Nov. 11, 2006
Complete Results | Complete Two-Day Meet Results
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Knoxville, Tenn.- No. 3 Stanford (5-0, 1-0 Pac-10) won five consecutive events late in the meet to secure victories over defending national champion and No. 4 Auburn (2-1, 1-0 SEC) and No. 15 Tennessee (3-2, 2-1 SEC) on the final day a two-day tri-meet at the Student Aquatic Center on Saturday. The late Cardinal surge broke open a tight meet between Stanford and Auburn after the Tigers had cut into the 37-point Cardinal lead at the end of the first day by winning three consecutive events early on the second day action. Stanford ended up with a 191.5-161.5 victory over Auburn and outscored Tennessee, 245-108. Auburn defeated Tennessee by a final score of 203-143.5.
"We anticipated a tougher assignment today," said Stanford head coach Lea Maurer. "But, we stayed focused and composed even when Auburn got close. We have some people that showed they wanted to race against some of the best swimmers in the country. This was a great meet, and we are looking forward to getting better in our next meet at the Texas Invitational."
The Cardinal built on its first day lead when a 200 medley relay team of Brooke Bishop, Caroline Bruce, Elaine Breeden and Julia Smit won in an NCAA `B' time of 1:42.27.
Auburn then began its comeback when Adrienne Binder (1000 free, 9:43.62), Emily Kukors (200 free, 1:48.40, NCAA `B') and Rachel Goh (100 back, 54.29, NCAA `A') put together three consecutive victories. But, the Cardinal was able to minimize the damage when Bishop (55.07, NCAA `B'), Fiona O'Donnell-McCarthy (56.34) and Kelley Hug (56.71) were able to place 2-3-4 in the 100 back.
Bruce got the Cardinal back on the winning track with a victory in the 100 breast (1:04.05) before Breeden (200 fly, 1:58.56, NCAA `A'), Bishop (50 free, 23.12), Cassidy Krug (3-meter diving, 315.30) and Julia Smit (200 IM, 2:01.17) put the meet out of reach by winning their respective events.
Smit ended the meet with three individual victories, while Bruce, Breeden, Bishop and Krug recorded two each.
Auburn closed out the meet with a victory in the 400 free relay when a team of Kara Denby, Goh, Emile Ewing and Kukors recorded a NCAA `B' time of 3:20.54. Stanford also had an NCAA `B' mark of 3:22.61 with a foursome of Breeden, Bishop, O'Donnell-McCarthy and Hug.
Stanford had jumped out to dominating leads over both the Tigers and the Lady Vols after Friday's first day of action as Smit recorded a pair of individual victories to lead a Cardinal squad that won seven of the day's nine events.
Smit recorded NCAA `A' times in 400 IM (4:10.09) and 200 back (1:56.00) triumphs with just one race sandwiched between the two performances that made her Stanford's fourth and fifth all-time performer in the respective events. Smit later recorded an NCAA `B' mark when she led off Stanford's winning 400 medley relay (3:41.72, NCAA `B') with a 100 back split of 54.90.
"Julia was definitely the talk of the pool deck," Maurer commented after the completion of the first day of action. "People know she is making a mark on Stanford and starting to do so on a national level as well. She is a composed and focused swimmer, and wants to be a part of rebuilding Stanford's tradition and getting back to where we want to be on the national scene."
"This was a breakthrough swim for our program," Maurer added. "It was a big deal, because this is a tough challenge to go on the road and face schools like Auburn and Tennessee. We had some great swims and just kept coming."
Smit had plenty of help from her teammates on Friday with Bishop's performance arguably the most notable. Bishop closed out the day's action with a victory in the 100 free (49.71, NCAA `B') when the event was swum for a second time following a timing malfunction during the normally scheduled race. Bishop's victory came on the heels of anchoring Stanford's 400 medley relay squad to a win just moments before when she teamed with Smit, Bruce and Breeden.
"Brooke's performance in the 100 free was a decisive way to end the first day of the meet and symbolized our tenacity," emphasized Maurer.
Bruce and Breeden also did well on their own with respective victories in the 200 breast (2:12.16, NCAA `A') and 100 fly (54.02, NCAA `B'). Krug rounded out Stanford's wins on the opening day of the meet by taking the 1-meter diving competition (285.40 points).
Binder was the lone non-Stanford individual to capture an event on Friday, taking the 500 free in an NCAA `B' time of 4:46.41.
Tennessee's lone victory was by a 200 free relay team of Michele King, Christine Magnuson, Katie Gehring and Megan Tomes that captured the opening event of the meet on Friday in an NCAA `B' mark of 1:32.74. The Lady Vols touched just ahead of a Stanford team of Madeline Rovira, Breeden, O'Donnell-McCarthy and Bishop that had an NCAA `B' time of 1:32.77.
Elizabeth Durot (4:51.56) and DesireƩ Stahley (4:53.78) both added NCAA `B' showings in the 500 free for the Cardinal on Friday, finishing fourth and fifth in the race. Breeden also recorded an NCAA `B' mark with her fourth-place showing in the 100 free (50.94).
"It was great," said Krug about Stanford's performance at the meet. "I'm very excited that the swimmers and divers are looking so good this year. I think our team's performance this weekend shows a lot about where we're capable of going this season."
The divers will compete at the Indiana Open Invitational next Friday-Sunday, November 17-19, before both the swimmers and divers will conclude the fall portion of their seasons at the Texas Invitational (Thursday-Saturday, November 30 - December 2).