SMU swim team prepares for Classic at SMU at Perkins Natatorium on Jan. 19, 2013 (Christopher Saul / The Daily Campus)
C-USA Championships ended Saturday with the men’s swimming and diving team in first place with 967 points. The women’s team placed third with 664.50 points. Coach Eddie Sinnott was honored as co-men’s swimming coach of the year while diving coach Jim Stillson earned men’s diving coach of the year.
Top swimmers and divers were honored at the end of the four day meet including SMU’s Mindaugas Sadauskas who won men’s swimmer of the meet, and sophomore Devin Burnett winning men’s diver of the meet.
Women’s swimmer Isabella Arcila won swimmer of the meet. This is the fourth season in a row that an SMU swimmer has won this prestigious award, and the seventh time in the last eight years.
The SMU men’s swimming and diving team brought in first place finishes and broke a couple records along the way. Nicolai Hansen, Ryan Koops, David Larsson and Sadauskas set a meet and SMU record clocking in a time of 2:53.17 in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Sadauskas set a meet record for the 100-yard freestyle finishing in 42.77 seconds. Hansen also brought in a first place time with 1:57.60 in the 200-yard breaststroke. Men’s sophomore diver Burnett earned gold in platform diving scoring 387.90.
The women’s team also clocked in many first place times. Isabella Arcila finished the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:55.86 while Rachel Nicol finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:11.00. Finishing in 49.14 seconds, sophomore Nathalie Lindborg earned first place in the 100-yard freestyle. The women’s 400-yard freestyle relay team, including Arcila, Monika Babok, Nina Rangelova and Emily Vavourakis, also won gold with a final time of 3:18.62.
In second place, David Larsson finished the 100-yard freestyle clocking in a final time of 43.78. Women’s swimmer Nina Rangelova also finished second by just a one-hundredth of a second in the 100-yard freestyle at 49.15. Deanna Matthews placed second in the 200-yard backstroke at 1:57.54.
Third place finishes included: Junior Ryan Koops at 43.94 in the 100-yard freestyle, Matas Andriekus at 1:45.51 in the 200-yard backstroke, Anna Volchkov at 1:58.75 also in the 200-yard backstroke and Danielle Villars at 1:59.47 in the 200-yard butterfly.
The SMU women’s swimming and diving team will compete in the Last Chance Meet in Austin on March 3. The men’s team will also compete in Austin at the American Short Course Championship beginning on March 7.
