Dec. 4, 2011
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ATHENS, Ga. - The Auburn men's swimming and diving team captured the team title at the Georgia Fall Invitational on Sunday, winning the meet for the second consecutive year. Auburn's women finished in third place; both teams had numerous standout performances on the final day of competition at the Gabrielsen Natatorium.
Auburn's men finished with 899 points, outpacing defending national champion California, who had 812. Georgia was third with 656. On the women's side, it was No. 1 Georgia winning with 995 points, followed by Cal with 745.5 and Auburn with 594.
"I'm just really happy with the way we finished the meet," Auburn head coach Brett Hawke said. "We came ready to race tonight. I was especially pleased with Arianna's swim in the 100 free, to race the way she did against an Olympic champion was incredible. Really pleased that the team finished strong."
Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace earned her second NCAA `A' cut of the week with a time of 46.99 in the 100 freestyle final to earn a runner-up finish; however, she finished first among collegiate swimmers. Eleven-time Olympic medalist Natalie Coughlin, swimming as an unattached professional, took the title with a new American record time of 46.84; Vanderpool-Wallace's time of 46.81 at the 2011 SEC Championships still ranks as the SEC, NCAA and U.S. Open record. Olivia Scott finished in eighth place with a time of 49.45; she went 49.38 in the prelims. Haley Krakoski (49.60) and Kelsey Winters (49.72) had strong swims in the B-final, and Megan Fonteno (50.23) and Becca Jones (50.58) were solid in the C-final.
The men's 100 freestyle was also an incredible showdown as Drew Modrov finished a close runner-up to Cal's Tyler Messerschmidt with a 43.60; James Disney-May took third place with a 43.78. Chris Manning went 44.54 in the A-final as well. Marcelo Chierighini took the win in the consolation final with the best time of the day, a 42.87 that barely missed an A-cut, and Allen Browning posted a 45.37. TJ Leon (45.61) and Piankhi Gibson (46.63) swam well in the C-final.
Kyle Owens earned his second victory of the week, taking the 200 backstroke championship with a time of 1:44.28. Starting in the outside lane and out of view of most of the spectators, Owens charged down the final 50 yards to earn the win, just .20 seconds ahead of teammate Max Murphy, who touched in 1:44.48. Brandon Siemasko was seventh with a time of 1:46.37. Emily Bos clocked a 1:57.73 to take fourth place in the bonus final of the women's 200 back.
As has been the case all season, the Tigers were strong on the boards and earned a pair of victories Sunday. Senior Vennie Dantin got her second win in as many days, moving to 2-for-2 on the platform this season with a season-best 287.90 to take her 10th overall win in 2011-12. Senior Anna Aguero was runner-up for the second day in a row with a 267.80. Freshman Cinzia Calabretta earned fifth-place points with a score of 220.45, and Shanna Schuelein was eighth with a 200.25.
Sophomore John Santeiu returned to his winning ways with a 333.85 to take the top spot in the men's platform event. He had help from freshman Fraser McKean, who scored a 311.40 to take third place, and senior Adam Godzinski, who took fifth with a 286.90. Freshman Michael Beran was ninth with a 253.95.
In the women's 200 breaststroke, freshman Sarah Peterson posted a 2:13.65 to win the bonus final, shaving more than five seconds off her preliminary time. Lauren Norberg went 2:13.51 for the team's best time of the season to take runner-up honors in the consolation, with Abby Duncan (2:15.59) and Laura Johnson (2:15.87) close behind.
Stuart Ferguson took seventh place in the 200 breaststroke championship with a 2:00.97, while Chandler Gerlach was second in the bonus final with a 2:01.17. Peter Haas took 14th overall - 6th in the consolation - with a 2:03.45.
Junior Katie Gardocki put together a strong swim in the 1650 freestyle, posting an NCAA `B' cut time of 16:16.59 to take fourth place in a crowded field of elite distance swimmers. Siena DeVenuto was 18th with a 16:53.00, and Sterling Wine finished 20th in 17:16.16.
In the men's mile, sophomore Zane Grothe picked up a `B' cut with a time of 15:27.18 to finish in 10th place. Chris Kramer was 14th with a 15:38.56, Sam Parker finished 18th in 15:55.67, and Tommy McKee swam a 15:56.02 to finish 19th.
Nimrod Hayet earned Auburn's first B-cut of the year in the 200 butterfly with a 1:46.26 to finish third in the championship while Stuart Ferguson took sixth place in 1:49.69. Kevin Behrens posted a 1:51.98 in the B-final, and Allen Browning (1:51.84) and Spencer Kerns (1:52.53) were strong in the C-final. Freshman Megan Fonteno swam the team's best time so far this year in the women's 200 butterfly with a 2:01.15 to take third in the C-final. Sterling Wine finished eighth in the heat with a 2:03.79.
Auburn earned a victory in the final relay of the meet as Disney-May, Chierighini, Manning and Modrov posted a 2:54.51; the Tigers got the win after the first-place finishing team from Cal was disqualified for an early takeoff. The team of Scott, Krakoski, Winters and Vanderpool-Wallace went 3:15.62 in the 400 free relay - just .59 shy of an A-cut - to take runner-up honors and close out the women's meet.
The Auburn divers close out the fall portion of their schedule at the USA Diving Winter Nationals, which begin Dec. 15 in Knoxville, Tenn. Auburn's swimmers will now turn their attention to training over the next month; the full squad will next be in action Jan. 10 as the women host Texas and Jan. 12 when the Longhorn men come to town.
Auburn Swimming & Diving Results
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Georgia Fall Invitational - Gabrielsen Natatorium - Athens, Ga.
TEAM SCORES
Men: 1. Auburn (899), 2, California (812), 3. Georgia (656), 4. Virginia (574), 5. Indiana (572), 6. Florida (135), 7. Maryland (78), 8. Alabama (45), 9. UNC Wilmington (4)
Women: 1. Georgia (995), 2. California (745.5), 3. Auburn (594), 4. Indiana (550.5), 5. Virginia (548), 6. Harvard (177), 7. Florida (88), 8. Maryland (77), 9. Alabama (20)
AUBURN TOP FINISHERS
Men: Platform Diving: 1. Santeiu (333.85); 1650 Freestyle: 10. Grothe (15:27.18); 200 Back: 1. Owens (1:44.28); 100 Free: 2. Modrov (43.60); 200 Breast: 7. Ferguson (2:00.97); 200 Fly: 3. Hayet (1:46.26); 400 Free Relay: 1. Disney-May, Chierighini, Manning, Modrov (2:54.51)
Women: Platform Diving: 1. Dantin (287.90); 1650 Freestyle: 4. Gardocki (16:16.59); 200 Back: 20. Bos (1:57.73); 100 Free: 2. Vanderpool-Wallace (46.99); 200 Breast: La. Norberg (2:13.51); 200 Fly: 19: Fonteno (2:01.15); 400 Free Relay: 2. Scott, Krakoski, Winters, Vanderpool-Wallace (3:15.62)