NCAA Division I conference championship meets got underway Wednesday, Feb. 15, in the ACC, Big East, Big 10, and SEC. This is the first of three weekends of conference championship meets, leading up to the NCAA Championship Meet, beginning March 22, at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington.
This weekend, the U-Va. and Indiana women's teams look to defend their conference titles in the ACC and Big 10, respectively, as will Louisville's men's and women's teams in the Big East. After 15 consecutive SEC titles, it is hard not to favor Auburn's men's team again this year. Georgia will have a tougher battle in the women's meet, with perennial contenders Florida and Auburn looking to upset the Bulldogs.
ACC Women's Swimming & Diving Championship
University of Virginia women's team has all but wrapped up its fifth consecutive ACC Championship title after only the second day of competition at the Christiansburg Aquatic Center in Christiansburg, Va.. With big wins in the 200 medley, 800 freestyle, and 200 freestyle relays, U-Va. has compiled 311 points and is expected to keep piling on the points in days three and four.
The Cavaliers currently have more than a 100-point lead over second-place UNC (197 points). Florida State is third with 166 points. Miami and Virginia Tech are tied for fourth with 130 points.
The lone record-breaking swim of the meet so far came from UNC's Stephanie Peacock, who broke her own conference and meet record in the women's 500 freestyle in a time of 4:36.48.
Complete results and scores available here.
SEC Swimming & Diving Championship
Amanda Kendall (Robinson High School/Mason Makos) got off to a great start at the SEC Championship Meet, hosted by the University of Tennessee, finishing second in the women's 50 freestyle in 21.92, behind Auburn senior Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace, who won in 21.35. Vanderpool-Wallace competed for Bahamas at the 2008 Olympic Games, where she finished 24th in the 50 freestyle.
(photo provided by LSU Sports Information)
Kendall was also a major player on LSU's relays. She led off the fourth place 200 freestyle relay and the fifth place 800 freestyle relay. She split 1:44.97 in the 800 freestyle relay.
She also swam the second fastest fly split in the 200 medley relay (23.06), behind Kelsey Floyd (Tennessee). Georgia's women were the winners of the 800 freestyle relay.
Also in the race, Suzanne Schwee (Stone Bridge/Curl-Burke) swam for the eighth-place Alabama 800 freestyle relay, with a split of 1:50.26.
At the end of the second day of competition, University of Georgia leads the women's contenders with 274 points, Tennessee is second with 249, Auburn third (228.5), Florida fourth (198.5), and LSU fifth (176).
On the men's side, Auburn leads with 301 points, closely followed by Florida with 276 points. Georgia and Tennessee are tied for third with 208 points. Auburn's men and Georgia's women are the defending SEC champions.
Complete results and scores available here.
Big East Swimming & Diving Championship
Rachael Burnett (Annandale High School/Potomac Marlins) won the women's 500 freestyle, at the Big East Championship in Pittsburgh, breaking the her own record, in a time of 4:39.63.
She also led off the record-breaking women's 800 freestyle relay for West Virginia University, with the race's fastest split (1:45.82). Burnett, Kata Fodor, Amanda Nugent, and Danielle Smith shattered the previous record, set by West Virginia in 2010. Burnett was a member of the previous record-setting relay as a freshman.
Burnett would also anchor the second-place 200 medley relay, which lost to Louisville, 1:38.68 to 1:39.99.
Louisville's team of Alex Burtch, Michael Pryor, Joao De Lucca, and Albert Lloyd also set the record in the men's 800 freestyle relay with a time of 6:22.70. De Lucca would later be part of Louisville's record-setting men's 200 freestyle relay, along with Brendon Andrews, Matthew Schlytter, and Samuel Hoekstra, in a time of 1:17.74.
Notre Dame's Frank Dyer (sophomore) broke the record in the men's 500 freestyle with a time of 4:18.50. Dyer's teammates, freshman Emma Reaney and junior William Bass, broke records in the women's and men's 200 individual medley. Reaney finished in 1:56.42. Bass' finished in 1:44.81, an NCAA automatic qualifying time.
Will Lawler (Georgetown Prep/All Star Aquatics) delivered a great third leg for Georgetown in the men's 800 freestyle relay, splitting 1:40.30. They finished sixth overall. Also in the race, Scott Thiede (Good Counsel/All Star Aquatics) was Villanova's fastest split (1:4056). They finished eighth. Thiede would later lead off Villanova's 200 freestyle relay, which again finished eighth.
Lawler also swam the fly leg for Georgetown in the 200 medley relay, which finished sixth, and was part of the men's 200 freestyle relay, which finished fifth.
With two days to go, Louisville's women have built a big lead over second placed Notre Dame, 304 to 212. West Virginia University is third with 192 points. Connecticut a close fourth with 183 points.
Notre Dame and Louisville have separated themselves from the rest of the men's field. Notre Dame has the lead with 406 points to Louisville's 330.5 points. Pittsburgh's men's team is a distant third with 216 points. West Virginia is in fourth with 186.5
Complete results and scores available here.
Big Ten Women's Swimming & Diving Championship
Rebecca Thompson (Wisconsin) has done her part to keep Wisconsin in the mix for the Big 10 Championship title, winning the women's 50 freestyle in a new meet record of 22.04. The meet is being hosted by the University of Iowa at the magnificent Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, built in 2010.
Thompson also led off the record-setting 200 freestyle relay for Indiana. Thompson, Ivy Martin, Rebecka Palm, and Ruby Martin would combine for a time of 1:28.46. She also anchored the winning 200 medley relay for Wisconsin.
Allysa Vavra (Indiana) set the meet record in the women's 200 individual medley with a time of 1:55.44.
Indiana got its second record of the meet in the women's 800 freestyle relay. Brittany Strumbel, Lindsay Vrooman, Jessica White, and Margaux Farrell would combine for an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 7:00.82
At the midway point, University of Minnesota leads a tight field with 235 points, just ahead of Ohio State University (222), Indiana (203), and Wisconsin (174).
Complete results and scores available here.