COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Faith Knelson once again advanced to finals to lead the Vanderbilt swimming program as competition wrapped up Saturday at the SEC Championships held at the Rec Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M.
One night after accomplishing the feat in the 100 breaststroke, the junior moved on from the prelims in the 200 breast with her performance to start the day. Both she and Kailia Utley qualified for finals in multiple events over the course of the five-day meet that began with two relay races Tuesday.
Throughout the course of the competition the Commodores set four individual records, saw both Knelson and Utley record a pair of NCAA B Standards, and had multiple student-athletes enter the program’s top-10 all-time performer list.
“I’m proud of, and happy for, how our team competed over the course of this week at these championships. We’ve really set a good standard for the program and its trajectory over the next couple of years, I’m excited about that,” said head coach Jeremy Organ. “We had some really good swims this morning, of course highlighted with Faith making it back to the finals. That gave us another swim in which she came back and competed really well.
“We’re excited to get back home and get ready for what’s next.”
Meet Highlights
-For the second time in as many days, Knelson reached the Bonus Final of an event after finishing 21st in prelims of the 200 breast.
-Vandy was led by Maddie Smith in the 200 backstroke in the opening event of prelims.
-Megan Ciezczak paced a group of 11 Commodores in the 100 freestyle.
-Knelson touched the wall in fourth place in her finals heat to end up 21st overall after lowering her personal-best mark in the event for the second time on the day.
-In the last event of the competition, the team of Ciezczak, Gabriela Pierobon Mays, Ryen Bosuro and Ellie Taliaferro came up a half-second shy of setting a season-best mark in the 400 free relay.
Notes
-Knelson moved into second place on Vanderbilt’s all-time top-10 performer list after touching the wall in 2:12.68 in the finals of the 200 breast, meeting the NCAA B Standard in the event in the process.
-With a career-low time of 51.12 in the 100 free, Ciezczak finished with the best mark in the race by a Commodore this season while moving into seventh place on Vanderbilt’s all-time performer list in the event.
-Smith’s 2:02.15 time in the 200 back was both the fastest of her career and the quickest mark recorded in the event by a Dore this season.
-Emma Dalton (2:04.98) posted a personal-best mark in that event, with Utley (2:03.17) and Alina Stout (2:04.15) recording season-low times in the race as well.
-Both Smith and Utley turned in times that meet the B Standard for the CSCAA National Invitational Championships next month.
-Bosuro touched the wall in a career-best 51.39 in the 100 free.
-In that same event, the quartet of Karsyn Cook (52.35), Allison Bauer (52.72), Natalie Van Noy (53.15) and Taylor Ward (53.20) finished with season-low marks.
-Both Taylor Carey (2:20.05) and Ella Platek (2:23.99) recorded their best times of the season in the 200 breast.
The Dores will now prepare for the CSCAA National Invitational Championships, which will begin on March 9 in Elkhart, Indiana.
