Alabama Swimmers Head to SEC Championships
2/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Much like a tag-team wrestling match, Alabama's divers have handed the Southeastern Conference Championship scoring duties over to its swimmers in Gainesville, Fla. this week at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center Natatorium.
For the first time since the mid-90s the swimming and diving portions of the league championships are run at different times this season. The divers did their work over the weekend and the swimmers get things underway Wednesday. And with a large majority of the meet's points up for grab during the swimming portion, the race for position begins in earnest then.
Alabama's divers left their teammates in good shape. The men are ranked second at the moment, just one point behind Georgia while the Tide women are fourth. Last season, Alabama's men were sixth while the women were eighth. A stronger lineup gives the chance to move up on both sides.
"We are definitely much improved from a year ago," head coach Eric McIlquham said. "We worked hard this year and have moved forward in a number of areas, so now we need to get out there, race hard, and see where we are. The SEC is a very fast, very tough conference, so moving up is tough for everyone, but that's what we're here to do."
The Tide brings the nation's top breaststrokers to the conference championships. Sophomore Vlad Polyakov, a two-time finalist at the Olympics last summer, went wire-to-wire in the 100 and 200 breaststroke during the regular season, leading the nation and the conference. Undefeated in both events, he will be hunting not just for his first conference crowns, but the league records as well.
Senior Anne Poleska earned a bronze medal at this summer's Olympics in the 200 breaststroke, the same event she won each of her first three SEC Championships. She also owns the SEC record in that event and is ranked No. 1 nationally. Poleska is in the hunt for her fourth SEC 200 breaststroke crown and third 100 title. If she pulls out the four-peat, she will be only the second swimmer in SEC history to do so. With five, Poleska already owns the Tide mark for most individual SEC titles in a career.
"Vlad and Anne have had incredible regular seasons," McIlquham said. "Now it's time to go out there and reap the rewards of their hard work."
In addition to its breaststroke duo, Alabama will look to its sprint corps for big points as well. On the men's side, sophomore Apostolis Tsagkarakis and junior Darren Erasmus rank among the league's best in the 50 and 100 freestyles. The duo will also make an impact on the Tide's relays. Sophomore Hunor Mate' is also ranked in the league's top-5 in the breaststroke events, giving Alabama a formidable one-two punch in those events. The Tide will look to senior Franck Southon in the backstroke events, junior Chris Flamion in the butterfly and junior J.T. Jones and freshman Mike Jones and Ryan Latone in the freestyle events.
On the women's side, senior Arlene Semeco, one of the league's top 50 and 100 freestylers, posted a career best time in the 50 against South Carolina in the last dual meet of the season, breaking the elusive 23 second barrier at 22.97. The Tide will look to junior Victoria Genova in the butterfly and junior Kathryn Hallquist in the backstroke as well as junior Alison Lafevers, freshman Erin Sparks, sophomore Melina Bassino, freshman Hannah Miluska and junior Anna Grant in the freestyle events.
The swimming portion of the meet gets started with the 200 medley and 800 freestyle relays preliminaries 10 a.m. EST on Wednesday. The championship runs through Saturday.
