UF Swimming and Diving Start SEC's Strong
Thursday, February 22, 2001 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Senior Robyn Grimes (Pennington, N.J./ Hopewell Valley Central H.S.) won the three-meter diving with score of 509.80. She went into the last event down, but came through with a big dive on her last dive to win. She advanced to the finals after winning the preliminaries with a score of 482.65. Grimes finished fourth on the three-meter at last years SEC Championship meet. Last year she won the SEC Championship in the one-meter.
"I had really no idea where I stood during the event," said Grimes. "Towards the end I knew I was in the top five then I did not know until the end. It was really close between all the divers."
"She did a great job. I felt the other girls from the other teams are better voluntaries and she held her own today," said head diving coach Donnie Craine. "Going into the finals and she was only 13 points back, I knew she had a chance. When we came to the meet I felt this was the event she could win."
Freshman Nicole Bolt (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips H.S.) scored 437.75 to place 14th in her first SEC Championships.
In swimming action, the 200-yard medley relay team of sophomore Cara Teague, (Sugarland, Texas/Dulles H.S.), freshman Cerian Gibbes (Trinidad/The Bolles School), sophomore Diane Tennison (Lafayette, LA./ Lafayette H.S.) and junior Leah Martindale (St. James, Barbados/ St. Michael School) swam provisional qualifying time of 1:43.22 to finish fourth. In the only other swimming event of the night, sophomore Laura Cross (Pompano Beach, Fla./ Buchholz H.S.), freshman Rebekah Olsen (Portland, Ore./Westview H.S.), freshman Jaime Ellis (Spring, Texas, Klein Oak H.S.) and freshman Janelle Atkinson (Jamaica/ The Bolles School) joined forces in the 800-yard freestyle to touch the wall in third place in time of 7:15.40.
On the men's side, junior Hank Richardson (Houston, Texas/ Memorial H.S.) advanced to the finals of the one-meter diving after finishing fourth with a score of 300.11 in the prelims. In the finals he scored 289.10 points to record a seventh place finish. Junior Reggie Coote (Fort Lauderdale, Fla./ Western H.S.) finished 15th with a score of 235.55 in the prelims of the one-meter diving.
The men's swim team then took to the pool on their quest to claim the top prize in the SEC. The 200-yard medley relay team of junior Mike Jansen (Wellington, Fla./ Wellington H.S.), sophomore Ansel Tjin-A-Tam (Poramaribo, Suriname/Bolles), junior Hendrick Odendaal (Stellenbosh, South Africa/ Paul Roos Gymnasium) and freshman Carlos Jayme (Goias, Brazil/Annapolis H.S.) started the night with a third place finish with a time of 1:27.95. The 800-yard relay team of senior Nathan Summers (Pensacola, Fla./ Brooke Pointe H.S.), Jayme, senior Bryan Kim (Songpa, South Korea/ Yanjae H.S.), and junior Duncan Sherrard (Lakeland, Fla./ Lakeland H.S.) finished the evening swimming a time of 6:28.91 to place third.
The SEC Championships continue for both the men and women the rest of week. The action continues Feb. 22 at 10:30 a.m. with the prelims of the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley, 50-yard freestyle, and the women's one-meter springboard. The finals will start at 6:30 p.m.
FLORIDA RESULTS
WOMEN'S RESULTS
Three-meter diving
Finals
1. Robyn Grimes 509.80
Prelims
1. Robyn Grimes 482.65; 15. Nicole Bolt 437.75
200-yard medley relay
4. Teague, Gibbes, Tennison, Martindale 1:43.22
800-yard freestyle relay
3. Cross, Olsen, Ellis, Atkinson 7:15.40
MEN'S RESULTS
One-meter diving
Finals
7. Hank Richardson 289.10
Prelims
4. Hank Richardson 300.11; 15. Reggie Coote 235.55
200-yard medley relay
3. Jansen, Tam, Oldendaal, Jayme 1:27.95
800-yard freestyle relay
3. Summers, Jayme, Kim, Sherrard 6:28.91
