Burckle Breaks 200 Breast School Record, Men's Swimming Sends Eight To Evening Finals
Saturday, March 29, 2008 | Men's Swimming & Diving
Clark Burckle broke the school record in the 200 breast and will lead seven individual Florida swimmers in the championship and consolation finals on the last day of competition at the 2008 NCAA Championships at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center. Florida also qualified the 400 free relay for the consolation finals.
Burckle touched the wall with a time of 1:55.02 to finish second in the fourth heat and fourth overall with his school record time. Burckle's swim marks the second straight year that the 200 breast record has been broken at the NCAA Championships. Bill Mrazek did it a year ago in Minnesota with his time of 1:55.37.
Burckle will be joined in the finals by Bradley Ally who touched in fourth in his heat with a time of 1:57.11 to place 12th overall.
Shaune Fraser and Roland Rudolf will also swim for a shot at a national championship tonight in the 200 butterfly and 200 backstroke respectively. Fraser used a career best swim of 1:43.83 to place seventh overall and earn his way into the championship final of the 200 fly, an event that the sophomore finished fifth in a year ago. Fraser's time was also the fifth fastest time in UF school history. Rudolf, who finished fourth in the 200 back last year, improved his sixth fastest time in school history with a fifth place finish in the fourth heat of the morning in the 200 back, touching the wall with a time of 1:42.05, also a career best.
Tim Hughes will represent the Gators in the consolation final of the 200 fly after touching the wall with a time of 1:45.20 to place second in heat number two for a 16th place standing. Florida will have two swimmers in the consolation final of the 200 back with Omar Pinzon and Rex Tullius turning in the 11th and 14th fastest times of 1:42.60 and 1:43.04 respectively.
The Gators' 400 freestyle relay turned in the 16th fastest time to finalize Florida's finalists for the evening. Daniel Penniman was followed in order by Ally, Jos Smith and Hughes for a time of
In the 100 free, Florida received a career best swim from Smith who clocked in with a second place finish in the first heat of the morning with a time of 44.44. J.B. Walsh also swam in the morning session, clocking in with a time of 1:46.99 in the 200 fly to place eighth in the third heat of the morning.
Timed finals for the 1,650 freestyle will begin at 5 p.m. PST with the last heat being swum as part of the finals beginning at 7 p.m. PST. Florida will be well represented in the mile as seven different swimmers will take to the water over the course of four heats. Live swims can be seen via www.swimmingworldmagazine.com. Live results can be found on www.ncaaswim.com. The Gators head into tonight's finals in eighth place with a total of 140 points, just one point behind seventh place Indiana.
DAY 3 Name Prelims Place
200 Back Pinzon 1:42.60 H3/2
200 Back Tullius 1:43.05 H3/3
200 Back Rudolf 1:42.05 H4/5
100 Free Smith 44.44 H1/2
100 Free Penniman NS
200 Breast Ally 1:57.11 H3/4
200 Breast Burckle 1:55.02* H4/2
200 Fly Hughes 1:45.20 H2/2
200 Fly Walsh 1:46.99 H3/8
200 Fly Fraser 1:43.83 H4/1
* - School Record
