SMU Swimming Wins C-USA Championships
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HOUSTON (SMU) – The SMU women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams won their respective 2012 Conference USA Swimming and Diving Championships Saturday night in Houston. The women finished with 816 points, nearly 100 points ahead of defending champion Rice (718). The men earned 1008 points, topping cross-town rival TCU (972). The women also set 11 C-USA Championship meet records this year.
Freshman Rachel Nicol became the second Mustang to automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships in March after posting an NCAA A standard time of 2:09.13 in the 200-yard breaststroke. The women earned a sweep of the medal stand as senior Raminta Dvariskyte placed second with an NCAA B time of 2:11.60 and freshman Erica Donadon came in third at 2:13.33, an NCAA B standard.
The Mustangs clinched the top four finishes in the 200-yard backstroke, recording four NCAA B standard times. Senior All-American Therese Svendsen won the event, touching the wall in 1:53.51. Freshman Isabella Arcila placed second (1:55.95), sophomore Deanna Matthews finished third (1:58.25) and freshman Eleonor Lindborg was fourth (1:58.72).
In the 100-yard freestyle, senior Genny Konicke and sophomore Nina Rangelova tied for first place, each clocking in at 49.06, an NCAA B qualifying time. Sophomore Monika Babok came in fourth with a time of 50.55.
Senior Denisa Smolenova took gold in the 200-yard butterfly, clocking in at 1:57.61, an NCAA B time.
Freshman diver Sky Corbett-Methot completed her bronze sweep of the diving events as
she took third in the platform dive with a score of 200.30.
The Mustangs wrapped up the championship with a first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Arcila, Konicke, Svendsen and Rangelova combined to swim the event in an NCAA B standard time of 3:16.19.
The men dominated the medal stand in the 100-yard freestyle as junior standout Mindaugas Sadauskas won the event with an NCAA B standard of 43.23. Junior David Larsson also recorded an NCAA B time of 44.14 with his second-place performance. Sophomore Ryan Koops came in third (44.38).
SMU took the top three finishes in the platform dive as freshman Devin Burnett earned his third gold of the meet with a score of 361.40. Fellow newcomer Hayden Hodges placed second with 279.15 points and junior Richard Cornelius came in third with 260.30 points.
Senior Blaz Korosec won the 200-yard butterfly title with a time of 1:46.97 (NCAA B).
Sophomore Julian Fletcher took third in the 200-yard breaststroke with an NCAA B time of 1:59.22.
The men also won the final event of the meet with a victory in the 400-yard freestyle relay as Sadauskas, Larsson, Nicolai Hansen and Koops record an NCAA B time of 2:53.41.
New Conference USA Championship Meet Records:
• 200-yard medley relay: SMU (Svendsen, Donadon, Konicke, Arcila), 1:36.84
(Old mark: SMU (Svendsen, Callaghan, Werth, Klosova) 1:38.08 (2009))
• 200-yard individual medley: Therese Svendsen, SMU, 1:58.08
(Old mark: Petra Klosova, SMU 1:59.48 (2008))
• 400-yard medley relay: SMU (Svendsen, Donadon, Konicke, Rangelova), 3:32.77
(Old mark: SMU (Svendsen, Callaghan, Werth, Klosova) 3:34.62 (2009))
• 200-yard freestyle: SMU (Rangelova, Konicke, Babok, Arcila), 1:29.26
(Old mark: SMU (C. Blackman, Van den Branden, Werth, Klosova) 1:29.90 (2009))
• 100-yard butterfly: Genny Konicke, SMU, 52.12
(Old mark: Elzanne Werth, SMU 52.51 (2009))
• 200-yard freestyle: Nina Rangelova, SMU, 1:44.62
(Old mark: Jennifer Blackman, SMU 1:45.52 (2008))
• 100-yard breaststroke: Rachel Nicol, SMU, 1:01.05
(Old mark: Devon Callaghan, SMU 1:01.25 (2010))
• 100-yard backstroke: Therese Svendsen, SMU, 52.31
(Old mark: Therese Svendsen, SMU 52.64 (2011))
• 200-yard backstroke: Therese Svendsen, SMU, 1:53.51
(Old mark: Therese Svendsen, SMU 1:53.82 (2011))
• 200-yard breaststroke: Rachel Nicol, SMU, 2:09.13
(Old mark: Raminta Dvariskyte, SMU 2:13.68 (2009))
• 400-yard freestyle relay: SMU (Arcila, Konicke, Svendsen, Rangelova), 3:16.19
(Old mark: SMU (C. Blackman, Van den Branden, Werth, Klosova) 3:17.00 (2009))
