Dec. 5, 2008
ATLANTA - The Auburn men and women's swimming teams picked up two national championships along with 21 NCAA cut times during the second day of competition at the 2008 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming Short Course National Championships in Atlanta, Ga.
The Auburn swim teams left the day two competition in style. The women's swimming took control, gathering one national champion relay team, one NCAA automatic cut time, and 14 provisional cut times by the end of the night. The men's team ended the night with a national champion relay team and six B cuts.
The Auburn women's team had several swimmers to post multiple cuts for NCAAs.
In the final women's event of the night, the Tigers won the national title in the 800 free relay. The team was composed of Ava Ohlgren, Maggie Bird, Melissa Marik, and Caitlin Geary and recorded a meet-record time of 7:05.80. The other women's relay team of Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, Julianne McClane, Emile Ewing and Chelsea Haser swam a third-place time of 7:11.49. Both teams logged B cuts for the NCAAs.
Giving the Auburn swim teams their first A cut of the season was junior Ohlgren. She took second place in the 400 individual medley as she finished with a time of 4:06.80. The A cut gives Ohlgren an automatic spot in the NCAA Championships in March.
Junior and Olympian Alana Dillette swam a time of 53.86 seconds in the 100 butterfly in the A-final. However, Ohlgren placed first in the B-final with 53.23 seconds. Both Dillette and Ohlgren posted B cut times during the race.
Placing third in the 200 medley relay, Rachel Goh, Micah Lawrence, Dillette and Marik touched the wall in 1:40.01, a time that gives the relay team a B cut for NCAAs.
In the 200 free, the Auburn women posted three B cuts. In the A-final, it was Geary coming in at 1:46.30, who was followed in the B-final by Marik swimming a time of 1:45.88. The third B cut in the race came from Bird after she swam a 1:47.02.
Lawrence found her second B cut of the night after swimming a time of 1:01.88 in the 100 breaststroke.
The Auburn women logged four B cuts in the 100 backstroke. Leading the Tigers in the race was Margo McCawley, finishing in 53.29 seconds. Also posting B cuts in the race was McClane in 54.39, Marik in 54.51, and Ewing in 54.78 seconds.
The men started the night off on a high note, becoming national champions in the 200 medley relay. Kohlton Norys, Michael Silva, Matt Targett and Gideon Louw finished the race in 1:26.91. The time set a new championship record and also met the NCAA B standard. Targett, Louw, Norys and Silva would all end the night with two B cuts times each.
Following the national championship relay team, Andrew Mitchell posted a time of 3:52.65 in the 400 IM, which gives him another B cut for the weekend.
In the 100 butterfly, Olympian Alexei Puninski took a fourth-place finish as he touched the wall in 46.40 seconds. Following the Olympian was Jordan Anderson, who won the B-final with a time of 46.99 seconds, which met the B cut time.
The men's 100 breaststroke was home to former Auburn swimmers and 2008 Olympians Mark Gangloff and Eric Shanteau, as the pair finished in second and third place, respectively. Gangloff swam a time of 52.13 and was followed by Shanteau, coming to the wall in 53.07. Swimming for Auburn in the race was Silva, who posted another B cut as he finished in 54.59.
Norys logged his second B cut of the evening in the 100 backstroke. He finished the race in 47.10, more than one second ahead of NCAA B standard times.
Ending the night for Auburn was the 800 free relay. The men swam a time of 6:27.07 and recorded another B time for the Tigers. On the relay team was William Dove, Targett, Louw and Tyler McGill.
Dove and Louw competed in the 200 free, recording times of 1:38.12 and 1:39.80, respectively.
The Tigers will wrap up the championship meet tomorrow, with prelims beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET and finals taking place at 6:00 p.m. ET. Tomorrow's races will include the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and the 400 free relay.