Alabama
The Alabama Swimming and Diving Team had another silver medal finish at the Southeastern Conference Championships being held at the Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga. this week.
Senior diver Aaron Fleshner took second off the platform with 394.80 points. The Spring, Texas native won the three-meter board earlier in the week and finished fourth off the one-meter board. Junior Aaron Booher also scored in the championship final, taking seventh with 297.55 points. Like Fleshner, Booher also finished in the top-8 in all three diving events, taking second off the one-meter and fourth off the three-meter.
After three days, the Tide men are in fifth place with 246 points. Auburn leads the men’s meet with 557 with Florida just 13 points back going into the final day. The Tide women are currently in sixth place with 191 points while Georgia leads the team race with 555.5 points.
Junior Kate Shannon Gray shaved two seconds off her career best in the 400 IM, posting a 4:12.10 to finish sixth overall. Senior Agustina de Giovanni, who has been battling stomach flu all week, was ninth in the preliminaries of the 100 breaststroke with a 1:01.87 before finishing 16th in finals.
Senior Riley Boulden won the consolation finals of the 100 breaststroke, taking ninth overall , with a career-best time of 54.01 which moves him to fifth all-time for the Tide. In the 100 butterfly, freshman Anestis Arampatzis and junior Denes Zubcsek finished 14th and 16th respectively. Arampatzis finished with a 47.83 which ranks him fifth all-time for the Tide, while Zubcsek clocked a 48.14. In the 100 backstroke, junior Alan Axford finished 16th with a 49.69.
Arkansas
Arkansas senior Yi-Ting Siow finished third in the 400-yard individual medley, automatically qualifying for the NCAA championships and recording one of the Razorbacks' four school-record times Friday at the Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships inside the University of Georgia’s Gabrielsen Natatorium.
“We had a phenomenal day today,” Arkansas coach Jeff Poppell said. “Probably one of the best days at an SEC meet we have had in the last four years. We can’t swim any better and we gave ourselves a shot going into the last day to do something great. I know we are sitting in eighth right now but we are only about 55 points out of fifth place and this is our best day of the meet coming up tomorrow. We are going to come in tomorrow and see how much ground we can make up and try to climb back into the top five, that is our goal.”
Siow's school-record time of 4 minutes, 7.29 seconds in the 400y individual medley finals beat the previous school-best mark set by Katie Kastes at last year’s NCAA championships. The time also represented a personal best by almost five seconds.
“It was just a phenomenal swim,” Poppell said. “A very gutsy swim by her on the outside lane in lane eight where she was the eighth seed and then finished third. I know that is going to give her a lot of confidence going into her best event tomorrow and we are going to see something special.”
Katie Whitbeck and Lynette Ng both set school records in the morning’s preliminary sessions. Whitbeck clocked in at 54.33 seconds in the 100y butterfly, breaking the previous school record of 54.80 that she set in November at the Purdue Invitational. Ng touched in at 55.26 in a qualifying heat of the 100y backstroke, breaking the previous school record of 55.55 that she claimed in 2008 at the Minnesota Grand Prix.
The 400y medley relay team of Haley Smith, Siow, Whitbeck and Megan Haskins finished seventh with a school-record time of 3:40.47. The quartet broke the previous school record of 3:42.69 set by Ng, Siow, Lisa Lunkenheimer and Whitbeck in November at the Purdue Invitational.
Heading into the final day of competition, the 20th-ranked Razorbacks are sitting in eighth with 149.5 points, after scoring 59.5 points Friday. Georgia leads the field with 555.5 points, followed by Florida in second with 466.
Whitbeck touched in at 54.85 to finish 14th in the consolation final of the 100y butterfly. She finished her night with a 15th-place finish in the 200y freestyle consolation final with a time of 1:49.05. Her best mark of the day came in the morning when she touched in at 1:48.68, just two tenths of a second off her career best.
Junior Jamie Marks picked up a 10th-place finish with a time of 4.12.60 in the consolation final of the 400y IM, which is her fastest this season.
In their final SEC championship meet with the Razorbacks, seniors Leah Pierce and Ng each posted top 16 finishes. Pierce placed 11th in the consolation final of the 100y breaststroke with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 1:01.99. Ng touched in with her own NCAA “B” cut time of 55.46 to finish tied for 15th.
In the preliminaries of the 400y IM, sophomore Jillienne Schilling posted a NCAA “B” cut time with a personal-best mark of 4:19.17.
Other personal bests on the day included Erica Totten (4.21.13) and Ashley Largo (4:25.22) in the 400y IM prelims and Smith (55.75) and Dannica Brennan (56.84) in the 100y backstroke. Sigrun Sverristoddir (1:50.33), Chelsea Franklin (1:50.39) and Alison Templin (1:51.06) all set personal-bests times in the preliminary race of the 200y freestyle.
In other 100y butterfly action, Lunkenheimer posted a career-best time of 55.04, as did Ng with a time of 56.33.
Auburn
The Auburn men’s swimming and diving team is in first place, while the women are third after the third day of the 2010 SEC Championships at the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the campus of the University of Georgia. The men captured three individual events and one
relay on Friday, while the women took home two individual titles and one relay.
Auburn’s evening was highlighted by the men capturing four of the top five spots in the 100 breaststroke, Kelly Marx’s victory in men’s platform diving, Pascal Wollach’s win in the 100 back and Micah Lawrence’s school and SEC record in the women’s 100 breaststroke.
“It was a great day for Auburn swimming and we fought like a true Auburn team,” head coach Brett Hawke said. “Nothing is better than having your team dedicated to committing a task and going out there and accomplishing it. When that hard work pays off, it’s an amazing feeling.”
The men’s dominance in the 100 breast was keyed by junior Adam Klein’s first-ever SEC title, as he won in a NCAA “A” cut time of 52.78. With the victory, Auburn has won two of the last three 100 breast titles.
“Coming into the race, I knew I had to take it out quick,” Klein said. “Michael (Silva) is really good in the first 50 and my strength is in the last 50. I knew that the race was going to be between me and him and I’m so happy with how we finished.”
Coming in just .19 seconds in second was senior Michael Silva in a time of 52.97. Freshman Stuart Ferguson touched fourth with a “B” time of 53.64, while sophomore Chris Fox was fifth in 53.78.
“We knew we had to score a lot of points for the team and needed the points bad,” Silva said. “Working with these four guys all year long, I knew we had it in us to do something special tonight. Going 1-2 with me and Adam means a whole lot.”
The men continued to be a dominant force as the night went on, having four in the 100 back championship final. Wollach, a senior on the squad, came away with his second-consecutive conference title in an “A” time of 45.69. Auburn has won the event six of the last seven years.
“It’s a great feeling to win two years in a row,” Wollach said. “Swimming my time and going faster than I was at SECs last year just proved that I can do it. I know I can go faster in a month at NCAAs and I’m anxious for that.”
Juniors Jared White and Kohlton Norys finished fourth (47.12) and fifth (47.25), respectively. Senior Jordan Anderson rounded out the championship final with an eighth-place finish in 48.30.
Lawrence was the only finalist entering the 100 breast championship final to go under a minute in the preliminaries, finishing in 59.89. The Pflugerville, Texas, product came out blazing in the evening race as she set a new school and SEC record with a NCAA automatic qualifying time of 59.29 to capture her first-ever SEC individual title. The school-record broke a seven-year old mark previously held by Maggie Bowen.
“Before the race all I was thinking was that I knew I could be fast,” Lawrence said. “It’s such a great feeling to win a title for the team. There’s nothing like winning and I’m very excited to win my first ever conference title.”
Marx continued Auburn’s domination in the men’s platform as, claiming the school’s fourth consecutive SEC title in the event. The 2008 SEC 1-meter champion, Marx recorded his career-best mark on platform, winning with a score of 446.60.
“The platform as been such a tradition here at Auburn and for me to carry on the legacy, I couldn’t be more proud,” Marx said. “Jeff (Shaffer) is one of the best tower coaches in the nation and he had full trust in me. I went up there and stayed consistent and it ended up great.”
Auburn swept the men’s and women’s 400 medley relay in the evening’s final event, as the women touched home in an NCAA automatic time of 3:31.83, while the men won with a “A” cut time of 3:07.01. The foursome of Melissa Marik, Lawrence, Ava Ohlgren and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace gave the women their fifth-consecutive SEC title in the event. The men, who also won their fifth-consecutive conference title, saw Wollach give Auburn the lead after the opening leg, before turning it over to Klein, Tyler McGill, and Adam Brown.
“Right before the race, Paul (Yetter) pulled us aside and told us what we needed to do to win,” Ohlgren said. “We had a plan, stuck to it and it was awesome to come out on top.”
“It’s a real tight meet and we were only up seven points going into the relay,” McGill said. “It was huge for us to come out on top in terms of the team standings. It’s going to be a tough battle tomorrow. Winning this tonight is going to give us great momentum heading into tomorrow. These guys like to fight and I can’t wait for tomorrow to see what happens.”
Representing the Tigers in the women’s 100 butterfly final was sophomore sprinter Vanderpool-Wallace. Coming into the last turn, Vanderpool-Wallace was on her way to the women’s first swimming title of the meet as she finished in a NCAA “B” cut time of 52.55. The win was Auburn’s first in the event since the 2002 championships.
“I went into the race just hoping to get a personal-best time,” Vanderpool-Wallace said. “My goal was to move up to maybe third or fourth. Coming off that last wall, I saw I had the chance to win and I went for it.”
Senior captains Tyler McGill and Jordan Anderson represented the Tigers in the men’s 100 fly championship final, as the duo finished in second and fourth, respectively. McGill recorded a NCAA “A” cut time of 46.00, while Anderson finished in a “B” time of 46.43. Sophomore Adam Brown was 12th overall in the event with a time 47.33.
Marik, a senior from Naperville, Ill., put together a season-best swim in the 100 back to finish tied for third with a “B” time of 53.20.
Senior Ava Ohlgren opened the night competing in her fourth-consecutive 400 championship final. The captain finished fourth in a “B” cut time of 4:10.49. Ohlgren posted a season-best time of 4:09.35 in the prelims.
Freshman Katie Gardocki continues to be successful in her first conference championships, seeing her finish 13th overall in the 400 IM with a career-best time of 4:14.45.
Another freshman having an exceptional meet was Kyle Owens, who captured eighth in the 400 individual medley in a career-best time of 3:49.08. Classmate Chris Kramer and junior Robert Looney put in season-best times during the consolation finals, as Kramer took 13th (3:52.16) and Looney was 14th (3:53.79).
A trio of Tigers recorded season-best times in the 200 free consolation final. Senior Maggie Bird swam a “B” time of 1:47.35 to finish ninth, while sophomore Stephanie Horner was 10th (1:47.62) and freshman Becca Jones took 12th (1:47.88).
Senior Will Dove put in Auburn’s best time in the 200 free, finishing 13th in 1:37.05. Wollach was 14th in 1:37.66 and Gideon Louw was 16th in 1:38.77.
Team Scores:
Women: 1. Georgia - 555.5; 2. Florida - 466; 3. Auburn - 392; 4.
Tennessee - 321; 5. LSU - 205; 6. Alabama - 191; 7. Kentucky - 157; 8.
Arkansas - 149.5; 9. South Carolina - 128; 10. Vanderbilt - 56
Men: 1. Auburn - 557; 2. Florida - 544; 3. Georgia - 401; 4.
Tennessee - 315.5; 5. Alabama - 246; 6. Kentucky - 242; 7. LSU - 203.5;
8. South Carolina - 140.
Auburn Top Finishers - Women: 400 IM - 4. Ohlgren (4:10.49); 100 Fly -
1. Vanderpool-Wallace (52.55); 200 Free - 9. Bird (1:47.35); 100 Breast
- 1. Lawrence (59.29); 12. Macgregor (1:02.05); 100 Back - T3. Marik
(53.20); T15. Meissner (55.46); 400 Medley Relay - 1. Marik, Lawrence,
Ohlgren, Vanderpool-Wallace (3:31.83).
Men: 400 IM - 8. Owens (3:49.08); 100 Fly - 2. McGill (46.00); 200 Free
- 13. Dove (1:37.05); 100 Breast - 1. Klein (52.78); 2. Silva (52.97);
4. Ferguson (53.64); 5. Fox (53.78); 100 Back - 1. Wollach (45.69); 4.
White (47.12); 5. Norys (47.25); 8. Anderson (48.30); 14. Krug (49.11);
Platform - 1. Marx (446.60); 5. Ellis (332.15); 400 Medley Relay - 1.
Wollach, Klein, McGill, Brown (3:07.01).
Florida
Four SEC titles for the Gators on the third day of SEC Championship competition, including two each for the men’s and women’s squads, highlighted a successful day of swimming and diving in Athens Friday as both Florida teams maintained their second-place standing. In the men’s race, Florida (544) trails Auburn (557) by 13 points, with
Georgia rounding out the top three (401). In the women’s field, Georgia leads the way (555.5) in first, UF’s women are secure in second (466) and Auburn stands in third (392) heading into the fourth and final day of competition at the Gabrielsen Natatorium on the UGA campus.
Through the first three days of the league championship meet, Florida has racked up 10 conference titles, one SEC record, three Florida records and has posted NCAA automatic marks in 12 races.
“We had a fantastic day of swimming and diving on both sides today,” head coach Gregg Troy said. “On the women’s side we were great and I was really impressed with the swims by Shara Stafford, Gemma Spofforth and Teresa Crippen. Teresa really started the night out good for us and gave us a little momentum – overall, very pleased. On the men’s side, I thought our divers did a fantastic job of breaking up Auburn’s scoring in the platform. Our swims tonight were great and we really gave ourselves a chance to stay in the race and get back in it tomorrow. We wish the 400 IM would have been a little stronger, but we swim in a tough conference. Lastly, our final men’s relay did fantastic because with a few guys banged up, we made some last-minute adjustments and had a makeshift team that did great.”
UF sophomore Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) started the night off right for the Gators, swimming to her first career SEC title in a 400-yard individual medley race that came down to the last 15 yards with Georgia’s Jana Mangimelli. Crippen clocked a NCAA automatic mark of 4:05.07 for the win to clinch the first 400 IM title for the Gators
since 1996 when Jennifer Hommert won the event.
“It was really exciting to win my first SEC Championship,” Crippen said. “We’ve worked so hard all year for SECs and now that it’s finally here and that race is done, it’s exciting. It’s also special because this is the pool where my older sister (Maddy Crippen) won her NCAA Championship Title in the 400 IM. I know that I have some things to improve upon for next year, but this was awesome.”
Junior Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) and senior Shaune Fraser (George Town, Grand Cayman) both won their second SEC Championship titles of the 2010 campaign on the third day of competition by swimming the fastest times in the nation in their respective events to automatically qualify for the 2010 NCAA Championships at the end of March.
Fraser, who won the 200 IM for the Gators Thursday, clocked a 45.82 in finals of the 100-yard butterfly to become the first Gator to earn an SEC title in the event since Ryan Lochte did so in 2006. Fraser additionally took down Lochte’s Florida record, a 46.02 set at the 2006 SEC meet, to reel in his seventh career title donning the Orange and
Blue. The victory in the 100 fly allowed the Gators to momentarily pull ahead of Auburn, 367-346.
“Going into the race, I knew it was going to be a close one, so I tried to swim tonight’s race a little bit smarter than this morning,” Fraser said. “We were in a little bit of a hole in prelims and weren’t as excited as we should have been, but I think going out there and getting a win was a big boost for us. We still have one more day of racing and we have to come back tomorrow and have it be our best day yet.”
After winning the 500 free Thursday, Dwyer took the 20title in the next men’s event in 1:33.33, a race Fraser won a year ago. Dwyer’s NCAA automatic mark was the fastest in the nation as he became the first Gator to win both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events since Mike Heath did so in 1983. The last time Florida took both the 200 and
500 free titles was 1996 when Michael Kiedel won the 500 free and Chris Counts won the 200 free.
“It was exciting to be competing for my second SEC title in this meet and it was a good swim,” Dwyer said. “But the thing is – I’m doing it for the team and to contribute to Florida’s efforts. Every time I get in the pool, I just focus on going out there and racing hard for the Gators.”
Individually, the Gators continued to roll as senior Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England) won her third consecutive 100-yard backstroke title with a 50.91 race. Spofforth became the first Gator to win three consecutive 100 back races since Kristen Linehan did so in 1989, 1990 and 1991, while becoming the third swimmer in SEC history to win three straight joining Kristen Linehan, UF: 1989-91 and Courtney Shealy, UGA; 1998-00.
“I am so glad to be able to win this race again this year,” Spofforth said. “I was holding myself to high standards and didn’t expect anything less. I’ve swum the 100 back so many times and have so much experience in it, I know how to smartly swim the race. Now, I’m just looking forward to tomorrow’s 200 back race.”
While Florida dominated in the pool, the efforts were duplicated Friday in the men’s diving competition, as both Florida student-athletes, Colin Bell (Coral Springs, Fla.) and Anthony Lewark (Davie, Fla.) returned to the championship finals of the platform. The sophomore duo recorded career-bests in preliminaries and returned in evening finals, where Lewark took fourth (349.05) and Bell placed sixth (325.80) overall in the field.
The Gators’ 400-yard medley relays closed the night out with second and third-place finishes for the men’s and women’s teams, respectively.
Kentucky
In practice, Michael Muscari took a few wipeouts. But when it counted, the Morristown, Tenn., native nailed the dive and took home a third place finish in the last event of his career as an SEC diver—the platform.
Muscari captured a bronze medal with a career-best 359.90 mark.
“Honestly, I am ecstatic,” Muscari said. “Before that last dive I was extremely nervous, but I told myself that I was just going to go for it. I was so blessed that I landed it like I did”
“Michael Muscari was phenomenal today,” diving coach Dave Parrington said. “His last dive was very difficult and it’s been tough in practice but he pulled it off the best he has ever done.”
Tennessee entered the third day of competition at the SEC championships with a slate of events that showcased its strengths. The Vols took advantage moving up one spot to fourth in the standings.
“After a very slow start, this young team is showing signs of understanding what the SEC championships are all about—racing,” head coach John Trembley said. “We had a great day of digging deep and competing with heart.”
Junior Brad Craig raced to a bronze finish in the 100 breaststroke behind a career-best 53.13 mark. Mattias Kahlin placed eighth in the final with a 54.72 time.
Ricky Henahan earned the Vols’ third bronze finish on the day in the 100 backstroke behind a 46.70 mark.
In the final event of day three, Tennessee made it to the podium for the fourth time in the 400 medley relay. Henahan, Craig, Michael DeRocco and Ryan Harrison swam to a close third-place finish with a 3:09.17 B-cut time.
Heading into day four, Auburn leads the field with 557 points. Florida is in second (544); Georgia is third (401); Tennessee is fourth (315.5) and fifth through eighth belongs to Alabama (246), Kentucky (242), LSU (203.5) and South Carolina (140), respectively.
“It was good to see this group gel and stand tall today,” Trembley said. “We have more to do tomorrow.”
Other Vols scoring on day three included junior Patrick Beasley in the 400 I.M. Beasley finished 16th at 3:55.41.
DeRocco took fifth in the 100 butterfly with a 46.60 time. Freshman Giles Smith won the consolation final in impressive style with a 47.06 mark.
Harrison scored at fifth place in the 200 freestyle at 1:35.38. That mark is his career-best and an NCAA B-cut.
In the 100 backstroke, sophomore Anders Storvik took 13th place with a B-cut 48.96 time.
Sophomore Ryan Helms took eighth place at 296.15 while freshman Jordan Mauney placed 10th in the platform diving event with a 292.35 score. Knoxville, Tenn., native Sean Letsinger scored in 13th with a career-best 275.25.
LSU
Lady Tiger swimmer Jane Trepp shattered two more of her own program records, and five athletes reached championship finals to lead LSU on Friday at the 2010 SEC Championships in Athens, Ga.
The Lady Tigers also moved past Alabama for fifth in the women’s standings (205 points) with one day remaining. The Tigers are currently seventh with 203.5 points.
Trepp qualified for her second and third championship finals of the competition with school-record and NCAA provisional qualifying marks in the prelims of the 100-yard butterfly and 100 breast. The junior recorded a clocking of 52.73 seconds to emerge as the top qualifier in the prelims of the 100 fly before taking fifth overall in the finals (53.00). She also broke her previous school mark in the prelims of the 100 breast (1:00.91) and claimed seventh in the finals.
Juniors James Meyers and Hannes Heyl, sophomore Mary Beck and freshman Andrei Tuomola also reached championship finals. Meyers and Heyl were sixth and seventh, respectively, in the 100 back with ‘B’ cuts of 47.61 and 48.22. Furthermore, Heyl swam to an 11th-place finish in the 100 butterfly (47.29).
Beck had her best day of the meet thus far with a seventh-place finish in the 100 back. The Austin, Texas, native reached the wall in 53.73, her fastest mark as a Lady Tiger. Tuomola was one of two freshmen to earn a spot in the ‘A’ final of the men’s 100 breast after registering the fourth-best mark in school history in the prelims, 53.93. The Finnish product finished sixth with a 54.17 mark.
In relay competition, the Lady Tigers’ 400 medley foursome of Beck, Kannon Betzen, Trepp and Amanda Kendall secured fifth with a season best and provisional mark of 3:39.46. The men’s 400 medley group of Meyers, Tuomola, Heyl and Sean LeNeave closed out the evening session with a fifth-place finish and a provisional mark of 3:11.07.
“We had a great morning with numerous athletes qualifying for finals, and I’m proud of my teams for continuing to fight tonight,” LSU head coach Adam Schmitt said. “The women moved up today and are sitting in fifth currently. With one day left, I’m hoping we come into tomorrow’s session with the right mindset and finish strong.”
Sophomore Morgan McGee reached a pair of consolation finals on Day 3 as the in-state product from Shreveport delivered a 12th-place finish in the 100 back (54.80) and a 16th-place finish in the 100 fly (55.29). She also recorded a personal best and ‘B’ cut mark of 54.44 in the prelims of the 100 fly.
Junior Clint Hallum moved into second-place all-time in program annals in the 400 individual medley with his personal best and provisional mark of 3:50.44 to capture 10th overall, while Betzen seized 14th in the women’s 100 breast with a ‘B’ cut of 1:02.50.
Senior Lauren Grandy swam to an 11th-place finish in the 200 free with a personal best and ‘B’ cut of 1:47.78. Kendall followed in 14th with a top time and provisional mark of 1:48.25.
In diving, sophomore Brian Gemberling tallied a career-high 281.15 points in the platform competition to earn 11th. Freshman Jesse Lyman was 15th with a 233.25 score.
Moreover, freshman Kaelee Mader earned a spot in the consolation final of the 400 I.M. with the fourth-fastest mark in school history, 4:18.54. She placed 16th overall with a 4:21.99 clocking. Junior Luis Gonzalez posted a 17th-place finish in the 400 I.M. with a season best and ‘B’ cut mark of 3:56.09.
Several athletes posted personal bests with solid swims in the prelims, including sophomore Simon Diefenthal, junior Ali Sanford and freshman Sally Wood.
South Carolina
Highlighted by strong swims from Bobby Cave and Claire Thompson, South Carolina concluded its third day at the 2010 SEC Swimming & Diving Championships on Friday at the University of Georgia's Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Cave, a freshman from England, took a second-place finish in the consolation final of the men's 100-yard breaststroke to earn seven points for the Gamecocks' team effort. His time of 55.04, while slower than his preliminary time of 54.88, outpaced all but one
competitor in the field.
Thompson scored in the 200-yard freestyle for the third straight year, placing 14th with a time of 1:48.92 to earn three points for South Carolina. The junior from Largo, Fla., lowered her NCAA provisional qualifying time from Friday morning and gave South Carolina its fifth individual scoring event in these championships.
In the relays, the Gamecock men's team of Dominique Lendjel, Bobby Cave, Isaac Badillo and David Livsey posted a time of 3:17.71, finishing eighth and barely missing an NCAA 'B' cut (3:17.63). It was, however, the ninth-fastest time in school history. For the women, it was Megan Sparks, Aileen Atzhorn, Meghan Brockington and Sharntelle McLean finishing ninth with a time of 3:47.31, lowering their season-best by five seconds.
South Carolina currently stands eighth in the men's competition with 140 points while the Gamecock women are ninth at 128 points. Auburn is still in command of its quest for its 14th straight SEC men's title, but holds a relatively slim 557-544 lead over Florida
heading into the final day of competition. On the women's side, host Georgia is pulling away with 555.5 points while Florida is second at 466.
Tennessee Women
A pair of runner-up performances from senior Alex Barsanti and sophomore Jenny Connolly, as well as a school-record-breaking swim from junior Aleksa Akerfelds, highlighted the third day of competition for the 13th-ranked Tennessee women’s swimming and diving team at the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday night.
Barsanti took runner-up honors with a career-best and NCAA A-cut performance of 59.97 at the Gabrielsen Natatorium. Her swim led a 2-3-4 finish for the Lady Vols in the event. Freshman Breanna Folk earned a bronze medal, and her first trip to the podium at the SEC meet with a third-place finish in 1:00.30, while Jamie Saffer took fourth in 1:00.36. Junior Martina Moravcikova added a sixth-place finish with a time of 1:00.91, as UT proved it had the most dominant breaststroke corps in the conference.
Connolly repeated as the silver medalist in the 100y back, touching the wall in 52.24, less than half a second behind three-time conference champion Gemma Spofforth (50.91), of Florida. Connolly recorded a season-best and NCAA A-cut performance of 52.10 to enter the finals as the No. 1 qualifier in the event.
Akerfelds kicked off Friday night’s finals session by breaking her own UT record in the 400y IM, placing seventh in the event with a readout of 4:12.86. Her performance is an NCAA B-cut and breaks her old record of 4:13.12 set at the 2008 conference meet.
“It was a great session for us,” Lady Vol head coach Matt Kredich said. “I thought we competed well all night. I thought Jenny did a great job of coming back in the 100 back after making a few mistakes in the 100 fly. The breaststrokers were phenomenal. They all did a great job. Aleksa breaking her school record was really exciting.
“I’m just really impressed with our team’s resilience. There hasn’t been a meet without disappoints but they just keep fighting and bouncing back. All in all it was great evening for us.”
The Lady Vols remain in fourth place with 321 points. No. 1 Georgia, the meet host, will take a comfortable lead into Saturday’s final two sessions, as the Bulldogs have tallied 555 points. No. 6 Florida (466) and No. 8 Auburn (392) are in second and third, respectively. No. 25 LSU (205) sits in fifth and Alabama is sixth (191).
The times by Folk and Moravcikova in the 100y breast were career-bests, while Saffer’s mark was a season-best. All three marks were B-cuts. Sophomore Samara Gelb also competed in the 100y breast consolation final, placing 13th overall with a season-best and B-cut time (1:02.09).
Auburn sophomore Micah Lawrence broke Saffer’s SEC Championships record (59.79) set last year en route to winning the event in 59.29.
Barsanti and Connolly capped the night by teaming with senior Michele King and freshman Kelsey Floyd to take fourth in the 400y medley relay. The quartet’s time of 3:34.40 is a B-cut and the second fastest readout ever recorded by the Lady Vols.
Connolly also competed in the 100y fly and came into the final as the No. 2 seed after clocking a career-best readout of 52.76 in the prelims. She finished seventh in a top-to-bottom close final, however, with a mark of 53.09. She bounced back about an hour later to earn her second straight runner-up in the 100y back.
Floyd won the consolation final in the 100y fly to place ninth in the event with a season-best time of 53.28. Classmate Brooke Watson wasn’t far behind, finishing 12th with a time of 54.48. All three Lady Vol marks were B-cuts.
Juniors Morgan Farrell and Tricia Weaner swept the first two spots in the 100y back ‘B’ final, placing ninth and 10th, overall. Farrell’s time of 54.16 and Weaner’s 54.21 clocking are both season-bests and B-cuts.
Auburn’s Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace captured the 100y fly crown, touching the wall in 52.55, while Florida’s Teresa Crippen took the gold in the 400y IM with a time of 4:05.07.
The Tigers cruised to victory in the 400y medley relay with a 3:31.83 performance.
Diefenthal finished just outside the top 16 with a top time of 49.28 in the 100 back, seventh all-time at LSU, to take 17th. Sanford emerged with a lifetime best of 54.92 in the 100 fly, eighth in program history, to place 18th. Wood came in 21st with her personal best of 4:20.08 and moved into fifth in school annals.
