Feb. 18, 2011
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Auburn swimming team concluded the third day of the 2011 SEC Swimming Championships Friday and came away with seven medals at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on the campus of the University of Florida.
Auburn men are first with 574 points, while the Florida men are in a tight second with 547 points. The Tennessee Volunteers close out the top three with 443.5 points.
On the women's side, Georgia is first with 515 points. Florida is second with 463 points and Auburn is in a close third with 425 points.
"I thought we performed well, but not as a whole team today," head coach Brett Hawke said. "We had good individual performances, but if we want to win the team championship we have to compete as a team. We need to make sure everyone is on board tomorrow."
Auburn had a top-notch performance from sophomore Stuart Ferguson in the 100 breast as the Richmond, Va., native captured first in a career-best and NCAA "B" time of 53.01. The event win was the third in the last four years for the Tigers.
"I knew I had to swim fast because it is a very short race," Ferguson said. "It's a close meet and I knew I had to come out on top to help my team."
Scoring points in the 100 breast final was senior Adam Klein, who captured fourth in 53.70. Freshman Chris Manning was 15th overall with a time of 55.65.
On the women's side of the 100 breast, junior Micah Lawrence tallied a second-place finish in a NCAA "A" cut time of 59.96. Twin sisters Lauren and Lindsey Norberg took seventh (1:01.24) and eighth (1:01.49), respectively.
In the men's 100 back, sophomore Tony Cox swam an "A" cut time of 45.99 to take second in the event. He swam a career-best time of 45.72 during the preliminaries. Senior Kohlton Norys was fourth in the event in a "B" time of 46.95, while junior Max Murphy took sixth (47.17) and senior Jared White was eighth (47.38).
Freshman Emily Bos had a solid swim in the women's 100 back as she took third in a career-fastest time of 52.79. Scoring points for the Tigers in the consolation final was Hannah Riordan in 10th place (53.89) and Erica Meissner in 16th (55.57).
Junior Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace swam to a second-place finish in the 100 fly, touching in a "B" time of 52.03. The Nassau, Bahamas, product broke the Auburn record during the preliminary session after she swam an "A" time of 51.98.
Freshman Olivia Scott clocked a career-best and "B" time of 52.62 to take eighth in the 100 fly. Sophomore Lindsey Norberg was 13th in 54.30.
Auburn had two Tigers in the 100 fly championship final in senior Adam Brown and Cox. The pair swam to a fifth-place tie as both touched in at 46.67 for a "B" cut. Senior Andrew Mitchell and freshman Marcelo Chierighini swam in the consolation final and finished 10th (47.22) and 11th (47.32), respectively.
The Tigers closed out the evening with a pair of second-place finishes in the 400 medley relay. The men's team of Kyle Owens, Ferguson, Cox and Brown touched in an "A" cut time of 3:06.52. The women's quad of Bos, Lawrence, Scott and Vanderpool-Wallace was second with a "B" time of 3:32.79.
Freshman Zane Grothe swam in his second championship final of the meet as he qualified in the 200 free. The Boulder City, Nev., product was seventh overall in a "B" time of 1:35.90. Junior Karl Krug competed in the consolation final and came away with 12th place in a "B" time of 1:36.57.
A pair of Tigers competed in the 200 free championship final in senior Caitlin Geary and sophomore Becca Jones. Geary was seventh in the event in 1:46.29, while Jones touched in eighth in 1:48.44.
Sophomore Owens scored points in the championship final of the 400 IM for the Tigers for the second-consecutive year. He finished eighth in the event in a time of 3:49.08, which is tied for a career-best time. Freshman Nimrod Hayet was 16th overall in 3:52.95.
Saturday opens with the preliminary session at 10 a.m. from the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The morning starts with the 200 back and follows with the 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and 1,650 free. Live results and live streaming are available at www.gatorzone.com.
Auburn Swimming and Diving
2010 SEC Swimming Championships - Day Three Finals
Friday, February 18, 2011
Stephen C. O'Connell Center; Gainesville, Fla.
Team Scores
Women: 1. Georgia (515); 2. Florida (463); 3. Auburn (425); 4. Tennessee (314.5); 5. LSU (295); 6. South Carolina (203); 7. Kentucky (179); 8. Arkansas (149); 9. Alabama (141.5); 10. Vanderbilt (64).
Men: 1. Auburn (574); 2. Florida (547); 3. Tennessee (443.5); 4. Georgia (347); 5. LSU (215.5); 6. Alabama (182); 7. Kentucky (165); 8. South Carolina (153).
Auburn Top Finishers - Women: 100 Fly -2. Vanderpool-Wallace (52.03); 200 Free - 7. Geary (1:46.29); 100 Breast - 2. Lawrence (59.96); 100 Back - 3. Bos (52.79); 400 medley relay - 2. Bos, Lawrence, Scott, Vanderpool-Wallace (3:32.79).
Men: 400 IM - 8. Owens (3:49.08); 100 Fly - t5. Brown & Cox (46.67); 200 Free - 7. Grothe (1:35.90); 100 Breast - 1. Ferguson (53.01); 100 Back - 2. Cox (45.99); 400 medley relay - 2. Owens, Ferguson, Cox, Brown (3:06.52).
Quotes
Brett Hawke, head coach
On the day overall
"I thought we performed well, but not as a whole team today. We had good individual performances, but if we want to win the team championship we have to compete as a team. We need to make sure everyone is on board tomorrow."
On Stuart Ferguson's performance
"Stuart (Ferguson) changed the momentum for the team. It was a great performance for a sophomore and for him to win was great. We're really happy for him because he has worked hard all year and he definitely deserved the win."
On Tony Cox's performance
"Tony (Cox) had a big day as he competed in three events for us. We asked a lot of him today and he did an amazing job."
Stuart Ferguson, sophomore
On winning the 100 breast
"I knew I had to swim fast because it is a very short race. It's a close meet and I knew I had to come out on top to help my team."