By Phillip Whitten<\/p>\n
AUSTIN, March 28. WAS yesterday a \u201cfluke,\u201d a \u201clucky day\u201d for Auburn or the Tigers\u2019 best day? Today\u2019s prelims would tell the story. <\/p>\n
If the Tigers could hold their own in prelims, they\u2019d have the inside track on winning the NCAA crown. If, however, Stanford or Texas could out-qualify Auburn, the stage would be set for a monster team battle this evening and tomorrow. Today\u2019s prelims could be decisive.<\/p>\n
The answer to these questions was heard loud and clear, as the Tigers did all they needed to do. And more. Much more.<\/p>\n
As the morning session ended and swimmers and fans filed out the Lee and Joe Jamail Aquatic Center at the University of Texas, Auburn had taken on the demeanor of the proverbial 500-pound gorilla sitting in your living room.<\/p>\n
Auburn managed to place eleven swimmers in tonight\u2019s A finals and four in B finals. Texas managed five (including two top qualifiers) and two; Stanford four and seven; and Cal four and three. Only three Auburn swimmers who competed this morning will not be swimming this evening \u2013 and two of them are alternates.<\/p>\n
The Tigers placed four men in the 100 yard breaststroke final and three in the 400 IM \u2013 not too shabby for a \u201csprint program.\u201d Their worst event was the 200 free, where only one swimmer made the A final and two the B final.<\/p>\n
Folks, this has turned into a rout \u2013 a runaway Auburn victory in a championship meet in which Stanford was the overwhelming favorite. The Stanford swimmers appear to be almost in shock, after starting the meet brimming with confidence. Texas still has the fighting spirit, but there\u2019s a tacit admission that the Horns\u2019 are now shooting for second place. Cal is swimming extremely well, and coaches Nort Thornton and Mike Bottom are all smiles.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s this morning\u2019s damage report.<\/p>\n
Minnesota\u2019s Todd Smolinski had the fastest backstroke leadoff split (21.66). Texas\u2019 Brendan Hansen swam the only sub-24 second breaststroke split (23.87). The Horns\u2019 Ian Crocker had the fastest fly split (20.44), while Auburn\u2019s Derek Gibb\u2019s 18.97 was the swiftest freestyle split.<\/p>\n 400 yard individual medley<\/b> Swimming next to Vendt tonight will be last year\u2019s runner-up and last night\u2019s runner-up in the 500 free, Robert Margalis of Georgia, who clocked 3:44.09. USC\u2019s Ous Mellouli, third last night in the 500 free, was third this morning in 3:45.57.<\/p>\n Auburn has Eric Shanteau (fifth), James Galloway (sixth) and Jeremy Knowles (seventh) in the A final. Stanford, Texas and cal were shut out. It took 3:47.51 to make the A final, 3:50.03 to make the B.<\/p>\n 100 yard butterfly<\/b> It took 46.85 to make the A final, that position occupied by Daniel DiToro of Texas. To make the B final, swimmers had to go at least 47.22.<\/p>\n 200 yard freestyle<\/b> Florida\u2019s Adam Sioui, the defending champion, turned in the sixth fastest time this morning at 1:35.54.<\/p>\n This was Auburn\u2019s \u201cworst\u201d event this morning, with only one swimmer (Clay Kirkland, fourth) making the A final and two the B final. Still, only Texas among the contending teams could match the Tigers.<\/p>\n 100 yard breaststroke<\/b> American University\u2019s Dominick Szabo took the sixth spot in 53.77.<\/p>\n 100 yard backstroke<\/b> But this is Stanford\u2019s best event today, as the Cardinal put three men in the A final, one in the B. Peter Marshall is Stanford\u2019s best hope for gold. Though he qualified third this morning in 46.67, last night he swam a PR 45.32 leading off the medley relay. Randall bal (46.88) is fourth, and Dan Westcott (47.08) seventh. Jayme Cramer just missed the Big Final with his ninth-fastest 47.53.<\/p>\n Cal\u2019s Alex Lim posted the second-fastest time this morning at 46.63 while Auburn\u2019s Bryce hunt was eighth (47.29) Fifteen men swam sub-48.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Phillip Whitten AUSTIN, March 28. WAS yesterday a \u201cfluke,\u201d a \u201clucky day\u201d for Auburn or the Tigers\u2019 best day? Today\u2019s prelims would tell the story. If the Tigers could<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\nAll of the top teams qualified for the A final, with Cal first in 1:26.13. Texas is third, Stanford fourth and Auburn fifth. Minnesota qualified second.<\/p>\n
\nUSC\u2019s Erik Vendt, the defending champion and pre-meet favorite swam a very fast first 300, then used the freestyle leg as a warm-down and still qualified first in 3:43.88. He will definitely be going after Tom Dolan\u2019s \u201cinvincible\u201d American\/NCAA record of 3:38.18 from 1995.<\/p>\n
\nTexas, Cal and Auburn all put two swimmers in tonight\u2019s A final, while Stanford has one. Ian Crocker, the American\/NCAA record-holder at 45.44, qualified first in a very fast 45.76 (21.12 at the 50). Cal\u2019s Mike Cavic and Duje Draganja took the next two spots at 46.39 and 46.40. Auburn is fifth and seventh, Stanford sixth. <\/p>\n
\nMichigan\u2019s Dan Ketchum split 23.75 on his final 50 to lead all qualifiers in the 200 free at 1:34.84, just four-hundredths in front of Texas\u201d Chris Kemp. Only eight-tenths of a second separate the eight finalists, and any one of these men could emerge the victor this evening.<\/p>\n
\nThis was the killer! While double defending champion Brendan Hansen cruised to the #1 qualifying spot in the 100 breast in 53.08, Auburn managed to place four<\/b> men in the final: Pat Calhoun (second in 53.33), Will Brandt (third in 53.72), Justin Caron (seventh in 53.80) and Mark Gangloff (eighth in 53.87).<\/p>\n
\nTexas freshman Aaron Peirsol, ranked #1 in the world in the 100 meter backstroke last year, qualified in the top spot today in the 100 yard back in 46.27. <\/p>\n