Bama Swept by Auburn
The Auburn swimming and diving team combined for 16
event wins and 12 NCAA Provision “B” cut times Thursday as the
Tigers swept in-state rival Alabama in front of 1,156 fans at the James
E. Martin Aquatic Center. The women topped the Crimson Tide, 134-107,
while the men defeated Alabama 142-101.
“We started very strong and it was a great team effort overall,”
Brett Hawke, head swimming and diving coach, said. “The relays set the
tone for us and were our cornerstone today. It was a strong meet and I
feel that everyone really raced well.”
Freshman Katie Gardocki led the women individually, picking up a pair
of wins for the second-consecutive meet. The Suffield, Conn., native
recorded her first-career B cut time, taking first in the 1650 free in
16:34.88. Gardocki also took first in the 500 free in 4:53.40.
Sophomore Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace returned to the pool and also came
away with double wins. She captured first in the 50 free in 23.17 and
recorded a B time of 50.18 took take first in the 100 free.
“Katie had another great meet,” Hawke said. “She put up some good
times and it is exciting to see her do so well. I’m also happy to see
Arianna back in the pool and getting a pair of wins.”
Also picking up individual victories were senior Melissa Marik, junior
Caitlin Geary and sophomore Stephanie Horner. Geary finished first in
the 200 free (1:48.96), while Horner touched the wall first in the 200
fly (2:01.45). Marik picked up a B time of 1:58.02 to win the 200 back
and was followed closely by junior Erica Meissner, who finished second
in the event with a B time of 1:58.23.
The 400 medley relay squad of Marik, Micah Lawrence, Ava Ohlgren and
Vanderpool-Wallace opened the meet with a first-place finish in a B time
of 3:40.85. The quartet of Geary, Horner, Maggie Bird and Ohlgren
finished the meet with a win in the 800 free relay (7:29.56).
Sophomore Vennie Dantin led the way for the Tiger divers. She picked up
a NCAA Zone score of 278.77 with a second-place finish on the 1-meter
and took fourth on the 3-meter with a Zone score of 288.90.
Leading the way for the men was senior Gideon Louw, who picked up a
pair of wins and B times in the 50 free (19.87) and 100 free (44.20).
Classmate Tyler McGill tallied a B time of 1:47.56 to take first in the
200 fly, while junior Adam Klein touched the wall first in the 200
breast with a time of 2:00.21.
Freshman Kyle Owens celebrated his 19th birthday with a big win in the
200 individual medley. The Johnson City, Tenn., native came in first
with a B time of 1:49.31. Junior Andrew Mitchell came in a close second,
finishing in 1:49.86.
“Kyle had a great swim and a great result,” Hawke said. “His time
is one of the top times in the country and that is very exciting for
both him and the team.”
The quad of Jared White, Michael Silva, McGill and Christopher Fox
tallied a B time of 3:14.67 and win in the 400 medley relay to open the
meet. Fox, Louw, McGill and Kohlton Norys finished the night with a B
time of 6:41.58 in the 800 free relay.
On the diving side, freshman Thad Ellis finished second on the 1-meter
springboard with a NCAA Zone standard score of 338.32, while senior
Kelly Marx finished third in a Zone score of 332.69. Marx led the Tigers
on the 3-meter with a second-place finish with a Zone score of 404.77.
Auburn returns to the James E. Martin Aquatic Center for a SEC match-up
with perennial national contender Georgia on Nov. 20. The meet is set to
start a 4 p.m. and admission is free.
Auburn Swimming and Diving
Thursday, November 12, 2009
James E. Martin Aquatic Center; Auburn, Ala.
Team Scores:
Auburn (W) 134; Alabama 107
Auburn (M) 142; Alabama 101
Auburn Event Winners- Women: 400 Medley Relay – 1. Marik, Lawrence,
Ohlgren, Vanderpool-Wallace (3:40.84); 1650 Freestyle – 1. Gardocki
(16:34.88); 200 Freestyle – 1. Geary (1:48.96); 50 Freestyle - 1.
Vanderpool-Wallace (23.17); 200 Butterfly – 1. Horner (2:01.45); 100
Freestyle – 1. Vanderpool-Wallace (50.18); 200 Backstroke – 1. Marik
(1:58.02); 500 Freestyle – 1. Gardocki (4:53.40); 800 Freestyle Relay
– 1. Geary, Horner, Bird, Ohlgren (7:29.56).
Men: 400 Medley Relay – 1. White, Silva, McGill, Fox (3:14.67); 50
Freestyle – 1. Louw (19.87); 200 IM – 1. Owens (1:49.31); 200
Butterfly – 1. McGill (1:47.56); 100 Freestyle – 1. Louw (44.20);
200 Backstroke – 1. Wollach (1:48.76); 200 Breaststroke – 1.
Klein (2:00.21); 800 Freestyle Relay – 1. Fox, Louw, McGill, Norys
(6:41.58).
The Alabama Swimming and Diving teams lost for the first time this season, coming up short against in-state rival Auburn in a rare mid-week dual meet. The Crimson Tide men fell 142-101 while the women lost 134-107.
“It was as good meet and I felt like we competed well,” Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham. “On the men’s side Mark Randall and Aaron Fleshner both won two events and we ended up going 1-2-3 in the 200 freestyle.
“For the women Agustina (de Giovanni) continues to put together impressive races. She won two events and her time in the 200 is one of the best in the nation this year. And down in the deep end we swept the diving events for the fourth time this season.”
Alabama’s men go to 4-1 overall and 1-1 in Southeastern Conference competition on the season while the Tide women are now 7-1 and 2-1 in the SEC. Auburn’s men and women are both 2-0 overall and in the conference.
Diver Aaron Fleshner continues to dazzle in his senior season. He won the one-meter board by more than 40 points to open the meet, scoring a 381.67. He then came back and won the three-meter board with a 416.32, a total that included a perfect 10 from the judging panel on his fifth of six dives.
“That was his first dive for 10s across the board,” McIlquham said. “He got a 10 from one judge at NCAAs with the rest going 9s and 9.5s, but this was the first consensus 10. It was an impressive effort.”
Senior Mark Randall dominated the distance events as he has all season. The nation’s No. 1 ranked miler finished more than 30 seconds ahead of the field in the 1650 freestyle, touching the wall at 15:34.27. In the 500 freestyle he was 10 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor, coming in at 4:27.84.
In the 200 freestyle, sophomore Joe Ziegler finished first with a 1:40.27 followed by freshman Brandon Lowe and junior Denes Zubcsek, who took second and third with times of 1:40.37 and 1:42.45 respectively.
Sophomore Carrie Dragland started the Tide women off with a win, taking first off the one-meter board with a score 291.75. Junior Lauren Dunn made it a clean sweep of the diving events when she won the three-meter board later in the meet with a score of 318.98.
De Giovanni won the 200 IM with a 2:01.48 and the 200 breaststroke with a 2:12.45. Her time in the 200 breaststroke is the second fastest in the country this year.
The Tide returns to action at the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn. starting next Thursday.
