Feb. 19, 2009
AUBURN, Ala. –
Sophomore diver Jessie Snowden secured the first medal of the 2009 SEC Championships for the Kentucky Wildcats and then the UK men’s 200-free relay followed suit on the second night of competition in Auburn Thursday.
Snowden tallied a 313.05 score on the one-meter in the event to earn her first career medal on a springboard at the conference meet. The sophomore improved 13 points and two seeds from the preliminary rounds when she scored 300.05 and fourth place in the morning’s rounds. Her 313.05 score in this evening’s competition moves her into third place all-time at UK for a score in the event.
UK pieced together a quartet of juniors Eric McGinnis, Alex Forbes, Elvis Burrows and senior Shane Eliason for the bronze medal winning 200-free relay behind a 1:18.25 time–good for an NCAA `B’ qualifying time standard. McGinnis took the first split with a time of 19.76, followed by Forbes with a split of 19.47. Burrows took the third leg and earned the fastest split time of 19.41, with the senior anchoring in a time of 19.61. In a photogenic finish the men out-touched Florida who finished fourth in a time of 1:18.34.
McGinnis, Forbes and Burrows all were also major factors in the 50-free individual races. McGinnis notched fifth place in the 50-free for his second consecutive top-five finish in the event. Forbes, Burrows and classmate Kyle Greene tapped in 12th, 13th and 16th, respectively. Earlier in the day all four athletes posted career-best marks in the 50-free in qualifying for the evening action. All four also moved ahead in UK’s career chart list with their impressive swims. McGinnis’ preliminary time of 19.50 stands as the second fastest time in school history. Burrows (19.83) now holds the fourth fastest time with Forbes (19.85) securing the fifth fastest and Greene (19.92) notching the sixth in school allure. All four of UK’s top finishers in the event earned NCAA `B’ qualifying time standards.
On the women’s side in the event freshman Kelsi Hall and junior Megan Pulskamp placed 13th and 14th overall. Hall captured a career-best time in qualifying for the event during the preliminary rounds with the school’s sixth fastest time of 22.77 during her first career SEC Championships. Pulskamp’s top-16 finish in the event is the first of her career after placing 22nd in the same event a year ago. Both women also secured NCAA `B’ qualifying time standards with their swims today.
The ladies wrapped up the night with a sixth place finish in the 200-free relay. UK’s quartet of Hall, freshman Chelsea Peterson, sophomore Jenna Newsome and Pulskamp earned an NCAA `B’ qualifying time standard with a 1:30.11 clip. Hall took the first leg with a split of 23.07 followed by Peterson’s time of 22.64. Newsome earned a split of 22.25 in the third leg and Pulskamp anchored with the fastest split of 22.25 for the finish.
Sophomore Tyler Reed and freshman Morne’ Boshoff led the distance swimmers Thursday as both scored top-16 finishes in the 500-free. Reed touched in 13th overall with a time of 4:22.29 with Boshoff placing 15th overall after clocking in at 4:24.10 in his first career conference meet. Both times are good for an NCAA `B’ qualifying time standard.
Senior diver Justin Smith scored for the second consecutive night with a 14th place finish on the three-meter board. Smith tallied a 321.25 score in the event after placing 16th on the one-meter just a night earlier.
After two days of action complete, Kentucky’s men sit in seventh place while the men are in eighth in the SEC standings. Florida’s women and Auburn’s men sit atop the leaderboard through 16 events on both sides.
Live results of the meet can be by visiting the official host of the 2009 SEC Championships Auburn’s home page, www.auburntigers.com.
A complete recap following each day of events can be found at UK’s official home page. Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for all of the news and notes about the UK swimming and diving teams.
Event 1 Men’s One-Meter Diving (Wednesday)
Justin Smith 16th 259.60
Tom Gimm 19th 204.85
Event 2 Men’s 200-Medley Relay (Wednesday)
Retrum, McGinnis, Burrows, Eliason
6th 1:27.00 NCAA “B” cut (school record)
Event 3 Women’s 200-Medley Relay (Wednesday)
Penrod, Graessle, Pulskamp, Hall
6th 1:38.31 NCAA “B” cut (school record)
Event 4 Women’s Three-Meter Diving (Wednesday)
Jessie Snowden 12th 285.40
Event 5 Men’s 800-Freestyle Relay (Wednesday)
Reed, Greene, Boshoff, Strijdom
5th 6:26.87 NCAA “B” cut
Event 6 Women’s 800-Freestyle Relay (Wednesday)
Miller, Peterson, Rames, Sirmon
7th 7:16.97 NCAA “B” cut (school record)
Event 7 Women’s One-Meter Diving (Thursday)
Jessie Snowden 2nd 313.05 Medalist; career-best score; 3rd all-time at UK
4th 300.55 (prelims)
Event 8 Men’s 500-Freestyle (Thursday)
Tyler Reed 13th 4:22.29 (finals) NCAA `B’ cut; season-best time
12th 4:23.54 (prelims)
Morne’ Boshoff 15th 4:24.10 (finals)
13th 4:23.80 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut; career-best time
James Batley 27th 4:39.15
Ben Russell (4:40.69)
Event 9 Women’s 500-Freestyle (Thursday)
Kelly Rames 22nd 4:53.93 career-best time, ranks 10th all-time at UK
Haleigh Kerns 25th 4:56.20 season-best time
Leah Harms 28th 4:59.30
Event 10 Men’s 200-Individual Medley (Thursday)
Grant Cooksey 27th 1:51.38 career-best time
Matt Russell 35th 1:54.24
Adam Twer 36th 1:55.03 career-best time
Event 11 Women’s 200-Individual Medley (Thursday)
Casey Miller 32nd 2:03.98
Claire Archibald 38th 2:06.33
Jenna Willis 44th 2:07.46 career-best time
Lindsey Graessle 48th 2:11.95 career-best time
Event 12 Men’s 50-Freestyle (Thursday)
Eric McGinnis 5th 19.55 (finals)
4th 19:50 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut, career-best time, 2nd all-time at UK
Alex Forbes 12th 19.91 (finals)
12th 19:85 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut, career-best time, 5th all-time at UK
Elvis Burrows 13th 19.96 (finals)
11th 19:83 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut, career-best time, 4th all-time at UK
Kyle Greene 16th 20.02 (finals)
15th 19:92 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut, career-best time, 6th all-time at UK
Colin Faris 17th 20.02 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut, career-best time, 7th all-time at UK
Chris Richard 21st 20.26 career-best time
Travis Muzzillo 31st 20.77
Reinhardt Strijdom 42nd 21.17
Julio Vallette 47th 22.17 career-best time
Event 13 Women’s 50-Freestyle (Thursday)
Kelsi Hall 13th 22.78 (finals)
12th 22.77 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut, career-best time, 6th all-time at UK
Megan Pulskamp 14th 22.85 (finals)
14th 22.78 (prelims) NCAA `B’ cut
Jenna Newsome 26th 23.32
Chelsea Peterson 27th 23.36 career-best time
Kayla Sergesketter 29th 23.42 career-best time
Mandy Myers 32nd 23.49 career-best time
Lindsay Lash 43rd 24.13 career-best time
Kristina Sledge 45th 24.25 season-best time
Chatham Penrod 51st 24.43 career-best time
Anna Mattox (23.99 career-best time)
Sydney Witzky (24.08 career-best time)
Event 14 Men’s Three-Meter Diving (Thursday)
Justin Smith 14th 321.25
Tom Gimm 19th 239.75 career-best score
Event 15 Men’s 200-Free Relay (Thursday)
McGinnis, Forbes, Burrows, Eliason
3rd (19.76, 19.47, 19.41, 19.61) 1:18.25 NCAA `B’ cut
Event 16 Women’s 200-Free Relay (Thursday)
Hall, Peterson, Newsome, Pulskamp
6th (23.07, 22.64, 22.25, 22.15) 1:30.11 NCAA `B’ cut
