![\"Auburn](\"\/\/vmrw8k5h.tinifycdn.com\/media\/AuburnMen1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBy Phillip Whitten<\/p>\n
AUSTIN, Texas, March 29. TO the surprise of no one, Auburn rolled to an overwhelming victory at the 2003 Men\u2019s Swimming & Diving Championships, amassing 609.5 points to beat triple defending champion Texas, 413, and pre-meet favorite Stanford, 374. <\/p>\n
Cal followed with 329 points for fourth place, its best finish since 1997, when it also finished fourth. USC was fifth (268), Florida sixth (232) and Minnesota seventh (228). Arizona placed eighth (205), Michigan ninth (173.5) and Virginia tenth (125).<\/p>\n
Auburn\u2019s awesome depth accounted for its masterful victory. The Tigers brought 18 swimmers and a diver, and all 19 athletes scored.<\/p>\n
One statistic is particularly compelling: percentage of lifetime personal bests swum in prelims. Auburn swam 64% PBs in prelims (29 of 45 swims); Texas managed 47% (14 of 30) and Stanford 35% (13 of 37). These Tigers were hungry, and they were out to race every time they mounted the block.<\/p>\n
Auburn\u2019s victory was a historic event as it marked the first timed both the women\u2019s and men\u2019s crown were won in the same year by the same coaching team. David Marsh and Kim Brackin are Co-Head Coaches of the Tigers. Auburn Athletic Director David Housel was on hand to congratulate the most successful coaches in Auburn history.<\/p>\n
Three American and NCAA marks fell tonight, highlighted by a barrier-busting 200 backstroke by Texas\u2019 Aaron Peirsol. The Longhorn freshman was named \u201cSwimmer of the Year\u201d while Auburn\u2019s David Marsh garnered \u201cCoach of the Year.\u201d He earned the same honor at the women\u2019s meet last week.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how it went down tonight:<\/p>\n
1650 yard freestyle<\/b>
\nUSC\u2019s Erik Vendt was determined. After winning three events last year \u2013 the 500 free, 400 IM and 1650 free \u2013 he had every intention of repeating in \u201903. He took the 500, but was ambushed by Robert Margalis on his way to his preordained medley win, losing by three-hundredths of a second. Bummer!<\/p>\n
But Erik is nothing if not resilient. And tough. Today was a new day, and Erik was determined no one would prevent him from taking the \u201cmile.\u201d In fact, he was going to shoot for Chris Thompson\u2019s NCAA and American record of 14:26.62.<\/p>\n
He went for it from the start, taking the lead on the very first stroke and lengthening it almost every one of the 66 laps in this grueling race. Splitting 49.46 for his first 100 yards and 1:52.06 for the 200, he quickly opened up some clear water between himself and what turned out to be the fastest field in history, with all eight finalists swimming under 15 minutes.<\/p>\n
Drawing energy from the crowd, Vendt touched in 14:29.85 \u2013 the second fastest time in history. Michigan freshman Peter Vanderkaay won a four-man battle for second with a 14:43.73 swim. Virginia\u2019s Fran Crippen was third in 14:46.05, followed by Georgia Tech\u2019s Shilo Ayalon (14:47.32) and USC\u2019s Ous Mellouli (14:47.69). <\/p>\n
200 yard backstroke<\/b>
\nLenny Krayzelburg couldn\u2019t do it. Jeff Rouse couldn\u2019t do it. Neither could Brian Retterer or Neil Walker. But Texas coach Eddie Reese predicted his super freshman Aaron Peirsol would<\/i> break the 1:40 barrier. \u201cEasily,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He was right.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d like to see him go a 1:38.5,\u201d he said, \u201cbut to do that he\u2019d have to split 48.2 and people are pretty tired after two-and-a-half days of racing. But I think he can go a 1:39.\u201d<\/p>\n
Right again.<\/p>\n
Stanford\u2019s Markus Rogan, the defending champion, had brashly predicted he\u2019d beat Peirsol and he set out to prove it. Another Stanford swimmer, Peter Marshall, who won the 100 back yesterday, decided to go for broke over in lane eight.<\/p>\n
At the 50, Marshall was well in front at 23.06, followed by Peirsol at 23.58 with Rogan fourth in 23.91. Marshall remained well in front at the halfway mark, turning in a blistering 48.46 with Rogan half a second back at 48.90 and Peirsol third in 48.95. Though he was third, Peirsol appeared relaxed and in command. <\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t third for long. Executing a perfect turn, he took over the lead from a fading Marshall and a struggling Rogan. At the 150, it was Peirsol, 1:14.42; Rogan, 1:14.77; and Marshall, 1:15.04.<\/p>\n
Firmly in control, Peirsol brought out his big guns, splitting the final 50 in 24.74 as he was cheered on by a roaring crowd, and touched in 1:39.16.<\/p>\n
1:39.16!! A New American and NCAA record for Aaron, who became the first swimmer to break the 1:40 barrier. Mark Spitz was the first man to break 1:40 for 200 free. Aaron Peirsol is the first to do it for 200 back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels great!,\u201d said an ebullient Peirsol as he was pounded by his celebrating teammates. \u201cHe could have been out a little faster,\u201d said Reese, not quite able to conceal a prideful smile. \u201cHe\u2019s got an even faster swim in him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peirsol\u2019s splits: 23.58 25.37 25.47 24.74
\nBy 100s: 48.95 \u2013 50.21<\/p>\n
Rogan was second in 1:41.37, while Auburn\u2019s Bryce Hunt slipped into third in 1:41.96, just ahead of Marshall, 1:42.08.<\/p>\n
100 yard freestyle<\/b>
\nLast year, Cal\u2019s Anthony Ervin and Duje Draganja went one-two in the 100 free, with Ervin setting an American record. They aimed to repeat in \u201903, but it wouldn\u2019t be easy as the duo qualified in third (Draganja) and fourth (Ervin).<\/p>\n
Ervin went for the gold at the start, turning in 19.82 at the 50, well ahead of the top qualifier, Auburn\u2019s Ryan Wochomurka (20.20) and Draganja (20.21).<\/p>\n
Ervin held his lead on the third lap, but as he came off the final turn it was clear he was tiring. The merciless field began to close. At the wall, it was another Cal sweep, but this time it was Draganja, the Croatian sophomore touching first in 42.02, history\u2019s fifth fastest time, and Ervin second in 42.11. Three other men broke 43: Auburn\u2019s Fred Bousquet (42.69), Auburn\u2019s Wochomurka (42.79) and Arizona State\u2019s Nick Brunelli (42.93). <\/p>\n
200 yard breaststroke<\/b>
\nBrendan Hansen was focused on completing his triple-double. The Texas junior already had won the 100 breast for the third straight time, notching the second fastest time in history, 51.96. Now he was going for #3 in a row in his stronger event, the 200 breast.<\/p>\n
Last year, Hansen set the American\/NCAA mark at 1:52.88 at this meet. This year his goal was to break that mark and get under 1:52. But last month, his arch-rival Ed Moses threw a monkey wrench in his plans. Swimming by himself at the ACC championships, he clocked an astonishing 1:51.88 \u2013 precisely one second better than Hansen\u2019s record. Beating Moses\u2019 time, even though it was not officially recognized, became the Texan\u2019s new goal. <\/p>\n
Hansen took the lead at the start, splitting 25.56 at the 50, with only Alabama freshman Vlad Polyakov trying to stay with him (25.84). Gradually, Hansen pulled away from the game Polyakov, splitting 54.15 to his rival\u2019s 54.82. But Moses had split 53.60.<\/p>\n
Hansen, the 2001 world champion in the 200 meter breaststroke, broke the race wide open on the third 50 with a super 28.66 split, but he couldn\u2019t match it on the final 50 (29.81). When he hit the wall, the scoreboard read 1:52.62 – a new NCAA and American record. Polyakov, a kid with a golden future, followed in 1:55.39.<\/p>\n
Hansen\u2019s splits: 54.15 \u2013 58.47<\/p>\n
The triple champion seemed subdued. Afterwards he said: \u201cYes, I wanted to go under 1:52 and I wanted to beat Ed\u2019s time, but he didn\u2019t swim it after 11 races over three days. I\u2019m looking forward to racing him next week.\u201d<\/p>\n
200 yard butterfly<\/b>
\nLast year Alabama\u2019s Stefan Gherghel came storming from behind on the final 50 to win the 200 fly. This year the Rumanian national champion decided: \u201cHey, if it worked one time why tamper with success?\u201d<\/p>\n
So he used precisely the same strategy and guess what? It worked again. Fifth at the 50, fifth at the 100, and fifth at the 150, he once again turned on the jets, passing each of his rivals and jammed the wall in 1:42.35. <\/p>\n
Arizona\u2019s Juan Veloz was second (1:4262) followed by top qualifier Michael Raab
\nof Virginia (1:42.89). Texas\u2019 Rainer Kendrick who was fastest at the halfway mark (48.58), was fourth (1:43.61).<\/p>\n
Gherghel\u2019s splits: 23.52 26.57 26.09 26.17
\nBy 100s: 50.09 \u2013 52.26<\/p>\n
10 meter platform diving<\/b>
\nHail Caesar! <\/p>\n
Caesar Garcia, that is.<\/p>\n
It turns out Auburn not only has awesome swimmers, it has pretty good divers as well Garcia, a junior, shared the gold medal with Michigan\u2019s Jason Coben, also a junior, as both scored 575.80 points.<\/p>\n
USC\u2019s Ray Vincent was third (563.25). Auburn added another 14 points when sophomore Matt Bricker placed fifth.<\/p>\n
400 yard freestyle relay<\/b>
\nThree years ago, Cal broke the 2:50 barrier for the first time in the 400 yard freestyle relay, but a year later Texas lowered the mark to 2:49.80.<\/p>\n
This year, Cal qualified first in 2:53.54, two-tenths ahead of Auburn, as both teams had their eye on Texas\u2019 mark.<\/p>\n
The Bears led off with Duje Draganja, whose 42.60 was a bit faster than Auburn\u2019s George Bovell\u2019s 42.77. Cal\u2019s Mike Cavic added to the lead with a 42.31, followed by Ryan\u2019s Wochomurka at 42.46. Halfway through the race, it had come down to these two teams.<\/p>\n
Cal\u2019s Joe Bruckart extended the Bears\u2019 lead with a 42.30 while Auburn\u2019s Matt Kidd could manage only a 42.98. <\/p>\n
Auburn\u2019s Fred Bousquet anchored in a meet-fastest 41.47, but Anthony Ervin brought the Bears home in 41.78, giving them the win and the record at 2:48.99. Auburn, at 2:49.68, was also under the old mark.<\/p>\n
TEAM SCORES<\/b> <\/p>\n
1) AUBURN 609.5 21) INDIANA 24
\n 2) TEXAS 413 22) BRIGHAM YOUNG 22
\n 3) STANFORD 374 22) MIAMI 22
\n 4) CALIFORNIA 329 24) HAWAII 21
\n 5) SOUTHERN CAL. 268 25) SOUTHERN METHOD. 20
\n 6) FLORIDA 232 26) NORTHWESTERN 19.5
\n 7) MINNESOTA 228 27) OAKLAND 17
\n 8) ARIZONA 205 28) GEORGIA TECH 15
\n 9) MICHIGAN 173.5 28) WYOMING 15
\n 10) VIRGINIA 125 28) AMERICAN 15
\n 11) ARIZONA STATE 116.5 31) HARVARD 13
\n 12) ALABAMA 115 32) FLORIDA STATE 9
\n 13) WISCONSIN 105 32) NORTH CAROLINA 9
\n 14) GEORGIA 104 34) PURDUE 7
\n 15) TEXAS A&M 90 34) PENN STATE 7
\n 16) TENNESSEE 86 36) PITTSBURGH 6
\n 17) KENTUCKY 70 37) MISSOURI 4
\n 18) LOUISIANA STATE 58 38) COLUMBIA 3
\n 19) PRINCETON 43 39) IOWA 2
\n 20) SOUTH CAROLINA 31 40) DREXEL 1 <\/p>\n
INDIVIDUAL HIGH POINT:
\n 1) VENDT, ERIK SR SOUTHERN CAL. 57
\n 2) BOUSQUET, FRED SO AUBURN 48
\n 2) MOSS, CLAYTON SR KENTUCKY 48
\n 4) MELLOULI, OUS FR SOUTHERN CAL. 45
\n 4) HANSEN, BRENDAN JR TEXAS 45
\n 6) PEIRSOL, AARON FR TEXAS 44
\n 7) LOCHTE, RYAN FR FLORIDA 42
\n 7) KEMP, CHRIS SR TEXAS 42
\n 9) GARCIA, CAESAR JR AUBURN 41.5
\n 10) MARGALIS, ROBERT SO GEORGIA 39
\n 11) VANDERKAAY, PETER FR MICHIGAN 38
\n 12) PUHAKKA, JOONA ARIZONA STATE 37
\n 12) CRAMER, JAYME SO STANFORD 37
\n 12) BAL, RANDALL SR STANFORD 37
\n 15) KENDRICK, RAINER SO TEXAS 36
\n 15) ROGAN, MARKUS JR STANFORD 36
\n 15) MARSHALL, PETER JR STANFORD 36
\n 15) DRAGANJA, DUJE SO CALIFORNIA 36
\n 19) KNOWLES, JEREMY JR AUBURN 33
\n 19) ERVIN, ANTHONY SR CALIFORNIA 33 <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"Texas'](\"\/media\/BrendanHansen(1).jpg\")
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By Phillip Whitten AUSTIN, Texas, March 29. TO the surprise of no one, Auburn rolled to an overwhelming victory at the 2003 Men\u2019s Swimming & Diving Championships, amassing 609.5 points<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":64995,"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-5206","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-zzzzzzzzz"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\r\n