Feb. 18, 2010
ATHENS, Ga. – The Vanderbilt swimming team closed out the second day of the 2010 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday with 12 season high performances, including an excellent effort in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
“We had some good swims today and it was encouraging to see a lot lifetime best swims today,” head coach Jeremy Organ said. “Individually I thought Amy Salce swam a great 500-free this morning and Allie Voss was exceptional in the 50-free. We have a lot of swims on Friday and the team is prepared to keep the ball rolling.”
Salce opened the day for the Commodores with a strong performance in the 500-free, clocking a lifetime best 4:58.66. Salce’s time Thursday was over three-and-half seconds quicker than previous best time. It also marked the fastest 500-free time recorded by a Commodore since Wrenn Terrill clocked a 4:56.78 in 1990, which still stands as the school record.
Fellow freshmen Erika Deardorf and Ellen Kilgore finished five and seven spots behind Salce in the 500-free with times of 5:07.35 and 5:09.23, respectively.
In the next swimming event, Jess Eccher notched a season high time of 2:07.78 to finish in 39th-place in the 200-yard IM. Chelsea Morey and Stephanie Falcone also competed in the 200-IM, clocking times of 2:09.67 and 2:14.00, respectively. Falcone’s time Thursday was four seconds faster than her previous season high.
The ‘Dores showed a tremendous amount of improvement in the next event as all seven of the VU swimmers that competed in the 50-yard freestyle clocked lifetime best or season-highs. Voss led Vanderbilt in the 50-free with a career-best time of 24.17, nearly a full second faster than her previous season high. Sarah Lynch and Jennifer Molchan also posted great swims in the 50-free, clocking times of 24.50 and 24.62, good for 43rd and 46th place.
Anna Fargo and Zoe Cooper-Surma joined the other three Commodores with sub-25 times in the 50-free, clocking a 24.77 and 24.89, respectively.
The freshman tandem of Betsy Galenti (25.00) and Rose Cornelson (25.25) were the sixth and seventh VU swimmer to set personal bests in the 50-free.
Vanderbilt closed out the meet Thursday evening with a strong performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Despite finishing in the 10th-place VU’s relay team of Voss, Lynch, Fargo and Molchan came within three-tenths of a second of breaking the 20-year old school record. The Commodore 200-free relay team cut over four-seconds off their previous season-best to clock a 1:35.93.
“Our 200-free relay tonight was very good and all four of the girls had terrific splits,” Organ noted.
Through 16 events, the ‘Dores currently stand in tenth place in the women’s team standings with 42 points.
The Vanderbilt Commodores will return to the Gabrielsen Natatorium pool tomorrow morning for the third day of the 2010 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Vanderbilt Results
500-yard freestyle – 35. Amy Salce, 4:58.66*. 40. Erika Deardorf, 5:07.35. 42. Ellen Kilgore, 5:09.23*.
200-yard IM – 39. Jess Eccher, 2:07.78*. 41. Chelsea Morey, 2:09.67. 45. Stephanie Falcone, 2:14.00*
50-yard freestyle – 41. Allie Voss, 24.17*. 43. Sarah Lynch, 24.50*. 46. Jennifer Molchan, 24.62*. 49. Anna Fargo, 24.77*. 51. Zoe Cooper-Surma, 24.89*. 52. Betsy Galenti, 25.00*. 53. Rose Cornelson, 25.25*.
200-yard freestyle relay – 10. Vanderbilt (Voss, Lynch, Fargo, Molchan), 1:35.93*.
* – denotes season best performance
