The Week Ahead…
The Mustangs return to the pool on Thursday as they take on Texas A&M and Tennessee on the campus of A&M in College Station. The meet kicks off at 2 p.m. CT and live stats can be found at SMUMustangs.com and on the Meet Mobile app.
On The National Scene…
The Mustangs are currently receiving votes in the latest edition of the College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll. SMU has been voted as high as 11th in the list, occupying that spot on Oct. 23 following its performance at the SMU Classic.
Conference Favorites…
Rachel Nicol and Isabella Arcila have taken two of the American Athletic Conference Swimmer of the Week honors so far this season.
NCAA Standards…
The Mustangs have posted 18 `B’ standard or provisional qualifying times this season. Seniors Isabella Arcila and Rachel Nicol are less than a second off the `A’ standard time in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke, respectively, while the 400-yard medley relay team of Arcila, sophomores Tara-Lynn Nicholas and Marne Erasmus and freshman Adrienn Santa are just over a second shy of the qualifying time.
Scouting The Vols…
Tennessee, which is currently ranked 11th in the CSCAA rankings, posts a 4-2-1 overall record and brought home a first place finish at the Nike Cup in Chapel Hills, North Carolina. The Nike Cup saw numerous program records fall for the Vols, as well as a 374 point margin of victory over their closest competitor.
Home Away From Home…
Last weekend’s event at the Rockwall Aquatic Center marked the third different venue the Mustangs have hosted an event at during the 2014-15 season. The annual Classic was held at the Westside Natatorium, while dual meet victories over Rice and Houston took place in Mansfield, Texas. On Feb. 7, SMU will take part in a pre-conference time trial at the Southlake Natatorium.
Looking Back…
The Mustangs picked up three first-place finishes in a dual meet setback to the 21st-ranked LSU Tigers on Jan. 3. SMU went on a run with three top finishes starting with the 100-yard freestyle as senior Nathalie Lindborg won the event in a time of 50.27. Her performance was followed up by first place finishes in the 200-yard backstroke from senior Isabella Arcila (2:01.84) and the 200-yard breaststroke from classmate Rachel Nicol (2:17.72).
The event opened and closed with runner-up relay performances for the Ponies. Arcila, Nicholas, Erasmus and Nathalie Lindborg clocked in at 1:43.18 in the 200-yard medley relay, while the combination of Arcila, Nathalie Lindborg, Santa and Erasmus finished the 400-yard freestyle in a time of 3:27.84.
Four other Mustangs finished second in their respective events as Nathalie Lindborg (50-free, 23.34), sophomore Ursa Bezan (200-free, 1:52.39), Arcila (100-back, 56.41) and Nicol (100-breast, 1:03.51) each gave SMU a four-point boost.
A pair of third place finishes highlighted the 500-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, with Bezan placing in the free event and Erasmus scoring in fly. SMU’s highest place in the 1,000-yard freestyle came from McLauchlan clocking in at 10:27.40 for third. Junior Madison Meyer also scored in the event to contribute to the Mustangs’ team score.
In Tennessee, freshman Madeline Wainman finished 26th in three-meter dive preliminaries, was 15th in one-meter and 22nd in platform. Sophomore Lauren Lamb was 30th in three-meter, 35th in one-meter and 28th in platform.
FINA Finals…
Nina Rangelova finished up her time at the 12th FINA World Swimming Championships on Dec. 7 by posting another Bulgarian National Record, this time in the 200-meter freestyle. Rangelova swam a 1:56.01 for a lifetime best. She adds this milestone to another pair of lifetime bests and records in both the 50- and 100-meter freestyle.
Isabella Arcila wrapped up competition with a pair of personal bests in the 50-meter backstroke and freestyle. She posted a pair of personal bests on her first night of competition and an unofficial national record.
Veracruzing…
Isabella Arcila earned a bronze medal in the 50-meter backstroke at the Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz. She also competed in the 100-meter backstroke, placing fourth, and finished the event with a fifth-place finish in the `A’ Final of the 50-meter freestyle. She was also part of a second place 4×100 freestyle team.
Summer Success…
Seven swimmers competing in eight different countries earned numerous medals and had record-setting performances to make 2014 a successful summer for the Mustang women’s swimming and diving program.
Recently-graduated Nina Rangelova and Monika Babok, seniors Isabella Arcila and Rachel Nicol, junior Anna Volchkov and sophomores Marne Erasmus and Tara-Lynn Nicholas made a splash on the global scene with their performances.
Returning For More…
The Mustangs return 19 letterwinners for the 2014-15 season. Included in the list are 17 All-America honors, 11 individual conference championships and team members from 11 different conference championship relay teams.
College Swimming News courtesy of SMU Swimming and Diving.
