Gators Continue to Shatter Records at SEC Championships
Friday, February 20, 2009 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Twenty-six Florida swimmers and two women's divers qualified for finals on day three of the four-day 2009 SEC Championship meet in Auburn Friday. A staggering 12 Gators will compete in 400 IM finals, with six each for the men and women. During morning preliminaries, the Gators achieved three school records, one SEC record, two pool records, three NCAA automatic qualifying marks and five No. 1 seeds going into Friday finals.
Freshman Jemma Lowe (Hartlepool, United Kingdom) broke the Florida record (52.67) in prelims of the 100-yard fly, clocking a 51.95, first-place finish and NCAA automatic qualifying mark heading into finals, while junior Clark Burckle (Louisville, Ky.) broke his own UF record (53.79) in the 100 breast (53.27) to place second in prelims. Sophomore Julianne Lago (Miami, Fla.) wasn't far behind Lowe in the women's 100 fly, finishing in second-place, also under school-record pace with a 52.31.
Juniors Omar Pinzon (Bogota, Colombia) and Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex,England) represented the Gators well in the backstroke events, Pinzon as the top prelims qualifier in the 100-yard back with an NCAA automatic qualifying mark (46.23) and new pool record in the event. Spofforth, the defending SEC and NCAA champion in the 100 back, shattered her own SEC and UF records in the event, as well as a new pool record, as the first-place finisher going into finals with a time of 50.53, the second-fastest time all-time next to U.S. Olympian Natalie Coughlin.
Six Florida men are set to return to finals of the 400-yard IM, including defending SEC Champion, Burckle. Burckle earned the top seed going into the Friday evening finale after clocking a 3:47.00 in prelims. Teammate Bradley Ally (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), who claimed the 200 IM title in Thursday action, secured the second-place spot in 3:47.25. Freshman Brian Howell (Cincinnati, Ohio) will be the third Gator in the championship heat after coming in sixth in prelims. Junior Ryan Crete (Sarasota, Fla.) (9th), sophomore Joey Pedraza (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) (15th) and senior Scott Thompson (Birmingham, Mich.) (16th) round out UF's consolation finalists in the 400-yard IM.
Likewise on the women's side, six Gators will represent Florida in finals of the 400 IM, four in the championship heat, two in the consolation final. Junior Stephanie Proud (Durham, England) recorded the second-fastest preliminary swim (4:09.92), while three freshmen in Kirsten Smith (Cary, N.C.) (3rd), Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) (4th) and Anna-Liisa Pold (San Diego, Calif.) (8th) will also swim the championship heat. Junior Kristen Beales (Arlington, Va.) (11th)and senior Laurabeth Guenthner (Wellington, Fla.) (12th) will take to the water in the consolation final.
Defending 200-yard freestyle champion Shaune Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) earned the top spot heading into finals of the event after clocking a 1:34.67, the second-fastest time in the nation so far this year. Joining Fraser in the championship heat is freshman
In the women's platform competition, junior Kara Salamone (Hollywood, Fla.) took the top spot to head into Friday's finals with a score of 293.70. Sophomore Monica Dodson (Franklin, Ind.) will join Salamone in the top-eight after finishing sixth (250.15). Seniors Whitney Stern (Safety Harbor, Fla.) and Jeana Bartell (Boca Raton, Fla.) finished 12th and 16th, respectively.
Finals of the men's and women's 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 400-yard medley relay and women's platform diving will kick off at 6:00 p.m. (CST) from the James E. Martin Aquatics Center.
Complete results and a recap from the day's events will be available on www.GatorZone.com Friday evening.
Florida Prelims Results
Men's 400-yard IM
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Clark Burckle 3:47.00 1st NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Bradley Ally 3:47.25 2nd NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Brian Howell 3:49.63 6th NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Ryan Crete 3:51.23 9th NCAA B standard, consolation qualifier
Joey Pedraza 3:52.98 15th Consolation qualifier
Scott Thompson 3:53.16 16th Consolation qualifier
Logan Storie 3:55.67 19th
Robby Kennedy 3:57.34 21st
Mike Joyce 3:49.02 exh NCAA B standard
Cody Kauffman 3:56.87 exh
Women's 400-yard IM
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Stephanie Proud 4:09.92 2nd NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Kirsten Smith 4:10.79 3rd NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Teresa Crippen 4:11.16 4th NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Anna Pold 4:15.30 8th NCAA B standard, finals qualifier
Kristen Beales 4:17.06 11th NCAA B standard, consolation qualifier
LB Guenthner 4:17.11 12th NCAA B standard, consolation qualifier
Men's 100-yard fly
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Roberto Gomez 48.40 18th Second alternate
Women's 100-yard fly
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Jemma Lowe 51.95 1st UF record, NCAA A cut, finals qualifier
Julianne Lago 52.31 2nd Under UF record pace, NCAA B cut, finals qualifier
Sarah Bateman 54.31 18th Second alternate
S. Napier 54.62 20th
Men's 200-yard free
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Shaune Fraser 1:34.67 1st NCAA B cut, finals qualifier
Jeff Raymond 1:35.27 5th NCAA B cut, finals qualifier
Balazs Gercsak 1:35.81 9th NCAA B cut, consolation qualifier
Brett Fraser 1:36.85 15th NCAA B cut, consolation qualifier
Roland Rudolf 1:37.28 19th
Raul Martinez 1:37.28 20th
Women's 200-yard free
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Shara Stafford 1:46.04 7th NCAA B cut, finals qualifier
Liz Kemp 1:47.09 19th NCAA B cut, consolation qualifier
M. Costa-Schmid 1:48.50 18th Second alternate
Men's 100-yard breast
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Clark Burckle 53.27 2nd UF record, NCAA B cut, finals qualifier
Women's 100-yard breast
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Lindsay Rogers 1:01.54 11th NCAA B cut, consolation qualifier
Men's 100-yard back
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Omar Pinzon 46.23 1st Pool record, NCAA automatic cut, finals qualifier
Rex Tullius 47.09 5th NCAA B cut, finals qualifier
Brett Fraser 47.95 13th NCAA B cut, consolation qualifier
Women's 100-yard back
Swimmer Time Place Notes
Gemma Spofforth 50.53 1st SEC record, UF record, pool record, NCAA A cut
second-fastest time all-time, finals qualifier
Julianne Lago 54.42 16th NCAA B cut, consolation qualifier
Rebekah Epley 54.83 20th NCAA B cut
Lily Ramirez 53.82 exh NCAA B cut
Sarah Peterson 54.43 exh NCAA B cut
Women's Platform Diving
Diver Score Place Notes
Kara Salamone 293.79 1st Top finals qualifier
Monica Dodson 250.15 6th Finals qualifier
Whitney Stern 221.35 12th
Jeana Bartell 198.05 16th
-UF-
