Vanderpool-Wallace Breaks 100 Free U.S. Open Record; Auburn Men win 16th Straight at SEC Championships

The Auburn men finished off their 16th-straight SEC Men’s Championship on this day, and the Georgia women moved to three-straight.

The surprises continue to be Tennessee, though there was major drama (then later excitement) from Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace of Auburn.

Women’s 1650 Free

Wendy Trott is in search of her 4th-straight NCAA Title in this women’s mile, and she took an important first step on Saturday by winning her 4th-straight SEC Championship in the race in 14:47.04. That’s a new SEC Championship Record, and is significantly faster than she was at last year’s meet.

After that swim, there’s probably nobody that can hang with her in March, if she’s even close to on her game. USC’s Haley Anderson might be able to come close,  as could UNC’s Stephanie Peacock after tonight, but Trott is looking very strong.

Tennessee’s versatile Lindsay Gendron took 2nd in 16:01.38. She actually held the lead through about 700 yards, but hit a bit of a wall at that point. This mile is a bit on the long side of her range, but she showed that she’s got some great potential in a distance more along the lines of the Olympic 800.

Auburn junior Katie Gardocki took 3rd in 16:06. She has consistently dropped 6 seconds in this race between SEC’s and NCAA’s in her two previous seasons, which means that she’s well within reach of a sub-16 and a top-8 finish.

Men’s 1650 Free

Georgia’s Martin Godzki took the win in the men’s mile in 14:48.26, but it was not without a fight. He took a sizable lead through about 1500 yards, but at that point the young Tiger Zane Grothe started charging hard. He ran out of room at the end, but showed again a strong finishing kick that makes him dangerous at NCAA’s.

Godzki touched in 14:48.26 for the win. That’s a good deal slower than he was at this meet last year (about 12 seconds), so it will be curious to see how that turns out at year’s end.

LSU’s Craig Hamilton took 3rd in 14:58.11, which breaks his own school record by four seconds. That’s a bit of a surprise from him to sneak up for a top-3 finish, ahead of two-thirds of Georgia’s impressive distance group.

Andrew Gemmell, who is notoriously bad in-season, took 4th in 15:01.65. This had to have been pretty close to a totally unrested swim (he’s been much faster even this year). William Freeman took 5th in 15:05.33.

Women’s 200 Backstroke

After rival Liz Pelton fired off a 1:49.1 at a Florida meet earlier this weekend, Florida sophomore Elizabeth Beisel shot back a near-record of her own, with an SEC Title in 1:49.32. That’s her lifetime best, the 5th-best time in history, and moves her into 3rd on the all-time yards list (behind only former Gator Gemma Spofforth and Pelton).

She was way out in front of this race early, though she didn’t close extremely well (at least relative to most swims of this stature) – but at the same time it seems pretty clear that she’s short of full rest in this race, and could be gunning for the American Record next month.

Well back was Georgia’s Kristen Shickora in 1:53.41.

Men’s 200 Backstroke

Auburn’s Kyle Owens took this SEC Title in 1:41.67, which is a very good time – the 5th-best in the country this year – but comes up just short of a very tough NCAA Automatic Qualifying time. His teammate Max Murphy took 2nd in 1:42.59, and Georgia freshman Jared Markham showed his potential with a 1:43.96 for 3rd.

Women’s 100 Free

This race was the buzz in the prelims session at the Tennessee Aquatics Center. Auburn’s U.S. Open Record holder Anna Vanderpool-Wallace didn’t swim the 100 free after the Auburn coaching staff, made an error and entered her in the 200 free instead of this 100, where she’s the defending NCAA Champion and the fastest swimmer in history.

Vanderpool-Wallace would overimpress later on the 400 free relay, but for this event at least there was some huge disappointment from the Tigers’ camp. This such scenario is a worst-case one as a coach, but in the long-term it seemd to have worked out todya.

Even with her absent, this was still a strong, deep, and talented field, with Georgia’s Megan Romano taking the win in 47.65. She had a great back-half in winning this race, and that’s the best time of her life. In 2nd was LSU’s Amanda Kendall in 47.97. That’s just shy of her own LSU record, and she seems to be far-from-rested at this meet.

Georgia freshman Maddie Locus looked outstanding in 48.51 for 3rd.

Florida’s Sara Bateman took 7th in only 49.14 in this race. She’s had a bit of a roller-coaster of a meet, with some good swims and some disappointing swims.

Men’s 100 Free

Marcelo Chierighini has had good swims and bad swims. A bad swim in Friday’s 50 free left him off of the Auburn 200 free relay, but he locked up a spot on Saturday’s 400 free relay with a 42.65 win in the men’s 100 free.

Alabama’s BJ Hornikel continued to have a big breakout meet and placed 2nd in 42.98. That matched his runner-up finish from the 200 free. Drew Modrov was 3rd in 43.10, and Kentucky senior Tyler Reed was 4th in 43.30. Reed is a big, tall sprinter, and after redshirting this season looks to be feeling good this year.

Altogether, the Auburn men had 5 out of the top 8 finishers, which all-but-sealed up the team battle in another tight (but not as tight) meet.

Women’s 200 Breast

Georgia’s Michelle McKeehan hasn’t quite caught up to her suited 2009 times in the 100 breaststroke, but in this 200 she blew past her lifetime best with a 2:08.73. She used a rocking 3rd 50 to shoot ahead of defending champion, and record holder, Amanda Rutqvist of South Carolina.

Ruqtvist was able to taper off 2 seconds at this meet, but she was still behind her pace of last season in 2:09.48. The question is – does she have one more big surge in her for NCAA’s, or is this season just not going to come out as well as last?

Two other Bulldogs, Jana Mangimelli and Melanie Margalis took 3rd and 4th in 2:09.95/2:10.05, respectively.

Men 200 Breast

In one of the more anticipated races of this men’s meet, freshmen swept the medals in the 200 breaststroke. Tennessee’s Jake Epperson and Florida’s Eduardo Solaeche were leading headed into the final lap, with Nic Fink and Matthew Ellis just behind. But it was only Fink who had another gear, and he used every bit of it to close hard and finish in 1:55.01. That gives him a clean sweep of the SEC breaststroke titles.

Solaeche was in 2nd in 1:55.54, and Elliott was 3rd in 1:55.75. Epperson was gassed by the 150-yard mark, and fell from first to 4th in 1:56.06.

Women’s 200 Fly

After Kelsey Floyd knocked three-tenths off of her lifetime best in the 100 fly, I expected a big time in this 200 fly. Her 1:54.65 was a good mark, enough for her first individual SEC Championship, and the 3rd-best time in the country, but it was about half-a-second slower than it was at last year’s meet. Nobody’s going to catch Katinka Hosszu at NCAA’s, but we know that Floyd is better this year than last year (overall), so she is in contention for a top-3 finish.

Florida’s Teresa Crippen went out hard, but fell off of the pace a touch at the end in 1:55.16. She was the champion in this race last year, but like Floyd, she’s trying to flip her push in this race, and peak at NCAA’s rather than SEC’s.

LSU’s Sara Haley took her 2nd-straight bronze in the race in 1:56.67.

Men’s 200 Fly 

Florida’s Marcin Cieslak posted a 1:42.43 to win the men’s 200 fly, which is the best time in the country this season. He’s one of the major swimmers to watch headed into this year’s NCAA Championship meet, and is on the shortlist for National Swimmer of the Year.

There was a sizable gap between him and his freshman teammate Dan Wallace, who placed 2nd in 1:44.81. LSU’s Frank Greef barely snuck into the A-final after prelims (he was ranked 7th), but bounced back for a great evening swim to take 3rd in 1:45.03.

Women’s 400 Free Relay

After the disappointment of not being able to swim the individual 100 free, Auburn’s Vanderpool-Wallace was psyched up and ready to swim extremely fast in leading off this women’s 400 free relay. She finished her opening leg in 46.61, whcih is by three tenths the fastest swim ever in this race. That’s exactly three-tenths better than her best times ever from last year’s SEC Championship.

Altogether, she and her Auburn teammates put together a 3:12.85, which is an NCAA Automatic qualifying time. Her fellow relay swimmers were all in the 48.6-49.0 range, which is strong.

In 2nd were the defending NCAA Champions (and American Record holders) in this event Georgia in 31>12.85.

Tennsee was 3rd in a 3:15.09.

Men’s 400 Free Relay

All the Auburn men had to do to secure the SEC Championship was not get disqualified, which is never a given. Ultimately, they capped their 16th-straight conference title with a 7th-straight 400 free relay title in a time of 3:51.66. The quartet of Drew Modrov (43.21), James Disney-May (42.92), Kyle Owens (42.87), and Marcelo Chierighini (42.66) scored three 42’s, which is more than the rest of the field combined.

Florida took 2nd in 2:53.69, and Alabama finished well in 3rd at 2:54.11. That included a 42.42 from 100 free runner-up BJ Hornikel.

Kentucky would finish the meet in a disappointing 7th place (out of 8) after DQ’ing this relay. This was their 2nd relay disqualification of the meet, which spoiled what was set to be a bounceback after their last-place finish last year

Final Standings

Women
1. Georgia, University of 781
2. Tennessee, University of, Knox 629.5
3. University of Florida 566
4. Auburn University 509.5
5. Louisiana State University 347
6. Arkansas, University of, Fayet 267
7. University of Alabama 249
8. South Carolina, University of 237
9. Kentucky, University of 128
10. Vanderbilt University 78

Men
1. Auburn University 730.5
2. University of Florida 700
3. Georgia, University of 521
4. Tennessee, University of, Knox 459
5. Louisiana State University 426
6. University of Alabama 304
7. Kentucky, University of 246.5
8. South Carolina, University of 196