December 17, 2011
WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB
South Florida Aquatic Club swimmer Loai Tashkandi of Saudi Arabia opened the Pan Arab Games in Doha on Saturday with a sixth place finish in the 400-meter individual medley.
Tashkandi, 20, finished in 4:42.22 at the Hamad Aquatic Center.
Tashkandi is also entered in the 50- and 100-meter breaststroke and 200-meter individual medley.
Hazem Tashkandi, also of Saudi Arabia, and Abbas Qali, Salman Qali and Zain Qali, all of Kuwait, are also competing in the week-long meet.
Hazem Tashkandi is entered in the 200-, 400-, and 1500-meter freestyles.
Salman Qali will swim the 50- and 100-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle. Abbas Qali is entered in the 50-meter freestyle and Zain Qali is entered in the 50-meter butterfly.
Another Florida Gold Coast swimmer, Yousef Alaskari of the Davie Nadadores and Plantation American Heritage School, won Kuwait’s first medal of the swimming competition.
Alaskari, the 2011 High School Swimmer of the Year in Broward County, was second in the 200-yard butterfly in a lifetime-best time of 2:00.75, an Olympic “B” qualifying time and ranked No. 2 in the U.S. for 17-year-old age group swimmers.
Alaskari led Tunisia’s veteran Olympian Oussama Mellouli for most of the race before Mellouli came back for the gold. Alaskari is also entered in the 100 butterfly, 200 and 400 freestyle, 200 IM and three relays. Alaskari moved to South Florida four years ago to train.
The FINA event is a qualifying event for the 2012 London Olympic Games.
SOFLO’s Les Moore, Linea Cutter Compete At Nova Southeastern’s Shark Invite
South Florida Aquatic Club’s Linea Cutter and Les Moore returned home to compete in the Nova Southeastern Shark Invite in Davie.
On opening day (Friday) SOFLO/ Coral Springs Swim Club swimmer Moore finished fifth in the 200-yard individual medley in 1:55.69, an NCAA Division II “B” cut time.
Nova Southeastern University freshman and SOFLO’s Cutter was 18th in the 50-yard freestyle in 25.05. Cutter anchored NSU’s fifth place 200-yard medley relay team that finished in 1:51.58.
On Saturday, Cutter, 18, led off NSU’s sixth place 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in 1:40.38; was 14th in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:57.85 and anchored the fifth place 400-yard medley relay that finished in 3:59.27.
Moore, 19, was fourth in the 400-yard individual medley in 4:08.51, a Division II “B” cut time.
The four-day meet continues through Monday.
WOMEN
Team totals: 1. Tampa 342, 2. Nova Southeastern 278, 3. Florida Southern 238, 4. Rollins 98, 5. Catawba 73, 6. Lenoir Rhyne 64.
1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Erin Black, NSU 10:07.42, D2B cut time; 200-yard individual medley: 1. Alexandra Hipolito, Tampa 2:05.65, D2B; 50-yard freestyle: 1. Erin Plachy, Tampa 23.84; SOFLO: 18. Linea Cutter, NSU 25.05; 200-yard medley relay: 1. Florida Southern 1:47.27; 5. NSU 1:51.58 (Devan Martin, Ashley Bransford, Lauren Chapple, Linea Cutter); 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Tampa 1:36.36; 6. NSU 1:40.38 (Cutter, Sunyak, Aranda, Chapple); 400-yard individual medley: 1. Lisa Bero, Tampa 4:29.64, D2B; 100-yard butterfly: 1. Chelsea Kyle, Lenoir Rhyne 56.83, D2B; 24. Linea Cutter, NSU 1:02.24; 200-yard freestyle: 1. Erin Black, NSU 1:51.21, D2B; 14. Linea Cutter, NSU 1:57.85; 400-yard medley relay: 1. Florida Southern 3:51.38, D2B; 5. NSU 3:59.27; 400-yard medley relay: 1. Florida Southern 3:19.39, D2B.
MEN
Team totals: 1. Tampa 292.5, 2. Nova Southeastern 262, 3. Florida Southern 241.5, 4. Catawba 136. 5. Rollins 92, 6. Lenoir Rhyne 69.
1,000-yard freestyle: 1. Norbert Kovacs, Tampa 9:13.38, D2A; 200-yard individual medley: 1. Jeb Halfacre, Florida Southern 1:50.18, D2A; SOFLO: 5. Les Moore, Tampa 1:55.69; 50-yard freestyle: 1. David Humphrey, Tampa 20.82, D2B; 200-yard medley relay: 1. Florida Southern 1:31.72, D2B; 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Tampa 1:22.56, D2B; 400-yard individual medley: 1. Zane Hranac, Tampa 4:04.13, D2B; 4. Les Moore, Tampa 4:08.51, D2B; 100-yard butterfly: 1. Norbert Kovacs, Tampa 49.00, D2B; 200-yard freestyle: 1. Stephen Swan, Florida Southern 1:38.61, D2A;
Campo Accepted To Iona
Alexandra Campo was accepted to Iona College in New York. Campo is a senior at Coral Springs Charter, where she was a member of the swim team. She is also a member of the SOFLO/Coral Springs Swim Club and teaches lessons with the Swim America program at Coral Springs Aquatic Complex. “Couldn’t be happier right now…New York here I come,” Campo tweeted. SOFLO’s Justin Grigull also attends Iona and is a member of the men’s swim team.
Former CSSC Swimmer McLean Wins Gold
Two-time Olympian Sharntelle McLean, who trained with the late Michael Lohberg, a six-time Olympic coach, has her sights set on the 2012 Games. Competing for the Torpedoes Swim Club at the ASATT Invitational in Trinidad and Tobago, where she also coaches, McLean won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle in 59.13. Marlins’ Olympic hopeful Dylan Carter, who trained with good friend and Trinidad and Tobago teammate Keegan Boisson-Yates at Coral Springs in July leading up to the Commonwealth Youth Games, won the 100-meter freestyle in 52.64 and 50-meter butterfly in 25.72. The Marlins lead the team standings with 301.50 points followed by the newly-formed Titans Swim Club with 276.50. The meet ends on Sunday for more than 400 swimmers from 25 swim clubs and eighth countries.
Ian Thorpe Top 10 Finish
Aussie great Ian Thorpe turned in his first encouraging swim after coming out of retirement on Saturday at the Italian Winter Championships in Riccione, Italy. Thorpedo was tenth in the 200-meter freestyle in 1:51.51. He was third in his heat in his first long course meet since his comeback. The Australian trials are in March. Also in the meet, Milorad Cavic won the 100-meter butterfly in 52.10. Italian Federica Pellegrini won the 400-meter freestyle in 4:08.50.
Thiago Pereira Breaks Meet Record
Thiago Pereira broke a meet record in the prelims of the 400-meter individual medley in 4:18.10 before scratching from the finals in third day action at the Brazilian Open Long Course Championships in Rio de Janeiro.
In other races, Joanna Maranhao won the 400 IM in 4:43.56; Nicolas Oliveira won the 200 freestyle in 1:49.01; Glauber Silva won the 50-meter butterfly in 23.69; Daniel Paoli Jesus won the women’s 50-meter butterfly in 27.20; and Ana Carvalho won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:11.66. All the winners swam faster in the prelim rounds. Sprinter Cesar Cielo clocked a 21.58 leadoff leg on the 200-meter freestyle relay.
Miscellaneous
Josh Schneider of SwimMAC won the 50-yard freestyle shootout at the Chesapeake Elite Pro-Am in Oklahoma City on Saturday. Schneider, 23, won in 19.28 ahead of 2000 Olympic gold medalist Anthony Ervin, 30, in 19.42. It was Ervin’s national level meet since he retired in 2004. Jason Dunford was fourth in 19.94. SwimMAC teammate Andrea Georoff, 28, won the women’s 50 shootout in 22.46. Olympian Ed Moses, another comeback swimmer, was second in the 200-yard breaststroke in 1:54.99…
Ryan Lochte has signed a sponsor deal with fashion designer and mogul Ralph Lauren, who is also outfitting the entire U.S. Olympic team for the 2012 London Games. Lauren will design the official uniforms for the U.S. team to wear in the opening and closing ceremonies and also apparel and accessories to wear in the Olympic Village. “It’s a real clean-cut look and I like that,” Lochte said. “It’s definitely a different look for me but I think I can pull it off. I also like dressing up and looking nice. It makes me feel more mature. Hopefully, down the road I can still wear this kind of clothing with a little bit more of my personality.” Even better, Lochte and Lauren share the same initials. Lochte already has his own shoe line and hopes to have his own clothing line in the future…
21-time Olympic medalist Amanda Beard is ranked 15th among the thirty most googled female athletes of 2011. Beard is the only swimmer on the list. The majority of the athletes are pro tennis players including Serena Williams of Palm Beach Gardens, the most googled woman athlete…Olympian Brooke Bennett, who lives and trains in Tampa and formerly trained at the Davie Pine Island Pool with then coach Peter Banks, underwent an MRI on her left knee on Saturday. Bennett, a TV sports reporter, has been training regularly and competed in the Rowdy Gaines Masters meet spurring rumors she may return for the U.S. Olympic trials.
Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
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