Dec. 2, 2011
Contact: Tim Ertle
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Atlanta, Ga. - With the nation's best swimmers in the building, seven Vikings showed that they could hang as they competed on the second day of the 2011 AT&T Winter National Championships on Friday (Dec. 2) morning at the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center. This year, the event is a long course meet so athletes have an opportunity to earn Olympic Trials qualifying times.
"We had another day of solid swimming," assistant coach Andrew Hancock said from Atlanta where he and assistant coach April Woo are with the 10 Vikings who qualified for the meet.
"Today was a much better session with some of the best swimmers in the world there and we fared well," Hancock said. "Many of our kids posted personal best times, and we've really come a long way. This is an incredible event and it's great for our program to come down here and have this opportunity."
Joanna Olsson had the best finish yet, coming in 67th nationally in the 400 IM (5:09.74), a day after competing in the 200 IM (2:25.14). This meet comes less than two weeks after Olsson broke the Horizon League record in the 400 yard IM at the TYR Invitational.
Alice Sommerville, the top sprinter in the Horizon League, posted a 27.45 in the 50 free yesterday and was the lone Viking to compete twice on Friday. She was clocked at 1:04.12 in the 100 fly and came back with a 1:16.08 in the 100 breast.
Carys Behn, the quickest to date in the Horizon League in the 200 free, made her debut at the National Championships and touched in 2:06.56 in the 200 meter free. When the Vikings opened their season at the Michigan State Long Course Invitational on Oct. 8, Behn was clocked at 2:13.86.
Alexandra Johansson, who swam a league-best 56.25 earlier this season in the 100 yard back, was the last Viking to compete and covered the 100 meters in 1:07.51.
On the men's side, Alex Lewis (57.55) and Berry Thompson (58.33) cracked the top 100 nationally in the 100 fly a day after each represented CSU in the 50 free.
Nathan Grant (1:06.25) and Brian Ferro (1:07.47), the top two swimmers in the Horizon League in both the 100 and 200 breast, swam in the 100 breast event on Friday.
