November 17, 2006

Results

Nike Cup Day One

 

BLACKSBURG, Va. - The Virginia Tech men's and women's swimming and diving teams are both in fifth place after the first day of the Nike Cup Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., Thursday. The Hokies recorded nine NCAA "B" qualifying times between both the preliminary and final events. The Tech women currently have 169 points, while the men have 151 points. Florida State leads both the men's and women's competitions after six events.

The Tech women showed their dominance in the 200-yard individual medley in preliminary competition, with five swimmers earning spots in the finals. Sara Smith and Jessica Botzum had the Top 2 fastest times, respectively, of all the qualifying heats. Both women earned a spot in the super finals, which are comprised of the Top 4 swimmers from each event. During the evening session, Smith once again dominated the event, earning the first place finish in 2:01.85. Botzum was only strokes behind Smith, hitting the wall in 2:03.87 for third. Both Smith's and Botzum's preliminary and final times were NCAA provisional cuts.

Millie Campbell, Allison Luttermoser and Claire Dickey rounded out the five Hokie swimmers in the event's finals. Campbell finished fifth, earning her first NCAA consideration cut with a time of 2:04.02. Luttermoser finished 12^th, while Dickey rounded out the Top 20.

A third-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle's morning session put Smith in a second super final race for the day. During the evening session, Smith hit the wall in 23.06, taking the third-place spot. Her morning and evening times in the event gave Smith her third and fourth NCAA "B" cuts for the opening day of the Nike Cup. She now has six on the season.

In the 500-yard freestyle event, Beth Byrum and Sara Shapiro both qualified for the event finals for the Hokies. Byrum finished 15^th in a time of 4:59.35, while Shapiro was 19^th, touching the wall in 5:03.36. Both relay squads for the women finished fifth. The 200-yard freestyle relay team clocked in at 1:34.94, while the 400-yard medley relay squad finished in 3:47.47.

Three men earned spots in the evening session for the 50-yard freestyle. Kaan Tayla was the Hokies' top qualifier in the event, earning a spot in the super finals. He went on to finish third, with his first NCAA "B" cut time of 20.25. Scott Beard's time of 21.01 earned him a 10^th-place finish, while Jake Bova went 21.12 in the event for the No. 16 spot.

Gus Calado earned his first NCAA "B" cut of the season in the 500-yard freestyle. He was the top finisher in the finals for the night, taking fifth place in a time of 4:25.07. Chip Hughes earned a 17^th-place finish in the same event, touching the wall in 4:37.53. Ben Miller rounded out the trio in the finals, taking 20^th in 4:43.58.

In the 200-yard individual medley, four Tech swimmers competed in the event finals. Zac Czaplicki was seventh, finishing in 1:53.12. Jimmy McLaughlin finished in the Top 15, while Scott Harkins and Neil Savage were 17^th and 18^th, respectively.

In the diving well, Mikey McDonald qualified for the finals in the 1-meter competition when he totaled 284.25. During the finals, he earned a seventh-place finish and scored 288.75 points.

The Hokie men opened up with a Top 3 finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay, in a time of 1:21.86. The relay squad for the 400-yard medley relay finished fourth with a time of 3:22.03.

The Nike Cup meet continues tomorrow and concludes on Saturday.

   Women - Team Rankings - Through Event 42                    

 

  1. Florida State University            260   

  2. University of North Carolina        229

  3. Clemson University                  209   

  4. University of Kentucky              181

  5. Virginia Tech                       169   

  6. University of Miami Hurricanes       87

  7. East Carolina Swimming & Divin       71   

  8. Syracuse University                  27

  9. N.C.  State University                7                                             

 

 Men - Team Rankings - Through Event 42                     

 

  1. Florida State University            400   

  2. University of Kentucky              207

  3. Clemson University                  203   

  4. University of North Carolina        192

  5. Virginia Tech                       151   

  6. James Madison University             27

  7. East Carolina Swimming & Divin       26   

  8. N.C.  State University               17

  9. University of Miami Hurricanes       15  

 10. Syracuse University                   2