Dores Wrap Up Week in Knoxville

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – A senior and a freshman both recorded the best performances of their career to pace the Vanderbilt swimming team Saturday on the final day of the SEC Championships held at the Alan Jones Aquatic Center.
 
In preliminary heats in the morning, Francesca Neubauer’s mark of 2:17.06 in the 200-yard breaststroke was the fastest of her career and the best by a Commodore this season.  Clare Vetkoetter followed that up by posting a time of 17:01.36 in the finals of the 1,650-yard freestyle that was the quickest in the event by a Dore this season and over 20 seconds faster than her previous best mark set in Miami in November.
 
In other preliminary heats, Eleanor Beers paced Vandy in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.88. In the 200-yard backstroke, the trio of Alina Stout, Trinity Tran and Kailia Utley all finished within just over a second of each other, with Stout leading the group after touching the wall in 2:05.45 and Tran posting a career-best 2:05.95 mark.
 
In addition to seeing Utley set a school record in the 100-yard butterfly Friday and numerous individuals record personal-best times at the championships, the Commodores’ Abby Burke was named to the SEC Community Service Team on Tuesday while Lauren Thomas was recognized during the week as one of 21 graduates competing at the event.
 
“Overall, I think there are a lot of really good things we can take from this week’s racing,” said Vanderbilt head coach Jeremy Organ. “I’m really proud of our seniors and the impact they have had on the program, and the future looks great with our returnees. This week provided a lot of motivation for that group, I think that will help us in the coming years.”
 
Select members of the program will next compete at the CSCAA National Invitational, which will be held in Elkhart, Indiana, March 10-12.
 
Follow along with the Commodores’ action in Knoxville during the SEC Championships by following @VandySwimming on Twitter and Instagram.