Nov. 20, 2016
HOUSTON, Texas – The Commodores were back in the pool on Sunday to compete in the final day of the Phill Hansel Invitational. The `Dores earned three “A” final swims on day three and ended the invitational in ninth place.
Junior Kara Lucenti was the first Commodore to earn an “A” final swim Sunday night in the 200-yard breaststroke as she finished with the fifth best time in the prelims. In the finals race, Lucenti finished in third place with a NCAA B Standard time of 2:14.45, besting her previous B Standard time of 2:15.70 from the prelims.
The Commodores had one other swimmer to compete in the finals swims for the 200-yard breaststroke. Senior Kathryn Coughlin earned a spot in the “C” final with a prelim swim of 2:21.44, which was a season-best time. In the finals swim, Coughlin finished eighth with a time of 2:22.59.
The `Dores had two swimmers in the “A” final of the 200-yard butterfly. Seniors Carrie Bencic and Rachel Koch earned spots in the “A” final after finishing with the third and eighth best times in the prelim races. In the finals swim, Bencic placed third with a personal-best time of 2:01.59. Koch finished sixth with a season-best time of 2:02.07.
There were four other Commodore swimmers competing in the 200-yard butterfly finals races. Alexandra Blankenburg and Breanna Sapienza finished fourth (2:04.12) and fifth (2:04.16) in the “B” final. Fellow senior Kayla Moran finished fourth in the “C” final with a time of 2:04.70. Junior Erin Primdahl rounded out the Commodores in the 200-yard butterfly “D” final where she finished fifth with a time of 2:06.93.
The `Dores had five swimmers in four different finals races for the 200-yard backstroke. Madison Eaker led the way in the “B” final swim, finishing in third with a time of 2:00.48. Madeline Hunt swam in the “C” final and finished eighth with a time of 2:06.10. Freshman Breinne Thorne was in the “D” final and placed fifth with a time of 2:04.30. Mary Beckwith and Brenda Cha both swam in the “E” final and finished in fifth (2:06.39) and eighth (2:10.49 respectively.
Vanderbilt had four swimmers compete in the longest individual race of the invitational, the 1650-yard freestyle. Selah Peacock had the best finish of the four Commodores, as she placed 11th with a time of 17:03.15. Fellow freshmen Namilla Sanchez and Sophie Halper finished in 22nd (17:32.34) and 25th (17:39.36) while senior Kathryn Babbin finished in 27th (17:45.81).
Other finals swims on the evening included two Commodores in the 100-yard freestyle. Freshman Paige Hamilton finished third in the “C” final with a time of 51.58. Sophomore Johanna Goldblatt swam in the “E” final and placed seventh with a time of 52.43. In the final swim of the invitational, the `Dores relay team of Paige Hamilton, Johanna Goldblatt, Kayla Moran and Breanna Sapienza finished 10th in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:29.24).
The Commodores will have a few weeks off for the Thanksgiving holiday along with finals before returning back in the pool. The `Dores will be back home at Centennial Sportsplex on Saturday, Dec. 17 to take on Campbell at 5:00 pm CT.
