

Later in the day, VU’s 800-yard freestyle relay team of Alexandra Jennings, Christina Chao, Anna Fargo and Molchan recorded a 7:51.81, finishing in 10th place.

In the three-meter dive, the ‘Dores were led by Nicole Woodworth’s mark of 223.90, finishing in 23rd place in the preliminaries while fellow freshman Liz Asche recorded a score of 149.80.

TEAM STANDINGS - MEN
1. Auburn          116
2. Tennessee       110
3. Florida         87
4. Alabama         78
5. LSU             72
6. Georgia         63
7. Kentucky        55
8. South Carolina 22

TEAM STANDINGS - WOMEN
1. Florida         116
2. Auburn          88
3. Tennessee       76
4. Alabama         75
5. Georgia         73
6. South Carolina 70
7. Arkansas        61
8. Kentucky        55
9. LSU             49
10. Vanderbilt     28