Feb. 22, 2014
ATHENS, Ga. – The Vanderbilt women’s swimming team wrapped up its week at the 2014 SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday in front of a sellout crowd of 1,430, scoring 39 points to bring its total to 186.5. The Georgia Bulldogs won their fifth-straight SEC Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, finishing the week with 1589 points. The University of Florida won its second-straight SEC men’s title, finishing with 1440 points.
Texas A&M finished in second on the women’s side with 1204 points, while Florida (1130), Auburn (804) and Tennessee (780) finished out the top five. Rounding out the group ahead of the Commodores was Arkansas (572), LSU (548), Alabama (526), Missouri (475), Kentucky (426) and South Carolina (260).
Despite finishing last at SEC’s yet again, the Commodores have continued to make strides each year. Last year the Commodores broke 14 school records at SEC’s, only to out-do that this season setting 15 school marks. Vandy posted six NCAA B-cuts at this seasons SEC Championships, two better than a season ago.
On the final day of action Vanderbilt set two school records and earned two finals swims.
Junior Elly Faulkner who coming in the final day of action had already set two school records at these SEC’s, had her eye on one more. In the preliminary swim of the 200-yard breaststroke Faulkner dropped her PR by almost a full second and a half to qualify for the C-final.
In Faulkner’s final swim she lowered her PR from earlier in the day even farther, becoming the first Commodore to go sub 2:14 in the 200 breast. She touched the wall at an official time of 2:13.84 to set yet another Vanderbilt school record.
After swimming a 1:56.93 in her preliminary swim to earn a spot in the C-final, junior Chrissy Oberg clocked in at 1:57.00 in her finals swim to take seventh in her heat. Oberg’s prelim swim fell just six-hundredths shy of her school record set last season.
The Commodores wrapped up the 2014 SEC Championships with a school record swim in the 400-yard freestyle relay. The team of Kayla Moran, Melissa Roberts, Caroline Thomas and Hannah Martin set the school mark with a time of 3:25.16.
In between sessions both Kathryn Babbin and Michelle Williamson swam the 1650-yard freestyle. Babbin posted a 25-second PR, finishing with a time of 16:56.69. The freshman’s 1000-yard split time was 10:10.31, seven-seconds off the school record time.
Williamson capped her collegiate career finishing the race in 17:41.42.
Outside of both Oberg and Faulkner earning second swims on the final day of action, the morning was highlighted by Martin’s school record swim in the 100-yard freestyle.
Martin finished just outside qualifying in 29th place, shaving nearly a second and a half off her seed time, clocking in at 50.38. It took a time of 49.57 or better to earn a second swim in the 100 free.
Also swimming the 100 free was Thomas (51.54), Roberts (51.84), Christina Wang (52.10) and Margaux Georgiadis (53.59).
Joining Oberg in the 200 back was Martin and Alexis Mayhall. Martin, who had just come off her school record swim in the 100 free, touched the wall with a time of 2:02.68. Mayhall finished the event at 2:05.63.
Lauren Egan, Rebecca Young and Kathryn Coughlin all swam the 200 breast along with Faulkner. Egan finished at a time of 2:18.94, almost a 2 second PR. Young clocked in at 2:20.76, dropping her seed time by nearly nine-seconds and setting a new PR by over three-seconds. Coughlin finished the event with a time of 2:24.41.
Vanderbilt School Records set at SEC’s:
50 freestyle: Kayla Moran – 23.48
100 freestyle: Hannah Martin – 50.38
200 freestyle: Hannah Martin – 1:49.87 (tie)
500 freestyle: Kathryn Babbin – 4:55.51
100 butterfly: Kayla Moran – 54.62
200 butterfly: Alexandra Blankenburg – 1:59.49
100 backstroke: Chrissy Oberg – 54.53
100 breaststroke: Elly Faulkner – 1:01.44
200 breaststroke: Elly Faulkner – 2:13.84
200 IM: Elly Faulkner – 2:00.67
200 free relay: Christina Wang, Kayla Moran, Caroline Thomas and Hannah Martin – 1:33.59
400 free relay: Kayla Moran, Melissa Roberts, Caroline Thomas and Hannah Martin – 3:25.16
800 free relay: Carrie Bencic, Elly Faulkner, Lauren Torres and Hannah Martin – 7:21.94
200 medley relay: Chrissy Oberg, Kathryn Coughlin, Kayla Moran and Caroline Thomas – 1:42.07
400 medley relay: Chrissy Oberg, Elly Faulkner, Kayla Moran and Hannah Martin – 3:40.65
