March 26, 2007
AUBURN, Ala. - Several current and former members of the Auburn men's and women's swimming teams are off to fast starts at the 2007 FINA World Championships, being held in Melbourne, Australia.
Kirsty Coventry, a 24-time All-American at Auburn from 2002-05, finished second in the finals of the women's 200-meter IM Monday, clocking a time of 2:10.76. Coventry also swam in the prelims of the 100m back, finishing second with a time of 1:00.57 to advance to the semifinals. Her time of 1:01.73 in the semis ranked 14th and did not advance her to the finals.
Hayley Peirsol, who won her second straight NCAA title in the 1650 free during the women's 2007 NCAA Championships, posted the fastest time in the 1500m free during Monday's prelims session. Peirsol, who had a time of 16:02.82 in the prelims, will be the top seed during Tuesday evening's finals.
Rising junior Jakob Andkjaer, who earned seven All-American honors at the 2007 NCAA Championships, finished third in the finals of the men's 50m fly Monday. After sneaking into the finals with a time of 23.99 that tied for eighth in the semifinals, Andkjaer improved to 23.56 in the finals to earn the bronze medal.
Cesar Cielo, who earned 2007 NCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year honors for Auburn, helped the Brazil 4x100m relay team finish in eighth place. Cielo swam the leadoff leg in both the prelims and finals. His split of 48.63 in the finals was the third-fastest opening leg in the field, as his team finished with a mark of 3:17.03.
A pair of former swimmers also competed in the prelims at the World Championships, but did not advance. Fred Bousquet was 11th in the prelims of the 50m fly, and although his time of 24.00 qualified him for the semifinals, he did not compete. In the women's 100m back, Erin Volcan placed 35th in the prelims with a time of 1:03.85.
Competition at the FINA World Championships continues through April 1.