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Tight Mens and Womens Race at the SEC Championships

Feb 23, 2001

TUSCALOOSA, ALA - The race for the Southeastern Conference has turned into a brawl here this week. On both the men and the women's side of the slate, the top three teams are separated by a handful of points coming out of day two.

On the women's side Auburn, Florida and four time defending champion Georgia are with 7 points of one another. The Tigers are first with 258.5, followed by the Lady Gators and the Lady Dogs with 256 and 252 respectivley. Alabama is in fourth with 166 points. Kentucky (148), LSU (141), Tennessee (103), South Carolina (96) and Arkansas (80.5) round out the standings.

On the men's side, Tennessee and Auburn are seven points apart at 249 and 242 respectively. Florida isn't far back with 222.5 points. Kentucky is in fourth with 148, followed by Georgia (119.5), South Carolina (110), LSU (105) and Alabama (65).

The night started out with a pair of down to the wire distance races. Kevin Clements, a junior from Auburn and Ricardo Monasterio, a senior from Florida, battled over 20 laps to finish within one-tenth of a second of each other. Clements won the race with a 4:19.27.

In the women's 500 freestyle, freshmen swept the top four spots, with Florida's Janelle Atkinson using a strong finish to take first with a 4:43.38.

Records started to fall with the women's 200 IM. Auburn's Maggie Bowen won the event with an SEC and Alabama Aquatic Center record of 1:57.26. Alabama's freshman sensation Anne Poleska lowered the school record she set in prelims, finishing with a 2:01.05, good for fifth place. Senior Kelly Coellner was right behind Poleska in sixth place with a career best 2:01.84, which was also under the previous school record.

In the men's 50 freestyle, South Carolina junior Zsolt Gaspar defended his SEC 50 freestyle crown with a pool record 19.53. On the women's side of the sprint showdown Auburn freshman Eileen Coparropa set an SEC and Alabama Aquatic Center record with a 22.35 showing in the 50 freestyle.

Florida junior Duncan Sherrard won the men's 200 IM with a 1:45.38. Alabama's Jordie Proffitt was the men's lone finalist on the night, taking eighth with a 1:48.43. Proffitt's time from the prelims, 1:47.76, ranks him second all-time for Alabama in that event.

Sophomore Jamie Sanger of Tennessee won the women's one-meter diving competition with a 311.70.

Tennessee's men made it a perfect three for three in relay when Chris Hussey, Renato Gueraldi, Mike Burton and Michael Gilliam combined to win the 200 freestyle relay, breaking the pool record in the process. The Vols had already won the 200 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay during day one of the meet.

The Auburn women's 200 freestyle relay of Coparropa, Cassiday Maxwell, Robyn Williford and Cortnee Adams outraced the second place Gators and set a new pool record in the process. Paced by team captain Kelly Coellner's team best split, Lisa Andersson, Marcy Warriner and Katie Merriam sprinted to a 1:31.91 fourth place finish. The Tide's time is its third relay school record of the meet and fifth overall team record in two days.

The meet continues Friday and concludes Saturday. Friday features the 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke and the men's three-meter diving.