Story Links
Oct. 24, 2003
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The defending NCAA Champion Auburn men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams combined to win 14 of 18 events to lead Virginia and Penn State after the first of two days of a double-dual meet Friday (October 24) at the UVa Aquatic and Fitness Center. The Auburn men lead UVa 91-57 as well as Penn State 121-27, while the Cavaliers lead the Nittany Lions 116-32. In the women’s meet, Auburn has outscored Virginia 105-43 and Penn State 106-42, while the Nittany Lions hold a slim 78-70 edge over the UVa women. The double-dual meet concludes Saturday (October 25) at 11:00 a.m.
The Auburn men won six of nine events during the first day of competition, while UVa won three events. Auburn diver Caesar Garcia got the Tigers off to a quick start by winning the three-meter diving competition with 327.90 points. Fourth-year Pete Amstutz (St. Joseph, Mich./St. Joseph) was the Cavaliers’ top finisher in third place with 288.50 points. In the 200 free relay, the Auburn foursome of George Bovell, BJ Jones, Ryan Wochomurka, and Mark Gangloff pulled away in the end and touched in 1:22.15 for the victory. UVa’s team of fourth-year Adam Kerpelman (Lutherville, Md./St. Paul’s School), fourth-year Jon Haag (Ashland, Ohio/Ashland), second-year Ethan McCoy (McMinnville, Ore./McMinnville) and third-year Brian Harrington (Alexandria, Va./Mount Vernon) was second in 1:24.17. Bovell also won the 200 I.M. with a time of 1:47.98 (NCAA B) and the 100 freestyle in 44.39 (NCAA B). Virginia third-year Bo Greenwood (Manakin, Va./Goochland) was runner-up in the 200 I.M. with a time of 1:50.32. Haag led UVa in the 100 free with a third-place time of 46.64, while Kerpelman was fourth (46.67).
The Cavalier men earned their first victory of the evening in the 500 freestyle. Second-year Fran Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./Germantown Academy) posted a winning time of 4:23.48 (NCAA B). Fourth-year Ian Prichard (Ventura, Calif./Buena) was third in a time of 4:30.55. Virginia picked up its second win of the night in the next event, the 100 breaststroke, as first-year Vanja Rogulj (Zagreb, Croatia/Split) clocked a winning time of 55.47 (NCAA B). In the 200 backstroke, Auburn’s Bryce Hunt captured the top spot by out-touching UVa fourth-year Luke Wagner (Englewood, Colo./Regis Jesuit) with a time of 1:46.35 (NCAA B). Wagner’s runner-up time was 1:46.55 (NCA B).
UVa’s third and final win of the evening came in the 200 butterfly as third-year Michael Raab (Rockville, Md./Walter Johnson) won by nearly three seconds in a time of 1:46.54 (NCAA B). The Tigers capped off an impressive evening by winning the final event, the 400 medley relay with a time of 3:18.63. Hunt, Gangloff, Jeremy Knowles, and Wochomurka swam legs on Auburn’s winning relay. The Cavalier foursome of Wagner, Rogulj, Raab, and Kerpelman touched in 3:19.85 for runners-up honors.
Auburn dominated the women’s competition, taking eight of nine events. The Tigers’ Ashley Rubenstein started the meet by winning the one-meter diving competition with 259.10 points. In the 200 freestyle relay, Auburn’s, Jana Kolukanova, Christina Swindle, Becky Short, Eileen Coparropa posted a NCAA “B” qualifying time of 1:31.39 in taking the top spot. The Cavalier foursome of first-year Shannon Hogan (Northville, Mich./Northville), fourth-year Cynthia Roller (Herndon, Va./Herndon), first-year Katy Bland (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville), and third-year Laura Lipskis (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) finished third with a time of 1:37.82. Auburn’s Kirsty Coventry won a pair of individual events. She grabbed the top spot in the 200 I.M. with a time of 2:01.11 (NCAA B) and also took first place in the 200 backstroke with a UVa pool and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:57.98. Second-year Elaine Bennett (Richmond, Va./Douglas Freeman) was Virginia’s top finisher in the 200 I.M. with a fourth-place time of 2:06.43, while second-year Corey Berg (Hyde Park, N.Y./F.D. Roosevelt) paced the Cavaliers in the 200 back with a fourth-place time of 2:01.98.
UVa first-year Kimi Kelly (Mount Vernon, N.Y./Ursuline School) earned the Cavaliers’ first victory of the meet as she took the top spot in the 500 free with a NCAA automatic qualifying time of 4:44.92, only 1.5 seconds off the UVa pool record. Second-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel) was second in a time of 4:47.84 (NCAA B). In addition to swimming on the Tigers’ winning 200 free relay, Swander won the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.64, while Short touched first in the 100 freestyle (49.94 – NCAA B). UVa’s top finisher in the 100 breast was first-year Jenny Steiner (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) in fifth place (1:05.80). Bland was UVa’s top performer in the 100 free as she clocked a time of 52.01 to finish sixth. In the 200 butterfly, Auburn’s Margaret Hoelzer won the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:59.41 (NCAA B). UVa’s Kelly was third overall with a time of 2:01.26 (NCAA B). In the final event of the evening, the 400 medley relay, the Auburn foursome of Hoelzer, Swander, Demerae Christianson and Coparropa capped off an excellent evening by the Tigers with a winning time of 3:44.45 (NCAA B). The UVa foursome of second-year Brielle White (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside School), Steiner, Roller and Bland finished third behind Penn State with a time of 3:49.85.