Feb. 8, 2007
Lexington, Ky. – On a record breaking day at the SEC Championships, both South Carolina squads advanced one position in the overall standings. The men are currently fifth with 138 points, and the women are currently in eighth with 94 points. South Carolina also had two swimmers finish in the top-10 on the second day of finals.
Junior Dan White finished seventh in his heat and ninth overall in the men’s 500 free finals. White had a time of 4:26.51. Georgia’s Sebastien Rouault won the event for the third consecutive year, with a time of 4:17.59.
Freshman Dominique Lendjel was South Carolina’s top finisher in the men’s 200 Individual Medley, with a time of 1:48.71. Lendjel finished eleventh overall. Juniors Kyle Cormier and Leopoldo Andara also competed in the 200 IM, finishing twelve and fifteenth, respectively.
Junior Christy Williams was the top finisher in the women’s 200 IM, with a time of 2:02.05. William’s time broke the previous school record of 2:02.23, which was set by Amanda Dunnigan in Dec. 2006. Williams finished twelfth overall in the event. Dunnigan also competed in the 200 IM, finishing with a time of 2:02.17 in thirteenth place.
Sophomore Sharntelle McLean was the final South Carolina swimmer to compete in the second day of finals competition. McLean finished first in her heat and ninth overall in the women’s 50 free with a time of 22.87. Georgia’s Kara Lynn Joyce won her fourth consecutive SEC 50 free championship with a time of 21.73.
The Gamecocks also competed in the 200 free relay. The women’s team of senior Aunya Nance, junior Diana Lopez, junior Kelly Giese and sophomore Sharntelle McLean finished seventh with a time of 1:33.07. The men’s team of junior Kurt Muller, senior Colby Mack, junior Christian Robledo and freshman Ciro Sauaia finished seventh with a time of 1:21.31.
Auburn still leads on both the men’s and women’s sides. The Auburn men have 450.5 points and the Auburn women have 336 points. Competition will continue Friday at 10 a.m. with preliminaries in the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 100 backstroke.