University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOLS FINISH SEVENTH AT SEC SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
February 23, 2002 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 23, 2002
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.
After a week of action, the University of Tennessee women's swimming and diving team wrapped up the 2002 Southeastern Conference Championships with a seventh-place finish on Saturday at the Arkansas Natatorium.
Florida won the overall crown with a total of 742.5 points, knocking off five-time defending conference champ Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs were second with 719 points while Auburn was third (693.5), Alabama was fourth (340.5) and LSU was fifth (312). South Carolina edged the Lady Vols with 285.5 points while Tennessee had 240. Arkansas finished eighth with 214 while Kentucky was ninth with 203 points.
Senior Valerie Conte recorded the highest finish of any Lady Vol swimmer at the 2002 SEC Championships when she took fifth in the 200y backstroke. The Bensenville, Ill., native swam a lifetime-best time of 2:00.60 in the finals to record an NCAA 'B' cut. Earlier this week, Conte finished seventh in the 200y IM and 10th in the 100y backstroke to cap her senior season off with three of the best SEC finishes of her career and two NCAA qualifying times. Auburn freshman Margaret Hoelzer won the 200y backstroke with a time of 1:55.35.
Senior Monica Shannahan advanced to the consolation finals of both the 200y butterfly and the 200y breaststroke with ninth-place places in the preliminaries of both races. Unfortunately, Shannahan missed the championship finals of the two events by a combined half-second. In the finals, the San Diego native finished 10th in the 200y butterfly with a time of 2:00.90 while taking 10th in the 200y breaststroke with an NCAA provisional clocking of 2:18.13. In the preliminaries, Shannahan was ninth with both races with times of 2:01.51 in the 200y fly and 2:18.78 in the 200y breast.
"Tonight, we finished the 2002 SEC Championship meet up with some fine performances most notably from our seniors Monica Shannahan and Valerie Conte," Tennessee head coach Dan Collela said. "Monica doubled tonight in the 200y butterfly and the 200y breaststroke, which she has not done since her sophomore season. In the 200y butterfly, Monica went from fourth to second in the last five yards for a nice finish to the meet. We are now looking forward to NCAAs and next year with our fabulous freshman class that will be joining us in the fall."
Junior Nicole Brannock joined Shannahan in the consolation finals of the 200y breast. Brannock notched a 15th-place finish in the final with a time of 2:21.33. She had recorded a 12th-place time of 2:20.19 in the preliminaries. Alabama's Anne Poleska won the 200y breaststroke with a time of 2:09.21 while Florida's Rebecca Harper won the 200y butterfly with a clocking of 1:55.97.
In the longest event of the meet, the Lady Vols had three swimmers compete in the timed final heats of the 1,650y freestyle. Senior Cortney Piper and junior Lindsey Brock each scored points and reached NCAA provisional times for the Lady Vols with their 12th and 13th place finishes. Piper finished 12th in a time of 16:51.88 while Brock was 13th with a clocking of 16:55.32. Sophomore Raellen Arnold took 18th with a time of 17:07.19 to round out the UT contingent while Florida's Sara McLarty won the event in a time of 16:12.20.
In the day's only other individual event, UT had five swimmers compete in the preliminaries of the 100y freestyle. Junior Bethany Hall paced the Tennessee effort with a time of :52.70 which was good for 30th while junior Sara Wingfield was 34th with a clocking of :53.02. Freshman Jessica Blevins was 36th in :53.51 while senior Elizabeth Philp took 38th with a mark of :54.13. Sophomore Amy Danchik swam the race as an exhibition with a time of :55.81.
The Lady Vols capped off the 2002 SEC Championships with a ninth-place finish in the 400y freestyle relay. The team of Blevins, Hall, Wingfield and Conte finished with a time of 3:30.79.
Four other Tennessee competitors also swam in the preliminaries of the 200y breaststroke and 200y butterfly. In the 200y breast, freshman Valerie Fenter finished 18th with a time of 2:21.13 while sophomore Kristin Souppa was 25th with a clocking of 2:28.82. In the 200y breast, freshman Livia Trevisan was 19th with a time of 2:05.18 while freshman Elizabeth Wueste was 20th in a time of 2:10.07.
With the conclusion of the SEC Championships, the Lady Vol divers will next be in action at the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Lexington, Ky., over the weekend of March 15-16. The NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships are scheduled for March 21-23 in Austin, Texas.
2002 Southeastern Conference Swimming & Diving Championships Tennessee Women's Results Saturday, February 23, 2002 | ||
| 200y Backstroke | ||
| Finals | ||
| 5. | Valerie Conte | 2:00.60 |
| Preliminaries | ||
| 5. | Valerie Conte | 2:00.64 |
| 100y Freestyle | ||
| Preliminaries | ||
| 30. | Bethany Hall | :52.70 |
| 34. | Sara Wingfield | :53.02 |
| 36. | Jessica Blevins | :53.51 |
| 38. | Elizabeth Philp | :54.13 |
| Ex. | Amy Danchik | :55.81 |
| 200y Breaststroke | ||
| Finals | ||
| 10. | Monica Shannahan | 2:18.13 |
| 15. | Nicole Brannock | 2:21.33 |
| Preliminaries | ||
| 9. | Monica Shannahan | 2:18.78 |
| 12. | Nicole Brannock | 2:20.19 |
| 18. | Valerie Fenter | 2:21.13 |
| 25. | Kristin Souppa | 2:28.82 |
| 200y Butterfly | ||
| Finals | ||
| 10. | Monica Shannahan | 2:00.90 |
| Preliminaries | ||
| 9. | Monica Shannahan | 2:01.51 |
| 19. | Livia Trevisan | 2:05.18 |
| 20. | Elizabeth Wueste | 2:10.07 |
| 1,650y Freestyle | ||
| Finals | ||
| 12. | Cortney Piper | 16:51.88 |
| 14. | Lindsey Brock | 16:55.32 |
| 18. | Raellen Arnold | 17:07.19 |
| 400y Freestyle Relay | ||
| Finals | ||
| 1. | Jessica Blevins, Bethany Hall/Sara Wingfield, Valerie Conte | 3:30.79 |
| Team Standings | ||
| 1. | Florida | 742.5 |
| 2. | Georgia | 719 |
| 3. | Auburn | 693.5 |
| 4. | Louisiana State | 340.5 |
| 5. | Alabama | 312 |
| 6. | South Carolina | 285.5 |
| 7. | TENNESSEE | 240 |
| 8. | Arkansas | 214 |
| 9. | Kentucky | 203 |
