Georgia Tech Invite - Day Two

CLEMSON

The Clemson men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams
concluded their second day of action at the Georgia Tech Invite
Saturday.  Both teams maintained the third place standings among some
of the top swimmers in the country.

The women started the day off strong as the relay group of Kelli Kyle,
Katrina Obas, Maddie Tarantolo and Meg Anderson finished third in the
200 medley relay with a NCAA-B cut time of 1:42.58.  Kyle earned
another NCAA-B cut time as she finished second in the 100 backstroke
with a time of 54.80.

Junior Elizabeth Savage took tenth in the 400 IM with Tori Cervone and
Katrina Obas also scoring in the event.  Maddie Tarantolo and Heather
Savage tied for fifth in the 100 butterfly.  Tarantolo set a career
best time of 55.00, which also moved her into third place in Clemson
history in that event.

Senior Katrina Obas scored again for the Tigers with a third place
finish in the 100 breaststroke.  Maddie Tarantolo and Laura Browning
took eighth and tenth respectively.

On the men’s side, the relay group of Jason Chatlosh, Kyle Shoemaker,
Seth Broster and Eric Bruck took fourth in the 200 medley relay with a
time of 1:31.91.  Senior Matt Angelini took seventh in the 400 IM,
with junior David Gordon and sophomore Will Clark also scoring for the
Tigers.

Seth Broster had a strong finish in the 100 butterfly as he took
fourth.  Sophomores Lee Groseclose and Chris Dart finished fifth and
seventh respectively in the 200 free.  The Tigers had a trio of
finalist in the 100 backstroke as Chris Dart took third, Tom Recko
fourth and Jason Chatlosh tenth.


FLORIDA STATE

The Seminoles continued to push themselves on Day Two of the Georgia Tech Invite.  Earning a combined seven event wins and 12 NCAA B-cut qualifying times, the Seminole’s continue to lead heading into the final day of the meet.
 
The Florida State women’s team earned 317.5 points Saturday to increase their overall meet score to 654.5.
 
The women started the finals with a second place finish in the 200 medley relay.  Shanda Casella, Kristine Polley, CJ Hendry and Brittany Selts combined for a B-cut time of 1:42.20.
 
In the 100 fly Hendry finished first in both the preliminary race and the finals (54.20, B-cut).  Hendry’s teammates, Tiffany Elias came in third (54.96) and Brittany Selts finished in 4th (55.26) in the finals.
 
Florida State also had a strong showing in the women’s 200 free, as Jocelyn Phillips came in second with a time of 1:48.72 (B-cut).  Elias finished fifth (1:50.47), Holly Mills came in sixth (1:50.47) and Marissa Harrington came in ninth (1:51.77) in the event.
 
Freshman standout Polley battled back from a third place finish in the 100 breast preliminaries to take first place in the finals with a time of 1:03.26.
 
Stephanie Sarandos earned her first individual B-cut time and her second overall of the meet with a fourth place finish in the 100 back (55.24).
 
Once again Florida State had a strong showing on the boards, with four athletes finishing in the top eight of the women’s three-meter diving event.  Katie Sirounis led the Seminoles with a second place finish (311.90), followed by Jaq Schroeder in fourth (299.05), Aleia Monden in fifth (298.85) and Kat Adham in sixth (271.55).
 
The women’s final event of the day was the 800 free relay.  The pairing of Phillips, Elias, Sarandos and Mils earned a second place, B-cut time of 7:20.26.
 
The Florida State men’s team earned 394.5 points Saturday to increase their overall meet score to 696.
 
 
The men spent the second day of the meet dominating their competition, beginning with the 200 medley relay.  Seniors Andy Hodgson and Scott Thacker teamed with freshmen Logan Mosely and Mark Weber to earn a victory in the event with a B-cut time of 1:29.21.
 
Five Seminoles finished in the top ten in the men’s 100 fly final, including three freshmen.  Junior Matt Shead came in second (49.00), followed by Mosely in third (49.33). Mosley’s fellow freshmen Mark Cox (49.67) and Danny Nguyen (50.53) came in fifth and ninth, respectively, followed by sophomore Michael Aitken (50.98).
 
The men’s 200 free outcome came with an interesting twist. In addition to his part in the 200 medley relay, Hodgson finished first in the 200 free with a B-cut time of (1:36.65). Junior Robby Hayes earned the second fastest time (1:38.13), and a B-cut, in the event, but because his preliminary time was not among the top ten he had to settle for an 11th place finish.  
 
Florida State swept the top three finishes and earned two B-cut times in the men’s 100 breast. Thacker claimed first with a time of 54.40 (B-cut), followed by Holderness in second (54.76, B-cut) and Shead in third (56.30).
 
Hodgson earned his third meet victory of the day in the 100 back with the only B-cut time of the event at 48.63. 
 
“I was very satisfied with how I raced today,” Hodgson reflected. “It’s been great to swim this weekend with the whole team here and with everybody doing so well.  I’m looking forward to the last day of the meet tomorrow where hopefully the whole team can continue to do well”
 
The 100 back also had a similar outcome to Hayes’s performance in the 200 free as Mosley finished with the second fastest time in the event (49.18) but his preliminary race time kept him from competing in the A-final.
 
The men’s diving events this season continue to be a duel between teammates Terry Horner and Landon Marzullo. This latest round went to Marzullo as he beat out Horner in the one-meter diving final by a score of 404.80 to 374.55.
 
The Seminole’s freshman class has continues to impress this season with stronger performances each race.
 
“The freshmen women and men have stepped up all weekend,” Head Coach Neil Harper boasted, “with Kristine Polley winning the 100 breast and Mosely, Cox and Nguyen’s top ten finishes in the 100 fly.  Logan’s 100 back was a bright spot as well. Everyone is having a good time and swimming well”
 
In the final event of the day the men earned a second place, B-cut time in the 800 free relay.  Hayes, James Taddeo, Tyler Reed and Ian Rowe teamed up to earn a time of 6:42.39.
 
Heading into the final day of the meet the women hold a 54.5 point lead over second place Florida, while the men extended their lead over second place Florida to 153 points.


GEORGIA TECH

After two full days of competition at the 2009 Georgia Tech
Invitational, both the Yellow Jacket men's and women's swimming  &
diving teams remained in fourth place overall, as the men's squad has
308 points  while the women have 209.5 points.

Overall, Florida State remained in first place on both the men's and
women's sides. The Seminole men have 696 points, while the women's squad
has 654.5 points.

Things started off on the night with the women’s 200-medley relay, as
the team of Heidi Hatteberg, Christine Chuang, Lisa Pucci and Agatha
Kwasnik finished sixth in a time of 1:44.74 to earn the Yellow Jackets
26 points. In the men’s 200-medley relay, Matt Tang, Jeremy Jackson,
Eric Chiu and Nigel Plummer finished third after hitting the wall in
1:30.93. The effort earned the Yellow Jacket men’s squad 32 points.

Next up in the men’s 400-IM, junior Kevin Morgan earned Tech nine
points with a ninth place finish after hitting the wall in 4:07.90. Next
in the women’s 100-fly, Christine Chuang finished in a tie for seventh
with a time of 56.11 to earn 11.5 points for the Yellow Jackets. Jordan
Evans finished 13th in the event after hitting the wall in 56.43 to earn
four points, while Erin O’Donnell finished 14th in 56.58 to pick up
three points.

In the men’s 100-fly finals, Chiu was Tech’s top finisher in
seventh after hitting the wall in 49.84 to earn Georgia Tech 12 points.
Tang finished in 50.50 to finish in a tie for 11th and earn 5.5 points,
while Travis Wagner finished 15th in 50.72 to earn two points.

Next in the women’s 200-free, Kwasnik finished third in 1:49.72 to
earn the Yellow Jackets 16 points, while teammate Keren Siebner finished
right behind Kwasnik in fourth after hitting the wall in 1:50.30 to earn
15 points. Sophomore Sarah Broadley earned the Jackets 11 points with an
eighth place finish in a time of 1:51.59 as well.

In the women’s 100-breast, Lisa Pucci was the Yellow Jackets’ top
finisher placing in seventh in a time of 1:05.64 to earn the women’s
team 12 points, while Morgan Trickett hit the wall in 1:06.51 to finish
13th and garner four points. In the men’s 100-breast, Matthew Vaughan
hit the wall in 56.71 to finish fifth overall and earn 14 points. Jeremy
Jackson finished right behind Vaughan in the event, placing in a tie for
sixth in 57.03 to pick up 12.5 points for Tech.

Next in the 100-back, Kwasnik hit the wall in 56.94 to finish ninth and
earn nine points, while Hatteberg finished in 57.44 to place 10th and
earn seven points. On the men’s side, Ilia Ayzenshtok finished in
sixth place after hitting the wall in 50.09 to earn the Jackets 13
points. Tang finished ninth in 51.19 to earn nine points.

In the women’s three-meter springboard dive, junior Michele Bertolino
was Tech’s high finisher in eighth position with a 252.85 performance
in the finals to earn the Jackets 11 points.    Meanwhile, in the
men’s one-meter springboard dive, freshman Brandon Makinson
finished fifth to earn the Jacket 14 points after posting a 312.50
effort in the finals.

The final two events of the evening were the women’s and men’s
800-medley relay. On the women’s side, the team of Lexi Weber,
Broadley, Siebner and Kwasnik registered a third place finish after
hitting the wall in 7:27.43 to earn 32 points for the Yellow Jackets. On
the men’s side, the team of Ralph Long, Gal Nevo, Tang and Wagner
finished fifth in 6:48.73 to earn 28 points for the Jackets.

The Georgia Tech Invitational concludes tomorrow at the Aquatic Center
with preliminaries getting underway at 9 a.m., and  finals starting at 3
p.m. Fans are reminded that live stats will be available  at
http://ramblinwreck.cstv.com/livestats/c-swim/.


N.C. STATE

Anna Linkenauger hit an NCAA “B Cut” qualifier and the NC
State  women’s swimming team posted five top-10 all-time marks as action
continued on day two of the Georgia Tech Invitational.

Both the men’s (236 points) and women’s (237 points) squads remain in
fifth-place overall.

Morgan Robertson, Linkenauger, Patrice Dason and Ashley Richter used a
1:44.58 for fifth-place in the 200-medley relay to get the night
started. Linkenauger then hit a “B Cut” for second overall in the 400 IM
with a 4:19.14, while Jen Kopenitz (4:22.79), Maresa Like-Mathews
(4:25.35), Sarah Merritt (4:28.39), Jessica McBroom (4:28.98), Jessica
Ward (4:32.31) and Christina McCann (4:36.55) also competed.
Like-Mathews time marks the ninth-fastest in school history.

Dason swam a 55.50 in the 100 butterfly prelims, while Meg Thompson
(57.14) and Alli Hagan (57.60) also contributed. Marifrances Henley
(1:50.95), Richter (1:51.37), Brianna Grover (1:53.79), Allison Hendren
(1:52.92) and Erica Waters (1:54.45) all took part in the 200 freestyle.
Linkenauger then recorded the third-fastest time in school history in
the 100 breaststroke with a 1:04.34, while Tracy Rorer’s 1:04.98 is
ninth-fastest all time.

Robertson’s 56.41 in the 100 backstroke prelims is the third-fastest
Wolfpack swim in school history, while Jen Kopenitz’s 57.39 is the
eighth-fastest. Henley, Hendren, Richter and Grover closed things out
with a 7:34.63 in the 800-freestyle relay.

Gaites Brown, Dan Forsythe, Mike Seiferth and Conor Brennan placed fifth
in the 200-medley relay with a 1:33.11, while Kevin Woodhull-Smith took
eighth in the 400 IM finals after swimming a 4:04:33 in the prelims.
Daniel Basler finished 13th in the 100 butterfly with a 50.59, while
Sean Reams (50.48) and Seiferth (50.94) also competed.

Mason McGee (1:38.74), Brown (1:41.04), Brennan (1:42.29), Nick Britts
(1:43.33) and Andrew Keenan (1:44.44) all took part in the 200
freestyle, as Forsythe (56.64) and Baskwell (58.55) took fourth and
ninth respectively in the 100 breaststroke.

Mechak (51.50), Brown (51.43) and Basler (53.01) had solid showings in
the 100 backstroke, and Woodhull-Smith, Mechak, Brittis and McGee placed
third in the 800-freestyle relay with a 6:43.95.