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Dec. 5, 2002

Final Stats

AUBURN, Ala. – The Virginia men’s and women’s swimming teams stand in second and fourth place, respectively, after the first day of competition at the Auburn Tiger Invitational Thursday (December 5) at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center. The 10th-ranked Cavalier men won three of five swimming events and are second with 310 points, while the 11th-ranked Virginia women are in fourth place with 184 points.

Fourth-ranked Auburn leads the three-team men’s competition with 330 points, only 20 points ahead of Virginia. South Carolina is third with 190 points. Defending NCAA champion Auburn leads the women’s competition with 310 points. Ninth-ranked California is second with 208 points, while 22nd-rated South Carolina is third with 206 points, followed by UVa (184).

First-year Francis Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) and third-year Luke Anderson (Charlottesville, Va./Bolles School) were individual event winners for the Cavaliers. Crippen and third-year teammate Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena) turned in dominating performances in finishing one-two in the 500 free. Crippen edged Prichard by two hundredths of a second with a winning time of 4:18.54. Crippen and Prichard’s times are the top two in the nation this season and automatically qualify the duo for the 2003 NCAA Championships. Anderson won the 50 free with a provisional qualifying time of 20.13. Anderson also led off the Cavaliers’ winning 200 free relay team that posted a time of 1:20.98. Third-years Jon Haag (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul’s School) and Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) also swam legs on the winning relay. Kerpelman and Haag placed fourth and seventh in the 50 free with times of 20.53 and 20.76, respectively. Wagner was sixth in the 200 individual medley in 1:50.27.

Second-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) was runner-up in the 200 I.M. with a time of 1:48.90, while fourth-year Guy Yimsomruay (Bangkok, Thailand/Germantown Academy) was third (1:49.07). Both swimmers met the NCAA “B” qualifying standard. First-year Ryan Berg (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional) was seventh in the 200 I.M. in 1:51.02. In addition to Crippen and Prichard finishing one-two in the 500 free, fourth-year Dan DeMarco (Great Neck, N.Y./Great Neck South) and second-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) were seventh and eighth with times of 4:31.39 and 4:33.76, respectively. The foursome of Wagner, Anderson, Raab and Kerpelman placed second in the 400 medley relay with a NCAA “B” time of 3:17.16.

On the women’s side, fourth-year All-American Mirjana Bosevska (Skopje, Macedonia/Trinity Prep) turned in the Cavaliers’ top finish with a third-place showing in the 200 individual medley. Bosevska’s time of 2:01.54, met the NCAA provisional standard. First-year Katie Gordon (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) turned in a pair of top-eight and NCAA “B” qualifying performances. She was the top UVa finisher and fourth overall in the 500 free with a time of 4:48.34 and was also sixth in the 200 I.M. (2:04.24). The Cavaliers had three other top eight finishers in the 500 free. First-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel), second-year Kate Wrenshall (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bolles School) and second-year Katie McWilliams (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) also met the NCAA “B” standard. Burke was fifth in 4:50.14, while Wrenshall was seven with a time of 4:53.23. McWilliams was eighth in the 500 free in 4:54.68, however her prelim time of 4:51.49 bettered the NCAA “B” standard.

UVa continues competition in the three-day Auburn Tiger Invitational Friday. Prelims begin at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time and finals commence at 7:00 p.m.

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