University of Tennessee Athletics
LADY VOLS BEGIN COMPETITION AT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
August 02, 2006 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Aug. 2, 2006
IRVINE, Calif. - Lady Vols Christine Magnuson, Carly Mathes, Tiffany Clay and Megan Tomes competed with some of the world's best in the 200m IM and 100m butterfly at the ConocoPhillips USA National Championships on Tuesday.
In the 100m butterfly finals, rising junior Magnuson took 15th place in a field full of the United States' best competitors, including four 2004 Olympians. The Tinley Park, Ill., native clocked a 1:01.04, just 0.92 seconds short of a top-ten finish. Magnuson qualified for the finals after swimming a 13th-place, 1:00.72 in the preliminaries. Five-time Olympian Natalie Coughlin won the event in 57.78, one-tenth of a second faster than fellow Olympian Rachel Komisarz.
Mathes, a rising sophomore, swam a career-best 2:22.40 in the preliminaries, while teammate Clay took seven seconds off her best time in a 200m IM time trial. All-American Tomes crossed the finish line at 2:20.89 in the preliminaries as well. Olympian Kate Hoff, swimming for North Baltimore Aquatic Club, took first place honors after breaking her own American record with a time of 2:10.05.
Mathes, Tomes and Magnuson will be back in the water today competing in the 200m freestyle. Preliminaries begin at 9:30 a.m. PT.
