SAN ANTONIO Day two of the 2004 Western Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championship had very strong performances from both SMU and Hawaii. The defending champion Mustangs have captured three gold medals, while the Rainbow Wahine have taken first in four races. SMU currently stands in first with 334 points.
SMU took first, second and third in the 500-yard freestyle with senior Georgina Lee taking first with an automatic qualifying time of 4:43.51. Teammates Marizanne Grundlingh and Sarah Daly took second and third, respectively. Lee improved upon her silver in the 500 at last seasons championship. Lee also swam the fastest time in the WAC this season.
In the 200-yard individual medley, Hawaii captured first and second, with freshman Nicole Mackey taking first and junior Yan Chen earning second for the second-straight season. Mackeys time of 2:00.18 is an NCAA automatic qualifying time and improves upon her WAC-leading time of 2:02.19. SMUs Michelle Vlasacova finished third with a time of 2:04.35.
The Rainbow Wahine won their third gold medal when junior Dena Quick swam an automatic qualifying time of 22.72 in the 50-yard freestyle, almost a second faster than her fastest time this season. SMU sophomore Laura Pomeroy took second, swimming 22.91, while teammate Dallas Marshall took third with a time of 23.47. Pomeroy improved upon her bronze medal performance at the 2003 championship.
In the one-meter diving finals, Hawaii once again took first and second with sophomore Qiongjie Huang and Maggie Roberts taking first and second, respectively. Huang won with a score of 283.05, followed by Roberts with 267.45. SMUs Liz Pike finished third with a scored of 260.00.
In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the SMU team of Laura Pomeroy, Michelle Vlasacova, Dallas Marshall and Leane Darling won with a time of 1:31.74. Hawaii was second with a time of 1:32.67, while Nevada was third with a time of 1:37.67. The Mustangs have placed at least one the top three in every event so far.
After two days of competition, SMU has taken sole possession of first place with 334 points, followed by Hawaii with 258 points. Nevada is third with 208 points. Rice stands in fourth followed by San Jose State and Fresno State, respectively. Action continues tomorrow at Palo Alto College Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas at 11:00 a.m. with the preliminaries and at 6:30 p.m. for the finals of the 400-yard individual medley.
Team Scores
1. SMU 334
2. Hawai`i 258
3. Nevada 208
4. Rice 176
5. San Jose State 120
6. Fresno State 94
Below are links to the results from the 2004 WAC Swimming and Diving Championships
Day One Finals-Wednesday, Feb. 25
Day Two Prelims-Thursday, Feb. 26
Day Two Finals-Thursday, Feb. 27