University of Tennessee Athletics
Swimmer Hanson Named EdSouth Athlete of the Month
March 05, 2001 | Women's Swimming & Diving
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Mar. 5, 2001) -- Senior Pam Hanson paced the No. 22 University of Tennessee women's swimming and diving team at last weekend's Southeastern Conference Championships and for her efforts she has been named the EdSouth Athlete of the Month for February.
The Lady Vols had only two meets during the month of February and Hanson made both of them pay off. During the first week of the month, she won a pair of events in a dual competition against No. 7 Florida. Hanson notched victories in the 200y backstroke and 200y individual medley while helping the 400y medley relay team to a second-place finish.
Later in the month, Hanson entered the SEC Championships hoping to pick up a couple of medals before the NCAA Championships. Hanson did much more than that during the conference meet in Tuscaloosa, as she competed in five races and won two silver medals and a gold. Hanson's first race of the meet turned out to be golden as she won the 100y butterfly in a school record time of 53.37, which also broke former Olympian Mary T. Meagher's Alabama pool record and also shattered Tennessee's school record of 54.58 previously held by Tori DeSilvia.
Later that same night, she turned in another noteworthy performance by finishing second in the 100y backstroke with a time of 54.94 in a race that came down to the wire. Hanson capped off that night with a fourth-place finish as the leadoff leg of the 400y medley relay.
Hanson's other busy day of competition came on the final day of the event, as she finished second in the 200y backstroke and set another Tennessee record with her time of 1:57.12, besting her own UT standard of 1:58.18 set earlier this season. She capped off the evening with an appearance as the anchor leg of the 400y free relay unit. Her valuable points helped Tennessee to a fifth-place team finish overall.
Her efforts also led her to a tie for second place in the Commissioner's Trophy standings at the SEC Championships. The Commissioner's Trophy is awarded to the event's individual highest point scorer. Hanson will next be in action during the month of March, as she will be competing at the NCAA Championships from March 15-17 in Long Island, N.Y. Her times in the 100y butterfly, 100y backstroke and 200y backstroke guarantee her a spot at the national championships.
The other nominees for the month of February were: Nicole Borg (softball), Sharon Dickie (track and field) and Gwen Jackson (basketball).
