Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
By Jaecey Parham, Swimming World College Intern
HOUSTON – The majority of Conference USA swimming raced on the weekend of Nov. 22, and it was a weekend filled with success. The current racing schedule for the teams in Conference USA seems to differ from team to team. Some will be competing this upcoming weekend; some will wait a couple of weeks, while others will not race until January.
Florida Atlantic
Competing at the Georgia Tech Invitational Nov. 21-23, FAU finished seventh out of seventeen teams. Agnes Bucz posted impressive freestyles for the Owls, coming in at 23.07 in the 50 freestyle and 1:46.54 in the 200 freestyle. Both of these times give Bucz the fastest times in the conference right now. Annett Kovacs also had a quick swim in the 200 butterfly, which is the second fastest for C-USA (1:59.09.) FAU will not compete this weekend, the team will return to racing on Dec. 19 in a meet with Georgia Tech and Florida Gulf Coast.
Florida International
The Panthers finished second behind Missouri at the Mizzou Invitational on Nov. 23. Freshman Silvia Scalia posted NCAA B-cuts in both backstroke events. Scalia’s 200 backstroke time is now the fastest in the conference (1:55.55). Her 100 backstroke is the second fastest for C-USA right now (53.38) only lagging close behind Western Kentucky’s Nadine Laemmler by 11 hundredths. Karin Tomeckova also had an impressive performance at the Mizzou Invite where she too grabbed an NCAA B-cut in the 200 backstroke (1:57.46). Johanna Gustafsdottir had quick times of 4:14.86 in the 400 IM and 2:14.20 in the 200 breaststroke, both put her at the front of the conference in these events. Next up for the Panthers will be in a couple of weeks on Dec. 17 when they dual North Florida.
Marshall
Marshall will compete this weekend, Dec. 5-7, at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio. The Herd’s last meet was Nov. 14 when they dueled Ohio University. The team was strong at this meet, coming out on top with a win over OU. This weekend, we should keep a look out for sophomore Danica Ross who has already posted a 23.80 for the 50 freestyle and a 52.68 for the 100 freestyle. Another point contributor for Marshall this weekend should be freshman Nele Albers who has swam a 1:52.16 in the 200 freestyle and 2:22.22 in the 200 breaststroke so far.
North Texas
Competing at the Phil Hansen Invite on Nov. 23, North Texas finished third overall. The Mean Green had a number of impressive individual swims. Mona Groteguth took two NCAA B-cuts along with first place in both backstroke events. She posted a 1:57.09 in the 200 and 54.59 in the 100. Groteguth’s 200 backstroke is currently the second fastest for the conference whereas her 100 is fifth. Krista Rossum also contributed to the Mean Green with her first-place finishes in both the 400 IM (4:19.32) and the 200 breaststroke (2:16.64). These times give Rossum the third fastest times for C-USA. The Mean Green again until not swim until the Incarnate Word Invitational on Dec.19-21.
Old Dominion
At the North Carolina Invite on Nov. 23, Old Dominion had several ladies with standout races. Yesim Giresunlu came in at 16:43.38 in the 1650 freestyle. This time gives Giresunlu the third fastest mile time for C-USA as of now. Only ten seconds separate her from the conference’s number one miler, Erin Flanigan of Rice. Another standout for ODU was Julia Vido who had a seventh place finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:03.43). This season best swim for Vido ranks her fourth in the conference, only trailing behind third (Jessica Chadwick of Florida International) by four hundredths. Old Dominion will race again on Dec. 20 against Akron and fellow conference team Florida Atlantic.
Rice
The Owls won the Phil Hansen Invitational on Nov. 23 with a total of 1254 points. Fellow conference team North Texas, who earlier this season beat the Owls in a dual meet, lagged behind this time with 639 points. Senior Casey Clark swam two record-breaking swims, one in the 100 backstroke (54.45) and one in the 100 freestyle (49.26). The previous school record for the 100 freestyle was standing for 12 years until now. Clark contributed a total of 5 wins for the Owls, one of which was the 100 butterfly (53.02). The Owls swept this event; Marissa Konicke came in second (54.42) while Meaghan Wisenbaker came in third (55.22). Erin Flanigan also tallied a couple of wins in the 500 and 1650 freestyles. Other impressive swims for the team came from Marissa Konicke in the 50 freestyle (23.41) and Rachel Moody in the 100 breaststroke (1:01.65). The Owls will compete this weekend, on Dec. 6 when they dual nationally ranked #2 team Texas A&M.
Western Kentucky
WKU finished second at the Louisville Invitational on Nov. 23. Three Lady Hilltoppers snapped up NCAA B-cuts; Hannah Musser in the 200 butterfly (1:59.35), Alexandra Duff in the 200 backstroke (1:57.10), and Claire Conlon in the 200 breaststroke (2:14.61). Another big contributor to the team’s success was Nadine Laemmler who won the 100 backstroke in 53.27. This time is now the fastest in the conference thus far. The Lady Hilltoppers made history by breaking a school record from 2011; a 400 freestyle relay consisting of Michelle Craddock, Hannah Musser, Alexandra Duff, and Logan Graumann (3:21.30). Some WKU ladies will compete at USA Swimming Short Course Nationals this weekend. The full team will not compete again until the team’s training trip where they will swim at the FIU relay invitational on Jan. 10.