University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol Swimming Team Completes Winter Training Trip
December 22, 2000 | Women's Swimming & Diving
PALM BEACH, Aruba -- The University of Tennessee women's swimming team capped off a week-long winter training trip with the Aruba Sprint Invitational. The team competed in Palm Beach against the Aruba Dolphins club team at the Sevenata Aquatic Center.
The Lady Vols and the Dolphins competed in eight sprint events at the meet including 50 and 100-meter races in the butterfly, backstroke, freestyle and breaststroke. Senior Pam Hanson led the way for UT as she won three events including the 100 fly, 100 back and 100 breast.
"I thought that the meet and the training went extremely well", head swimming coach Dan Colella said. "The Aruba Dolphins are a great club team and a great host. This was a spectacular facility for such a small island and I think that we have a lot look forward to for the spring semester."
To open the meet, freshman Amber Fuller (Yakima, Wash.) took second in the 50m butterfly with a mark of 30.93 while junior Laura Hancock (Spanish Fort, Ala.) finished third in 31.08 and sophomore Bethany Hall (Knoxville, Tenn.) came in fourth with a clocking of 31.13.
In the 100 fly, Hanson (La Crosse, Wis.) recorded her first win of the competition with a time of 1:06.77 while junior Monica Shannahan (San Diego, Calif.) came in second at 1:09.56 and Fuller rounded out the Lady Vol contingent with a time of 1:10.95 in third place.
Junior Bianca Jones (Palm Beach, Australia) finished second in the 50m backstroke to pace the Orange and White in that event. She recorded a time of 33.19 while junior Valerie Conte (Bensenville, Ill.) finished just behind her with a mark of 33.78 in third place and freshman Katie Melka (Marietta, Ga.) came in fourth with a clocking of 33.91.
Hanson notched her second victory of the day in the 100m backstroke with a time of 1:08.47 to lead an UT sweep of the first three positions. Conte came in second in 1:10.92 and senior Azurdee Engel (Decatur, Ga.) finished third in 1:14.33.
In the 50m breaststroke, swimmers for the Orange and White crossed the line in first, second and fourth with sophomore Nicole Brannock (Ellicott City, Md.) earning the win in a time of 36.85. Shannahan came in second in 36.87 and Hancock was fourth in 38.28.
Hanson recorded her final victory of the evening as she won the 100m breaststroke with a mark of 1:20.27 to lead the Lady Vols to a sweep of the top three spots. Brannock took second in 1:20.97 while Suzy Norcliffe (Jacksonville, Fla.) was third in 1:25.28.
The final events of the night, the 50 and 100 freestyles, were also successful for the Lady Vols. In the 100 free, Hall took second in 1:02.84 while Elizabeth Philp (Adelaide, Australia) was fourth in 1:05.05 and Engel was fifth in 1:05.17. In the 50 free, Hancock was third in 28.60 while Jones was fourth in 28.80 and sophomore Sara Wingfield (Fort Pierce, Fla) was fifth in 28.89.
The Lady Vols will take a break for the winter holidays before returning to action on Jan. 5, 2001, by playing host to a dual meet with Arizona State at the UT Student Aquatic Center.
