March 18, 2016
ATLANTA - Annie Lazor said it was "an honor" to race alongside teammate Natasha Lloyd, not just on Friday night at the NCAA Championships but also for the past three years. Lloyd, who was swimming in a NCAA final for the first time in her career, finished 11th in the 100 breaststroke consolation finals and Lazor finished 13th.
"That was my last short course yards 100 breast ever," Lazor said. "We walked over together and I gave her a hug and told her, `it's been an honor the past three years.' It got a little emotional but it's always awesome to swim next to her."
Lloyd, who qualified 11th this morning with a personal-best 59.73, touched in 59.81 to remain in 11th. Lazor went 59.94 in the morning and 59.95 at night to finish 13th.
"I was a lot more nervous for this morning than I was for this evening," Lloyd said. "Here (at NCAAs) the pressure is really to get back and once you got back you've done the most important part because you can only score points at night. This morning was a great confidence booster because I managed to push through the nerves and get a reasonably central spot in the B Final.
"I was really confident," Lloyd said. "I didn't go as fast as I had hoped this evening but it was a really awesome experience. It was my first NCAA individual final. It was really fun and I hope to have another one tomorrow."
Friday night's swims by Lloyd and Lazor marked the first time Auburn has had two people advance in the 100 breaststroke at the NCAA Championships since Kara Denby and Melanie Roberts in 2008. Lloyd's 11th-place finish was also the best by an Auburn swimmer since Denby finished 9th in 2008.
"It was a great experience," Lazor said. "I haven't swam at night in the 100 breast yet, I had a chance to do it in the 200 breast last year. It wasn't exactly the race that I wanted but I got another chance to wake up tomorrow and score some points."
The championships conclude on Saturday with the 200 backstroke (Erin Falconer, Sarah Reynolds, Jillian Vitarius, Caroline Baddock), 100 freestyle (Ashton Ellzey, Aly Tetzloff), 200 breaststroke (Lazor, Lloyd), 200 butterfly (Bailey Nero), 1650 free (Ashley Neidigh, Zoe Thatcher) and 400 freestyle relay.
NCAA Champion & Auburn finishes
100 Breaststroke (prelims/finals)
1. Lilly King (Indiana) -- 57.15/56.85
11. Natasha Lloyd -- 59.73/59.81
13. Annie Lazor -- 59.94/59.95
Final Results in HTML | Final Results in PDF | Saturday Heat Sheet