Alabama
Auburn
Swimming and Diving Earns More NCAA Cuts during Alabama-Auburn Meet
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Nov. 21, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Alabama Swimming and Diving teams earned several NCAA Provisional cuts during day one of its two-day meet with the Auburn Tigers in the Alabama Aquatic Center today.
The Crimson Tide and Tigers are competing in a three session, two-day event that concludes Saturday starting at 10 a.m. After starting with a five-event session this morning, the two teams came back tonight and swam seven events in the evening session.
The lead in the men's meet teetered back and forth throughout day one with Alabama taking a one point lead out of the morning events and the Tigers leading 114-106 after 12 races. The Tide women, swimming without All-American Agustina de Giovanni, who has been sidelined with a sore back, trail the Tigers 149.5-70.5 going in to Saturday.
"We've done a lot of long course his fall as we built our training base and this meet gives us a chance to put that work up on the block and race," Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. "It's been a good meet to this point, with several NCAA cuts, now we just need to finish off strong on Saturday."
Alabama's men went 1-2-3 in the 200m freestyle, led by junior All-American Mark Randall's 1:50.80 while junior Kyle Lee led Alabama on a 1-2 finish in the 400 IM, turning in a time of 4:34.96. Randall earned his second individual NCAA provisional cut of the day.
The Tide's strong showing in the 200m freestyle carried over into the 800m freestyle relay, where sophomore Denes Zubcsek, freshman Joe Ziegler, Randall and sophomore All-American Catalin Cosma finished six seconds ahead of their nearest competitor and seven second better than the NCAA provisional standard, touching the wall at 7:30.59.
There were several very close races during the evening session. Junior Hannah Brinks finished second to Auburn's Ava Ohlgren in the 100m butterfly by seven-hundredths of a second, finishing t 1:02.63. The men's 100m butterfly was just as close with sophomore Denes Zubcsek finished six-hundredths of a second behind AU's Matt Targett when he touched the wall with a 55.04. The women's 100m backstroke race was even closer, with Alabama's Allyson Angle finishing two-hundredths of a second behind Alana Dillette. Angle finished at 1:05.61.
An evening of tight races started off with a tie for first place in the women's 200m medley relay. The Alabama quartet of Angle, junior Maggie Zblewski, Brinks and sophomore Ida Persson combined with a time of 1:58.54, matching the time put up by Auburn's "A" relay.
Not all the races where close on the women's side of the meet. Alabama sophomore Kate Shannon Gray came away with a 14-second win in the 400 IM, earning her second NCAA provisional cut of the day with a time of 4:50.92.
Alabama and Auburn finish off their competition Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
Players Mentioned
