KAZAN, Russia – The University of Alabama swimming and diving team has four students competing at the 2015 FINA World Championships which get underway Sunday in Kazan, Russia.
The Tide contingent includes two-time NCAA champion Kristian Gkolomeev and SEC champion Anton McKee along with Abbas Qali and Jack Hadjiconstantinou. Gkolomeev is representing Greece, McKee is swimming for Iceland, Qali is racing for Kuwait while Hadjiconstantinou is suiting up for Cypress.
For Gkolomeev, this week represents a continuation of one of the fastest seasons in NCAA history. The 2012 Olympian won his second NCAA title in March, adding the 100 freestyle to the 50 freestyle title he won as a freshman.
The 2015 Southeastern Conference Swimmer of the Year and SEC Championships Swimmer of the Meet, Gkolomeev won two individual SEC titles (50 and 100 freestyle) and was part of two SEC champion relays (200 freestyle and 400 medley) – one of which set a new SEC record – at this year’s conference meet.
There were 15 collegiate swims under 19 seconds in the 50 freestyle during the 2014-15 season with Gkolomeev posting seven, including four of the top five. His school-record 19.64 at the SEC Championships was the fastest collegiate 50 in the nation during the 2014-15 season. Gkolomeev’s school-record 41.58 won the NCAA 100 freestyle championship and was the fastest collegiate flat start 100 of the season.
Gkolomeev will have a fairly full slate, swimming the 50-meter butterfly as well as the 50m and 100m freestyles. He will swim the 50m butterfly on Aug. 2 in heat of eight of nine. The 100m freestyle will be held on Aug. 5 and Gkolomeev will swim in heat 10 of 12. In the 50m freestyle, which he will swim on Aug. 7, Gkolomeev will swim in heat 12 of 12.
McKee, who set the SEC record on the way to winning the 2014 SEC 200 breaststroke title, earned both All-America and Academic All-America honors in 2015. He will swim both the 100-meter and 200-meter breaststrokes at the World Championships. He will swim the 100 on Aug 2 in heat six of nine and the 200 on Aug. 6 in heat four of six.
Hadjiconstantinou will swim both the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyles in Kazan. He will swim the 200 on Aug. 3 and the 400m on Aug. 2. He is in heat one of seven in the 400m and heat two of eight in the 200m. Qali will swim the 100-meter butterfly on August 7. Qali is slated to compete in the third heat of eight.
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Swimming news courtesy of Alabama Swimming & Diving.
