Feb. 17, 2018
COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Vanderbilt swim team continued to set new personal-best times during Day 4 of the SEC Swimming and Diving Championships Friday at the Recreation Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M University.
“Overall this was a really good day for us,” head coach Jeremy Organ said. “We were really impressed with everybody.”
Six different Commodores set new personal records during the preliminary swims Friday morning, including four in the same race. The 100-yard backstroke saw Eun Sol Chon, Madison Eaker, Kate Hornaday and Madeline Hunt all set new personal bests in the event. Hannah Hunt got her second PR of the championships in the 100-yard breast stroke, and Brooke Ellis set her second PR in the 200-yard butterfly. Madeline Hunt and Eaker’s PRs on Friday were their second PRs of the week as well.
Both of Ellis’ PRs came in 200-yard events, a distance that she says is her favorite to swim. “It feels good whenever you get to drop time,” Ellis said. “It was a great way to end my first SEC meet.”
“She works really hard every day, and has had a great season,” Organ said. “She flourishes in those distance events, and gets after it.”
Senior Breanna Sapienza turned in a strong performance in the 200 fly, touching the wall at 1:59.58. The swim earned her a NCAA “B” cut time, but was short by 0.2 seconds of qualifying for Friday’s final.
“She has been our cornerstone in the fly events,” Organ said. “She’s been the person we can go to on those events, she will be hard to replace.”
Vanderbilt swam in one event during Friday’s finals, as the 400-yard medley relay team finished in 3:41.64.
VU now focuses on the final day of competition Sunday and will swim in four prelims Sunday morning, including the long 1650-yard freestyle. Although the mile is one of the more daunting events, Organ is confident in the team’s ability. “The mile swimmers will get a bit of a rest before having to swim, but everybody will be there supporting,” Organ said. “It’s their time to shine.”
The SEC Swimming and Diving Championships will air on SEC Network tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT.
REMANING EVENTS
Commodores scheduled to swim in events in bold
SUNDAY, FEB. 18
200 back prelims
100 free prelims
200 breast prelims
1650 free finals
200 back finals
100 free finals
200 breast finals
400 free relay finals
