March 26, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Auburn men's swimming and diving team concluded the first day of the 2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday, finishing the night in fourth with 114.5 points. The three-day meet is being held at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of Ohio State University.
The Texas Longhorns closed out the evening in first with 145 points, while California stands in second with 139 points. Rounding out the top five is Florida (118), Auburn (114.5) and Stanford (106).
"It was a great team effort and I'm really proud of the way they fought," head coach Brett Hawke said. "Everybody stepped up and moved forward tonight and did what they needed to do. Tomorrow is a crucial morning for us. We need to bring our A game and compete."
Entering the evening as the third-fastest squad, the 200 free relay team of Adam Brown, Tyler McGill, Michael Silva and Gideon Louw jumped up a spot to finish second in a season-best time of 1:16.01. The Tigers have finished either first or second in the event for seven-straight years.
Auburn sprinters scored much-needed points, tallying 35 points in the 50 free. Sophomore Adam Brown led the group with a third-place finish in a career-best 19.03, while Louw swam a season-best time of 19.14 to take fifth. Competing in his first NCAA final was sophomore Karl Krug, who came in 12th in 19.64.
For the second-consecutive year, senior Tyler McGill put up points for Auburn in the 200 IM. The Champaign, Ill., product took 11th with a time of 1:44.43. His time of 1:44.40 in the preliminaries was a season-best.
Senior Kelly Marx continues to be a solid performer for Auburn, scoring points in the 1-meter springboard for his fourth-straight year. The Overland Park, Kan., native advanced to the consolation finals and finished 11th overall with 369.80 points.
"It was a very tough contest with more depth this year than last year," head diving coach Jeff Shaffer said. "Kelly stepped up in the consolation, moved up in two places and improved his score."
The Auburn 400 medley relay closed out the meet with a solid finish, taking second overall. The team of Pascal Wollach, Adam Klein, McGill and Louw finished in a season-best time of 3:05.24.
Day two starts Saturday with preliminaries set for 12 p.m. with the 200 medley relay. The 400 IM follows with the 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 800 free relay and 3-meter diving. Live results are available at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com
Auburn Swimming and Diving
2010 NCAA Championships - Day One Finals
Friday, March 26, 2010
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion; Columbus, Ohio
Top 10 Team Scores: 1. Texas - 145; 2. California - 139; 3. Florida - 118; 4. Auburn - 114.5; 5. Stanford - 106; 6. Arizona - 87; 7. Michigan - 77; 8. Virginia - 53; 9. Ohio State - 46.5; 10. Kentucky - 34.
Auburn Top Finishers: 200 Free Relay - 2. Brown, McGill, Silva, Louw (1:16.01); 200 IM - 11. McGill (1:44.43); 50 Free - 3. Brown (19.03); 5. Louw (19.14); 12. Krug (19.64); 400 Medley Relay - 2.Wollach, Klein, McGill, Louw (3:05.24);1-meter - 11. Marx (369.80).
Day One Notes & Quotes
-Ten student-athletes earned All-America honors after the first day of competition.
-The Auburn Tigers have recorded seven-straight years of finishing first or second in the 200 free relay.
-Senior Tyler McGill picked up his second-consecutive 200 IM All-America Honorable Mention honor with an 11th-place finish.
-The Tigers have had swimmers in the championship final of the 50 free for the last 15 years.
-Auburn diver Kelly Marx has scored points on the 1-meter springboard all four years of his career.
Head Coach Brett Hawke
On the day overall
"It was a great team effort and I'm really proud of the way they fought. We are in a very similar position like last year. Everybody stepped up and moved forward tonight and did what they needed to do. Tomorrow is a crucial morning for us. We need to bring our A game and compete."
Head Diving Coach Jeff Shaffer
On the day overall
"It was a very tough contest with more depth this year than last year. Kelly competed very well despite making a mistake on his fifth dive. He stepped up in the consolation, moved up in two places and improved his score. One-meter isn't our most competitive event so we have a lot of positive things to look forward to."
Auburn All-Americans - Day One
Jordan Anderson - 200 free relay
Adam Brown - 200 free relay, 50 free
Christopher Fox - 200 free relay
Karl Krug - 50 free honorable mention
Gideon Louw - 200 free relay, 50 free, 400 medley relay
Kelly Marx - 1-meter honorable mention
Tyler McGill - 200 free relay, 200 IM honorable mention, 400 medley relay
Kohlton Norys - 200 free relay
Michael Silva - 200 free relay
Pascal Wollach - 400 medley relay