SOFLO’s Oliver Qualifies For NCAA Championships In Opening Three Relays, Wins 50 Gold At ACC Championships

By Sharon Robb

February 20, 2014

Florida State’s Tiffany Oliver is making her final appearance at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships a memorable one.

Oliver and her 200-yard medley relay teammates Bianca Spinazzola, Sami Pochowski and Chelsea Britt swam an NCAA automatic qualifying time and school record on Wednesday, the opening night of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships in Greensboro, N.C.

Oliver, a senior competing in her final conference meet, anchored the relay that finished in 1:37.97 breaking the 2006 school record of 1:38.59. The Seminoles finished sixth in the race.

Oliver also led off the 800-yard freestyle relay that finished third with Kaitlyn Dressel, Julia Henkel and Madison Jacobi swam the Seminoles’ second NCAA “A” cut and school record time of 7:06.56.

On Thursday, Oliver competed in her third relay and individual sprint event.

Oliver led off the Seminoles 200-yard freestyle relay that finished second in 1:29.25, another NCAA “A” cut. Kaitlyn Dressel, Bianca Spinazzola and McKayla Lightbourn were also on the relay.

Oliver, first at the turn, accelerated off the wall to defend her title and win the 50-yard freestyle in 22.02, an NCAA “B” cut. Oliver was second fastest qualifier in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.17, lowering her seed time of 22.44.

The Seminoles are in third place after two days of competition. Reigning champion Virginia leads with more than 500 points.

SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

LSU freshman and Florida Gold Coast swimmer Brandon Goldman swam the fifth fastest time in LSU history in the 400-yard individual medley at the Southeastern Conference Championships. Goldman finished in 3:51.55, an NCAA “B” cut. Goldman has the 100 backstroke on Friday and 200 backstroke on Saturday. He went 1:49.34 in the 200-yard individual medley on Wednesday.

Florida’s Elizabeth Beisel won her fourth consecutive conference title in the 400-yard individual medley in 3:59.26. Florida Gold Coast swimmer Lauren Driscoll of Tennessee was seventh in 4:12.60, an NCAA “B” cut.

Florida’s Carlos Omana was seventh in the 400-yard individual medley in 3:45.95, an NCAA “B” cut.

Georgia leads the women’s team standings with 879 and Florida is second with 642. Florida leads the men’s with 773.5 and Auburn is second with 721.5.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com
http://www.swim4soflo.com

2011: Great Year For Swimming; Lochte, Franklin Pave The Way For Great 2012 Olympic Year

January 1, 2012

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

The excitement around Ryan Lochte and teenager Missy Franklin during 2011 just added to the build-up for the much-anticipated 2012 London Olympics.

While Comeback Fever spread through the international swimming world, luring several swimmers back into the pool including Ian Thorpe, Janet Evans, Brendan Hansen, Geoff Huegill and Laure Manaudou, Lochte and Franklin took center stage.

Winner of five gold medals at the FINA World Championships, including two against Michael Phelps, two-time Olympian Ryan Lochte was named USA Swimming Athlete of the Year and Universal Sports Male Athlete of the Year.

Lochte was also the first male swimmer to break a world record (200-meter individual medley) in a textile suit.

“This year is my year,” Lochte said. “I’m putting everything I have to swim this year and I’m not going to mess it up.”

Franklin, 16, broke the world short course record in the 200-meter backstroke in 2:00.03 at the Arena World Cup in Berlin. It was the first world mark by a woman since the high-tech shiny suits were banned.

At worlds, she took home three golds, one silver, one bronze and two world records.

USA Swimming flexed its muscles dominating both the World Championships in Shanghai, China and Pan American Games in Mexico in medals. At worlds, the U.S. finished with 16 gold medals (eight men and right women) and 29 overall. The dominance is expected to continue in London.

THE YEAR IN SWIMMING

Fourteen-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps re-dedicated himself to the sport and is returning to form to give Lochte a run for his money at the London Games in what will be the final chapter in his Olympic swimming career.

Five-time Olympian Dara Torres of South Florida Aquatic Club started rehabbing and returned to the pool after state-of-the-art reconstructive knee surgery. She picked up her Olympic cut in the 50-meter freestyle in 25.90 at the Feb. 19 Missouri Grand Prix and bettered that time in 25.68 at a masters meet in Fort Myers. She is training for her sixth Olympics 28 years after her first Olympic Games. Torres is the oldest swimmer to compete in the Olympics.

Triple Olympic gold medalist Janet Evans announced her return to swimming. Her comeback started at a Masters meet in Fullerton, Calif., where she broke two FINA Masters world records. She also reunited with Mark Schubert, former USA Swimming National Team Director who is coaching Evans.

Aussie great Ian Thorpe also returned from retirement to challenge for a spot on the 2012 team although it looks like he may have started to late since the Australian trials are in March and Thorpe is still lagging behind.

Arizona State coach Frank Busch is named USA Swimming National Team Director during a controversial transition replacing Mark Schubert. Wisconsin coach Eric Hansen replaced Busch as head coach at ASU and Whitney Hite replace Hansen at Wisconson.

USA Swimming and FINA released their reports surrounding the circumstances of Fran Crippen’s tragic death in a FINA-sanctioned 10K race in United Emirates in October, 2010. USA Swimming officials outlined new safety rules and guidelines for their events and swimmers. At the World Championships, 14 swimmers including the entire U.S. team, scratched from the 25K because the water was too warm.  The Open Water National Championships and world qualifier were moved from Fort Myers to Fort Lauderdale for the same reason.

The IOC informed one of America’s top swimmers, Jessica Hardy, she will be allowed to compete at the 2012 London Olympics. Hardy was suspended after a positive test in 2008 that led to her being dropped from the 2008 Beijing Olympic team.

Brazil Olympic and world champion Cesar Cielo left Auburn for good to return to Brazil to start a pro swim club in Sao Paolo, PRO 16. The team is doing well and has attracted several top Brazilian swimmers including Thiago Pereira. Before the World Championships, Cielo had also tested positive for diuretics (Furosemide) but won his Court of Arbitration appeal and went on to do well at both worlds and Brazilian Championships.

Backstroke great Aaron Piersol, a three-time Olympian and seven-time Olympic medalist (five gold, two silver) retired after an impressive career.

Swimmer of the Year Lauren Driscoll of Plantation American Heritage and Fort Lauderdale Aquatics signed with defending national champion California and became a member of the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class for the fall of 2012.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

HIGH SCHOOL NEWS: Driscoll Signs With California, Two Big High School Meets This Weekend

September 21, 2011

Lauren Driscoll, the top high school girls’ swimmer in Broward County, has signed with the University of California.

The Bears’ 2012 women’s recruiting class is already turning into the program’s best of all time after signing Driscoll and U.S. national team members Liz Pelton and Rachel Bootsma.

Two weeks after making her visit to the Berkeley campus, the American Heritage senior made her decision. She was recruited by several colleges including USC, Georgia and Florida.

The Bears, coached by U.S. Olympic women’s coach Teri McKeever, now has three of the nation’s top-ranked high school recruits.

Driscoll is a Junior Pan Pacific Championships meet record holder in the 800 freestyle and high school state record holder in the 200 freestyle. Her 500 freestyle time would have placed her 12^th at NCAAs last season.

The Fort Lauderdale Aquatics club swimmer is versatile, also swimming the 100 freestyle, individual medley and 200 backstroke.

Driscoll, who lives in Cooper City with her parents and younger brother Jack, got her start with SOFLO coach Rose Lockie, then a coach at Cooper City. It was Lockie who encouraged Driscoll to pursue swimming to its fullest.

In other signings, another Top 10 recruit, Swedish swimmer Emma Svensson signed a national letter of intent with Florida Gulf Coast University. Svensson is the Swedish national record holder in the 50-meter backstroke. In the program’s short four-year history, she is the women’s program biggest signing. The program, headed by former Florida Atlantic coach Neal Studd, just made its full transition into Division I status. The program could also benefit from what the City of Fort Myers is trying to attract. According to the Fort Myers News Press, the city is in final negotiations with the National Swim Center Corporation on a $25 million dollar project to convert the former Red Sox spring training park in a five-pool complex that is expected to increase the already talent-rich South Florida area.

University School Hosts Suns Invitational

University School of NSU will host the second annual Suns High School Swimming and Diving Invitational on Saturday.

American Heritage Plantation, led by SOFLO’s Luke Torres and Yousef Alaskari of Davie Nadadores and Boca Raton head the field. SOFLO’s Marco Hosfeld heads University School.

Among other teams entered are American Heritage Delray Beach, Somerset, Chaminade-Madonna, Zion Lutheran and Sagemont.

The meet has attracted a good turnout of athletes despite two conflicting Saturday meets, the Catholic State Championships at Bishop Moore and Florida Gold Coast Invitational at the Coral Springs Aquatic Complex.

IF YOU GO

What: Suns High School Swimming and Diving Invitational.

When: 9 a.m.

Where: Nova Southeastern University/University School School Aquatic Complex, SW 36^th and 75^th Ave., Davie.

Of note: Admission: $3, heat sheets $3.

Bishop Moore Hosts Catholic States

St. Thomas Aquinas and Archbishop McCarthy, with several SOFLO swimmers, will compete Saturday at the Florida Catholic Swimming and Diving Championships at the Orlando YMCA Aquatic Center.

SOFLO’s Brandon Goldman, Kyle Desrosiers, Ashley Monaghan and Mia Fiorenzi lead St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the meet favorites.

SOFLO’s Kaitlin Armstrong and Matthew Gonzalez lead Archbishop McCarthy coached by SOFLO’s Chris Anderson and Megan Garland.

Bishop Moore host swim coach and meet director Jillian Martin Wilkins is a former swimmer for the Fort Lauderdale Swim Team and Jack Nelson.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com

AQUATIC NOTEBOOK, Issue 72: U.S. Senior, Youth National Teams Announced; Driscoll, Britt Named

September 6, 2011

WRITTEN BY SHARON ROBB

Floridian Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps, Elizabeth Beisel and Missy Franklin, all gold medalists at the recent world championships, head the 2011-2012 USA Swimming National Team announced on Tuesday by the sport’s national governing body.

The roster features 109 of the nation’s top swimmers.

Lochte made the team in five events, the most events of any swimmer named to the roster. Phelps, Franklin and Beisel made it in four events.

Two-time Olympian Brendan Hansen, in the midst of a comeback, was named to the national team for the first time since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The open water national team includes Alex Meyer, Eva Fabian, Sean Ryan and Christine Jennings.

Swimmers were selected to the senior national team based on times in Olympic events at worlds, nationals and World University Games. The open water team was based on results from the national 10K held in Fort Lauderdale and world championship trials.

Lauren Driscoll of American Heritage and Fort Lauderdale Aquatics and Chelsea Britt of Orlando Boone and FLA were the only Florida Gold Coast swimmers on the 2011-2012 National Youth Team roster.

Athletes eligible for the junior team had to be under 18 at the start date of the qualifying competition. The athletes with the top six times in Olympic events from the results of the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships were named to the team.

Driscoll, a two-time high school state champion and state record holder, is being recruited by several top collegiate swim programs including Georgia, California and Southern California. Driscoll made the team in the 400-meter individual medley (4:45.25).

Britt, who lives in Orlando, qualified in the 200-meter butterfly (2:14.98). Britt was a state high school record holder and state champion at Lake Highland Prep before transferring this year to Orlando Boone. Britt, a junior, will compete in 3A competition.

Both complete national team rosters are available at usaswimming.org.

All-Africa Games

South African Karin Prinsloo won two gold medals to open the All-Africa Games in Maputo, Mozambique.

Prinsloo won the 100-meter freestyle in 56.05 and 50-meter backstroke in 29.28 and came back on Day Two to win the 200-meter freestyle in a meet record 1:59.84.

South African teammates Charl Crous won the 50-meter backstroke in 26.06 and Cameron van der Burgh won the 100-meter breaststroke in 1:02.44. Van Der Burgh also won the 50-meter breaststroke in 27.81.

Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe won the 400-meter individual medley in 4:44.34. South Africa’s Chad Le Clos won the men’s 400-meter individual medley in 4:16.88.

Jason Dunford of Kenya won the 100-meter butterfly in a meet record 52.13.

Farida Osman of Egypt swam back-to-back meet records to win the 50-meter butterfly in 27.08 bettering her own qualifying time of 27.24.

Ahmed Mathlouthi of Tunisia won the 800-meter freestyle in 8:10.00 just ahead of South African Mark Randall in 8:10.04.

Serbia Wins Gold

Serbia topped a field of 20 top junior boys teams including the United States to win the gold medal at the FINA World Junior Men’s Water Polo Championships in Volos, Greece.

After losing to Spain, 6-5 in prelims, Serbia topped Spain, 9-6, in the championship final. Greece took the bronze medal with a 7-5 win over Australia. The U.S. finished ninth.

Sharon Robb can be reached at sha11cats@aol.com

 http://www.swim4soflo.com