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By Times staff
Published February 23, 2008
South Florida
Baseball
Maruszak home run lifts Bulls to victory
TAMPA - The University of South Florida baseball team kicked off their 2008 campaign by defeating the Indiana State Sycamores 4-2, in front of an announced crowd of 530, Friday evening at Red McEwen Field.
"We had a good start," said coach Lelo Prado. "We'll build on this and hopefully come out tomorrow and play a lot better offensively. It's the first game, guys are nervous. We got a win tonight and that's all that matters"
Addison Maruszak led the Bulls on the evening, going 3-of-4 at the plate, with a towering home run off of ISU's Josh Williams that cleared the left field fence. The home run was the Bulls' first long ball of the season and the sixth of the junior shortstop's career.
"The pitch was up and in and I put a good swing on it and, you know, you don't really feel it when you make good contact," said Maruszak.
Freshman Zach Pietryzk earned his first collegiate victory pitching two scoreless innings in relief, giving up one hit and striking out three.
Sophomore Shawn Sanford, a member of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list, came in and shut the door for USF, who earned his 12th career save, and his first of the young season.
The Bulls got on the board first when, in the bottom of the fourth, junior Chris Rey singled down the right field line scoring classmate Brian Hobbs, who doubled in the previous at bat.
Junior hurler Daniel Thomas was sharp in his first outing since March 17, 2007, after recovering from a season-ending arm injury last year. He threw five scoreless innings, tossing 73 pitches while allowing one hit and striking out seven Sycamore batters. Thomas was harnessed on the evening by a pitch count put on by the USF coaching staff.
"He's good," said head coach Lelo Prado. "He was only going to throw 75 pitches and that's what he threw. Five innings is really good for a power pitcher. I'm happy with his outing."
After Indiana State closed the gap to one run in the bottom of the seventh, back-to-back walks issued to Trey Manz and Eric Baumann scored Rey, giving USF the lead for good.
The Bulls (1-0) will be back in action tomorrow evening for the second game of the three-game series against the Indiana State Sycamores (0-1). Sophomore Matt Quevedo will get the start for the Bulls and Brian Oliver will get the nod for the Sycamores. The first pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Softball
TAMPA -- Three University of South Florida pitchers combined for a 10-inning no hitter in the Bulls 1-0 win over Hofstra on Friday afternoon in opening day of the Louisville Slugger Tournament.
"I honestly can't remember the last time we had a no hitter here," said USF head coach Ken Eriksen. "I think the last time was 1997, but I can't say for sure. I will remember this one though...10 innings of no hit softball is truly remarkable."
Senior Courtney Mosch scored on Aya Nakajima's sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the 10th to give the Bulls the victory. Mosch was also credited as the winning pitcher as she finished off the two last innings against the Pride.
Pitchers Cristi Ecks and Capri Catalano pitched four innings each and both collected five strikeouts. Mosch had three strikeouts in the final two innings.
The trio of pitchers, who paid in front of a defense that did not commit an error, were just three walks away from a perfect game. Ecks had one of the walks, while Catalano had two.
Unlike Hofstra, USF recorded six hits, all singles in the first extra innings game of the 2008 campaign.
The Bulls and the Pride settled into a pitching battle as both teams failed to score a run through nine and a half innings.
Ecks got the starting nod and quickly establish the fact that it would be a long night for the hitters by striking out the first two Hofstra hitters.
Freshman pitcher Capri Catalano came out of the bullpen in the fifth inning to relieve Ecks. Catalano pitched through the eighth inning before handing off to Mosch.
With a runner set at second base to start off the extra innings under the international tie breaker rules, Mosch remained unphased and set the Pride down in order.
Mosch, sitting on second to lead off the 10th inning, advanced to third on an Alison Savarese sacrifice bunt to the pitcher. Nakajima immediately followed with the game winning fly ball to seal the Bulls seventh win of the season.
Mosch, now 4-1, has only allowed three runs in 28 innings for a 0.73 ERA this season.
The last time the Bulls recorded a win in extra innings was March 13, 2007 when USF defeated Long Island University 6-5 in eight innings.
The 10 inning win may have taken some energy from the Bulls lineup as the fell 2-1 in their second game against Wright State.
Head coach Ken Ericksen attempted a three-pitcher combination that had proven successful in the earlier game against Hofstra.
Sophomore pitcher Kristen Gordon started the game against the Raiders. The Florida native could not contain a winless Wright State team as the Raiders scored a run early in the second. With bases loaded, Mosch came in for Gordon, the Raiders scored one more run before sending the Wright State runners back to the dugout.
USF actually struck first on an Allison Savarese RBI single that plated two-hole hitter Tara Toscano in the first inning. The Bulls would finish the night with seven hits but failed to push a second run across the board.
Mosch worked five innings, without giving up any runs. She handed off to Catalano, who pitched the seventh inning. Gordon, who gave up two earned runs, took the loss and falls to 0-1 on the young season.
The Bulls will return to action Saturday afternoon when they take on South Carolina at 2 p.m. and Wisconsin at 6 p.m. in second day action at 2008 USF Louisville Slugger Tournament.
Men's Tennis
Men's Tennis Falls to Auburn
AUBURN, Ala. - The No. 55 University of South Florida men's tennis team dropped their match to the No. 36 Auburn Tigers, 7-0, Friday afternoon at the Yarbrough Tennis Center.
After falling behind by losing the doubles point, the Bulls couldn't muster any momentum in singles competition. Auburn won all six singles matches en route to the 7-0 victory.
Newly ranked Lucas Jovita (No. 67) took his match with No. 81 Tim Puetz into a third set but couldn't hang on, dropping the match at the No. 2 spot, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.
The Bulls (3-3) will return home to face the Furman Paladins on Tuesday, February 26. First serve is set for 2 p.m. at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts.
Women's golf
JONES IN TOP 15 AT LADY GATOR INVITE
TAMPA - The University of South Florida women's golf team is in eighth place after round one of the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla. The tournament is being played at the par-70 Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida.
Leading the 15-team field is Florida with a first round total of 280, followed by Louisville and North Carolina.
Sydney Crane (UNC) tied the Lady Gator Invitational single-round record with a 4-under par 66. Only two other players in tournament history have done this including former USF head coach and player, Kelly Lagedrost (1998).
Senior Christina Jones is tied for 15th with a first-round 73. Sophomore Ana Lopez shot a 76. She is tied for 27th. Junior Gennifer Mendez carded a 78 for day one and is tied for 45th place. Senior Kylene Pulley is tied for 48th after recording a first-round 79. Freshman Emily Van Etten collected an 83 today. She is tied for 73rd.
"We are not dwelling on the results of last week in Miami," said head coach Marci Kornegay. "The University of Florida Golf Course will be a good test and a proving ground for how mentally tough and resilient this team is."
The second round will take place tomorrow beginning 8:30 a.m. and the final 18 holes will wrap up on Sunday, Feb. 24, at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.
Florida
Baseball
Florida Baseball Downs Siena, 10-7, In O'Sullivan's Debut
GAINESVILLE - Kevin O'Sullivan enjoyed a successful start to his head coaching career as the University of Florida baseball team began its 2008 campaign with a 10-7 victory over Siena in front of 3,408 fans on Friday night at McKethan Stadium. The Gators rallied from deficits of 5-0 and 6-5 and snapped a 6-6 tie in the sixth with a two-run triple by senior Brandon McArthur (Seffner). Freshman Josh Adams (Jacksonville) later added a two-out, two-RBI single in the frame as the hosts sent 10 batters to the plate. Making the first relief appearance of his career, sophomore righty Billy Bullock (Balm) limited the Saints to one run and three hits over six innings and equaled his personal best of six strikeouts to pick up the win.
"Our goal was to chip away when we fell behind," O'Sullivan said. "It's a long game and the first thing we told them was that it's not over until the last out. There were a lot of positives tonight and as a team I was pleased with how we fought back. It's not easy coming back from a 5-0 deficit, especially on opening night with the pressure of a new coach in front of the home crowd."
"It was a little nerve-racking being a head coach for the first time. It kind of a hit me a little bit during the national anthem in front of the fans. Tonight was a good win for everybody associated with our program and it obviously relieves some pressure."
Siena opened the scoring in the top of the first on an RBI single up the middle by senior Moises Rivera. Senior Chris Klepps had started the game with a double to straightaway center field off sophomore Kyle Mullaney (Jacksonville, ) and Rivera stroked the righty's next offering up the middle to break the ice. Mullaney rebounded by striking out the two batters and had junior Eric Mruczek's grounder force the runner at second to end the frame.
Rivera blasted a two-out grand slam in the second inning to provide the Saints with a 5-0 lead. Mullaney set down the first two hitters before yielding consecutive singles to junior Nick Messinger and senior Michael Ambury. Following a four-pitch walk to Klepps, Rivera sent a 2-2 pitch into the left-field bleachers to clear the sacks and create the five-run cushion.
The Gators answered in the bottom of the stanza with five runs on four hits and an error to knot the contest at 5-5. Following a leadoff walk to senior Bryson Barber (Pensacola, Fla.), senior Jon Townsend (London, Ky.) deposited a 2-2 pitch from junior right-hander Craig Chaput (5.0 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 3 ER, 6 K) deep to left over the bleachers to put UF on the board. The round-tripper marked the second year in a row that Townsend had homered on opening night. Adams lofted a fly ball to left that was dropped, resulting in him taking second base. A base-hit by sophomore Jonathan Pigott (Ormond Beach) left runners on the corners and an RBI grounder from sophomore Hampton Tignor (Sarasota) narrowed the gap to 5-3. Following a passed ball that pushed Pigott to third, junior Avery Barnes (High Springs) legged out an infield hit that brought across his teammate. Sophomore Cole Figueroa (Tallahassee) later sliced a single through the left side with two down to even the game.
Sophomore Anthony Giansanti moved the Saints back in front with a one-out homer in the third, also to left field. Over three innings on the mound, Mullaney gave up nine hits and six runs and matched his career high of three strikeouts before being replaced by Bullock.
Figueroa delivered his second two-out RBI of the night with a double to left center in the fourth that tied the game at six runs apiece. The previous batter, sophomore Clayton Pisani (Naples), had earned a free pass and came all the way around on the two-bagger that went into the gap.
Mctriple off junior reliever Will Hassett and Adams added a two-out, two-RBI single for a 10-6 advantage. Barnes opened the frame with his second base-hit and Pisani walked before Figueroa laid down a sacrifice bunt to move his teammates into scoring position. McArthur smacked Hassett's next pitch over Messinger's head in center field for a two-run triple and an 8-6 advantage. Townsend reached via a walk for two runners aboard and stole second before Adams collected the first two RBI of his collegiate career with a flare into left field to put the hosts up by four runs.
"We were faced with the challenge of being down five runs early andcoming back makes the win that much sweeter," McArthur said. "Although I was thrilled to have the game-winning hit, it didn't really matter who came through for us. I just want to win and make these fans happy any way, shape or form that I can. Luckily, I had the chance to do it tonight."
Klepps' solo homer in the ninth finalized the margin at 10-7. Led by multiple-hit outings from Rivera (2-for-4, five RBI), Klepps (2-for-4, three runs), Willis (2-for-5) and Messinger (2-for-4), the Saints out-hit the Gators, 12-11. For Florida, Adams was 2-for-5 and reached base four times, Barnes went 2-for-5 and scored twice and the duo of Figueroa and Pigott each chipped in with two hits. The Gators were 4-of-5 on stolen-base opportunities, with Townsend swiping a couple of bags. UF will send junior right-hander Patrick Keating (Harrisburg, Ill.) to the hill against Siena junior left-hander Matt Moberg tomorrow afternoon at 2.
Softball
The No. 7 University of Florida Softball team (16-0) hit six home runs in its first two games of the Aquafina Invitational to defeat Gardner-Webb (5-4), 15-1, and North Florida (7-6), 3-0. The Gator offense tallied 21 hits on the night, 10 of which were for extra bases.
Four different Gators led the team with three hits on the night. Junior Kristina Hilberth (Dunedin) went 3-for-5 with a team-leading four runs scored. Freshman Tiffany DeFelice (Coral Springs) hit 3-for-6 with three home runs, the first three of her collegiate career. Senior Mary Ratliff (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) went 3-for-7 with a team-leading five RBI on the night. Freshman Megan Bush (Anaheim Hills, Calif.) also had a three hit performance, going 3-for6 with the second home run of her career.
Four walks and a hit put the Gators up 3-0 in the top of the first against Gardner-Webb. Juniors Kim Waleszonia (Fontana, Calif.) and Hilberth and freshman Aja Paculba (Wildomar, Calif.) drew three consecutive walks from Gardner-Webb starter Christine Murray. Waleszonia scored on a wild pitch. Ratliff hit a two-out base hit to right center to score Hilberth and Paculba for the 3-0 lead.
The Gators added five more runs in the second. With one out, Waleszonia reached first on a bunt single. Hilberth followed with a base hit through the left side. Paculba knocked a double to left to score Waleszonia. Sophomore Francesca Enea (Woodland Hills, Calif.) hit a three-run home run, her fifth of the season, to give Florida the 7-0 advantage. Alison Coffey came in to replace Murray in the circle. Junior Ali Gardiner (Waccabuc, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch. Freshman Ami Austin (Ormond Beach) came in to pinch run for Gardiner at first. Austin worked quickly, stealing second and advanced to third following a single by Ratliff. A wild pitch by Coffey allowed Austin to score, extending the Gators' lead to 8-0.
Gardner-Webb's Jessica Williams hit a solo home run in the bottom of the second putting the Bulldogs on the scoreboard 8-1. It was the first home run given up by the Gator pitching staff this season
Hilberth was first on base for the Gators in the third inning following three straight balls thrown by Coffey. Hilberth scored from first on a double to right field by Paculba. A double play ended the inning with the Gators ahead 9-1.
After a scoreless fourth inning by both teams, the Gators showcased their best inning of the night with six runs. Waleszonia was first to bat and walked on four-straight pitches. She advanced to second on a single to left field by Hilberth. Paculba was next to bat, walking on four straight pitches, loading the bases. Gardiner doubled to center field scoring Hilberth and Waleszonia and extending her career-long hit streak to nine games. The impressive inning for the Gators continued with back-to-back home runs. Ratliff hit a three-run shot, followed by a solo home run by freshman catcher Tiffany DeFelice (Coral Springs) giving the Gators a 15-1 lead.
Freshman pitcher Stephanie Brombacher (Pembroke Pines) improved her record to 6-0 as she struck out four batters and did not allow a walk in the game.
In the second game of the day, the Gators defeated North Florida, 3-0, with all of its runs coming off solo home runs.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth when DeFelice crushed her first of two home runs in the game, launching a towering solo shot down the left field line. Bush hit the second home run of that inning, extending the Gators' lead 2-0.
DeFelice hit her second home run of the game in the sixth inning, driving the ball deep over the center field wall to give the Gators a 3-0 lead.
Junior Stacey Nelson (Los Alamitos, Calif.) extended her scoreless innings streak to 46.2 innings with the complete game shutout. She allowed only three base runners in the game, giving up only one hit, one walk and hitting one North Florida batter. She struck out 10 for her second consecutive double digit strikeout game and her fifth overall.
The Aquafina Invitational continues on Saturday, Feb. 23 with North Florida taking on Gardner-Webb at 10 a.m. and the Gators facing Notre Dame at 12:15 p.m., followed by bracket play beginning at 2:30. Due to road races around the Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium area, fans will not be able to access the field from 34th Street afternoon. Fans need to come on campus via 23rd Street from Archer Road to Museum Road and park in the Microbiology Building across the street from center field, or via Surge Road from Archer Road and turn left to the Phillips Center parking garage.
Women's golf
No. 5 Florida Takes Lead After First Day of Lady Gator Invitational
Gainesville - A wedge shot from 100 yards out on the last hole that put senior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.) inches from the pin capped a record-breaking performance by the fifth-ranked Florida women's golf team Friday during the first round of the SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational. UF posted a school record and Lady Gator Invitational record total of 280 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course.
The score shattered the previous school record of 283 at the 1985 Ryder Championships and was two strokes better than 282 fired by Georgia in 1998 and Auburn in 1996 at the Lady Gator Invitational for the low event round total.
Senior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar) is the top Florida player in the medalist race, tying for second and finding red numbers with a 1-under par 69, one stroke off her career low.
"Records are great," head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. "A 10-stroke lead isn't very much considering it's only two strokes per player. The competition is very good for the team and everyone came out ready to play."
For Myers, the 52 degree wedge shot to score birdie on her final hole stamped an exclamation point on the day as three players finished at even par or better. Four Florida individuals stand in the top 10 of the player standings.
"I played up and down all day," Myers said. "I finished one-under (par) on the front nine but had three bogeys and two birdies on the back. I feel like today was a really good practice round. I was definitely able to feed off the crowd and am looking forward to coming out tomorrow."
Chudy had a birdie on the front nine and the back nine, offsetting one bogey. She beat her previous low round of the season by three strokes and is in a fourth-place tie.
Freshman Jessica Yadloczky (Casselberry) birdied her first two holes and started out the back nine with a birdie on the 10th hole. She is also tied with Chudy for fourth after finishing even. Her round of even par marked the seventh time this year in 15 rounds she finished even or better.
"I thought I played really well," Yadloczky said. "The wind picked up on the back nine and my iron play was kind of iffy. It feels good to be in the lead and we'll definitely come out ready to go tomorrow."
Freshman Hannah Yun (Bradenton) is tied for sixth after firing a career-low round of 71 in her young career, overcoming four bogeys through her first 11 holes with three birdies to close out the day.
Redshirt junior Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) opened her back nine with two birdies on her first three holes and is tied for 15th through first-round action. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Schachner (Libertyville, Ill.) led a group of Lady Gators competing as individuals, tallying a first-round score of 76 and is tied for 27th.
It took the Lady Gators a little bit to get warmed up, taking a four-stroke lead over Louisville heading into the back nine. UF outdistanced the 15-team field with a 1-over par collective effort on the back nine to take a 10-shot lead heading into the clubhouse.
North Carolina's Sydney Crane tied the low single-round record with a 4-under par 66 effort. Crane tied Julie Boros (Georgia, 1998) and Kelly Lagedrost (USF, 1998) for the lowest round at the Lady Gator Invitational.
Second-round action resumes tomorrow morning at 8:30 a.m. with a fixed tee-time start. The tournament is open to the public and free to attend. Live stats are also available at www.golfstat.com.
Swimming
Gators Win Three Individual Championships and Break Three School Records on Day Three of SEC Swimming and Diving Championships
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Sophomore Gemma Spofforth became just the second swimmer in NCAA history to swim under 52 seconds in the 100-yard back when she broke her own SEC and Florida record in the event on day three of the Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. Sixth ranked Florida trails defending champion Auburn on the men's side with 447 points to Auburn's 597. The third ranked women trail by 20 points with 476 to Auburn's 492.
Spofforth's time of 51.57 bettered her preliminary time of 52.09, which at the time set the SEC and UF record. She joined Natalie Coughlin of California as the only two swimmers in the history of the sport to swim under 52 seconds. The sophomore's time also served as a pool record for the Don Gambril Olympic Pool at the Alabama Aquatic Center.
Spofforth was joined on the awards stand by sophomore Clark Burckle and Shaune Fraser, who claimed the SEC Championship in the 400 IM and 200 free respectively. Burckle, who swam to the seventh fastest time in school history in preliminaries with a time of 3:45.03, went on to improve upon that finish, touching the wall in a career best time of 3:44.86 to win the first SEC Championship of his career and etch his name as the sixth best time in UF history in the event. Burckle returned to the pool in the 100 breast after setting the school record in the preliminaries, with a time of 53.79, and touched the wall third with a time of 53.87. Amanda Hartley was the lone Gator woman to swim the 100 breast, placing third with a provisional time of 53.87. Hartley swam to the fourth fastest time in school history in the preliminaries with a time of 1:01.68.
Fraser defended his 2007 championship, touching the wall with a pool record and fifth fastest time in school history of 1:34.23. Fraser, who set a career best and pool record in the preliminaries went on to improve upon that time by .20 seconds.
"Our women swam about as well as they could have swam this morning. We came back tonight and were not quite as sharp, losing a few close races," said Head Coach Gregg Troy. "The men had a good day. Obviously the 400 IM is a quality event for us and we're real pleased with Clark Burckle having the chance to win. He gave up one of his best events to swim the 100 breast and he broke the school record in it. We were happy with Omar Pinzon and Fraser, obviously, winning the 100 breast for the second straight year is obviously a good swim."
The Gators were well represented in the 400 IM, claiming six of the top eight spots in preliminaries. Junior Bradley Ally, who was last year's Champion in the 400 IM, claimed third with a time of 3:46.00. Ally went out quickly in the butterfly stroke while sophomore Omar Pinzon flagged him down in the backstroke leg to take the lead. Burckle did not come on to take the lead until the breast stroke, his primary stroke, after swimming the first 50 of the stroke in 31.00 seconds. Pinzon went on to finish fourth with a time of 3:47.38 while senior Tobias Work was fifth with a time of 3:47.47, both swims served as career bests. Senior Kevin Nead turned in an eighth place time of 3:50.42 in his final SEC Championship meet.
Sophomore Stephanie Proud was just out-touched at the wall after leading for much of the race in the women's 400 IM. Proud finished with a career best time of 4:11.58 and moved herself into eighth on UF's all-time list, improving upon her time in preliminaries by .75 seconds. Senior Leah Retrum, who was third in the event a year ago, touched the wall sixth with a time of 4:13.26.
Caroline Burckle and Natalie Pike each picked up automatic qualifying times in the 200-yard freestyle. Burckle, who won the event as freshman in 2005, was beaten in the final 25 yards of the race, placing second with a time of 1:44.25. Despite finishing second, Burckle turned in the third fastest time in the country this year and improved upon her second-best UF time with the career best swim. Pike touched the wall fourth, just under her career best, with a time of 1:46.42. Pike, who stands with the eighth best time in school history, was just .41 seconds off her top time.
Rex Tullius was the only Gator to swim the 100 back for the men, turning in the fifth fastest time in school history with his career best time of 47.31 seconds to place second.
Both the men's and women's 400 medley relay teams turned in top UF times. The women's quartet of Spofforth, Burckle, Colleen Healy and Pike were just off Auburn's SEC record time, but touched in second with a time of 3:33.40 to break the UF record. Spofforth swam her second fastest 100 back time of the day, clocking in at 51.95, cutting under the 52 second mark for the second time over the course of the evening.
The Florida men's team of Pinzon, Burckle, Fraser and Daniel Penniman, was out-touched at the wall by Tennessee, placing third after trading the lead with both Auburn and Tennessee through much of the race. The Gators' time of 3:10.86 was the fifth fastest time in school history and marked the third time that Penniman was able to write his name on the overall list.
"We have a good day ahead of us," said Troy. "We're just going to have
to be really good when we come in tomorrow morning."
Florida also received strong swims from Kristen Beales and Laurabeth Guenthner in the 400 IM. Guenthner touched in fourth in the consolation final with a career best time of 4:17.29 while Beales was seventh with a time of 4:21.10. In the consolation final of the men's race, Joey Pedraza claimed second with a career best and provisional time of 3:49.96 while Logan Storie was seventh with a career best 3:53.58 and Ryan Crete was eighth with a career best 3:55.26. Both swims served as provisional qualifying times.
"Overall we are pleased with our performance and have to be really good tomorrow morning to give us a chance to win the meet," said Troy. "By the same token we are qualifying everyone we need to for the NCAA meet and are really happy with that."
Julianne Lago was eighth with a provisional time of 54.27 in the 100 fly, falling just off her career best mark that she set in preliminaries of 53.83 seconds. Lago's preliminary time also served as the fifth fastest time in school history for the event. Healy swam her way to a fourth place finish in the event with a career best and fourth fastest UF time of 52.46 seconds. Vanderbilt swam in the consolation final and turned in a fifth place and provisional qualifying time of 54.44. Lago also picked up an eighth place finish in the 100 back consolation final with a time of 57.15. She was joined by Healy who swam to a career best time of 55.28.
"We had some great performances from several people. Caroline Burckle was terrific again, but we also had some great performances from some of our down-the-line athletes," said Troy. "Colleen Healy was outstanding so was Samantha Vanderbilt. Obviously Gemma Spofforth is a class act athlete and we saw some great swims from Proud and Retrum. Overall we're really pleased with the day. We were great this morning and put ourselves in a great position."
Tim Hughes and Penniman represented the men in the 100 fly consolation final, swimming to fourth and seventh place efforts with provisional qualifying times of 47.96 and 48.43 respectively. Liz Kemp earned a career best and fifth place finish in the 200 free consolation final with a time of 1:48.22. She was joined on the men's side by Rudolf and Matthew Norton. Norton swam to a career best time of 1:37.31 for a second place finish, while Rudolf was third with a time of 1:37.34, both were provisional times.
Preliminaries will begin at 10:00 a.m. CT with finals going off at 6:00 p.m. The Gators will attempt to win their first SEC title on the men's side since 1993 and since 2002 on the women's side.
Gymnastics
No. 3 Florida Gymnastics Team Wins at UNC
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The No. 3 Florida gymnastics team (7-1, 5-1 SEC) defeated North Carolina (9-2) 196.65-194.125 Friday evening in front of a Carmichael Auditorium crowd of 1,257.
The Gators turned in solid performances on their first three events, but were forced to count a fall on their closing event, the balance beam, when the lead-off and anchor competitors each had a fall. It was the first time Florida counted a fall toward its beam performance since a dual meet at Alabama on Jan. 20, 2006. Those mistakes marred an otherwise strong Gator performance for the team.
"I think as a coaching staff and as a team, we are disappointed in the way the meet finished. We started off great and did our jobs on the first three events, especially with the different athletes that we put into the lineup tonight. We were working on the little things, the details that add up. I thought we were putting forth a really great performance and were looking to take away a great road mark," UF Head Coach Rhonda Faehn said. "It's just tough on beam when you start with a fall. It puts a lot of pressure on everyone else and I think that happened tonight. We were a little conservative and that's when the mistakes happen. I'm disappointed, obviously, and the team is disappointed that we actually had to count a fall. We have to learn from this. In the meets coming up, there is going to be more pressure. They can't let something like this happen and hopefully they got it out of the way now."
Junior All-American Corey Hartung picked up her fourth all-around title of the season and the 11th of her career with her total of 39.50. She led a strong performance by each of Florida's three all-arounders Friday, as seniors Ashley Reed (39.40) and Nicola Willis (39.375) finished second and third, respectively.
"Unbelievable performance once again from Corey. Ashley had another great performance as well. Nic was in the all-around again and had a great night. We had very solid performances from our all-arounders," Faehn said. "Now we just need to get back to the gym and really focus on aggressive training and getting ready for Alabama."
A Gator picked up at least a share of every apparatus title Friday. Sophomore All-American Melanie Sinclair anchored the UF lineup with her mark of 9.90 to take her fifth uneven bars title of the season. Three Gators shared top honors on vault Friday. Amanda Castillo, Hartung and Tiffany Murry each turned in a 9.875 to lead UF. Hartung turned in the high mark of the evening on all events to take the win on floor at 9.925. Four gymnasts shared the evening's balance beam title at 9.875 -Hartung, Reed, Sinclair and UNC's Christine Nguyen.
Amongst the Carolina blue crowd Friday, there was an orange and blue presence, as a strong contingent from the Triangle Gator club came to cheer on Florida.
Florida finished its regular-season Southeastern Conference slate Friday, Feb. 29 at perennial power Alabama (4-1, 3-1 SEC). Meet time is set for 8:30 p.m. (ET) in the Coleman Coliseum. The meet will air tape-delayed on CSS, with the first showing set for March 4 at 7 p.m.
Florida State
Swimming and Diving
Terry Horner Wins Second Title At 2008 ACC Championships
Atlanta, Ga. - Florida State sophomore Terry Horner made it two-for-two winning the one-meter board to capture his second title at the 2008 ACC Championships Friday evening. A day after winning the three-meter, the reigning NCAA Champion on the one-meter won his signature event out performing all competitors.
"The win on the three-meter was a little bit of a surprise and I wasn't feeling good at all [today]," Horner said. "I knew I needed to do something big to win. I went out and gave it my all and it came together for me."
"Terry [Horner] came up with it again which is tough to do," said diving coach Patrick Jeffrey. "He knows how to handle these situations and all of our divers did great I am proud of all of them."
For the second consecutive day the Seminoles placed all four divers into the finals. Fresh off of his second place performance on the three-meter junior Dan Frebel finished fourth. Junior Scott Derner brought home seventh place and senior Alex Tilbrook finished eighth.
"I hope this puts some pressure on some of the other teams," said Jeffrey. "When they feel that pressure it makes it harder to perform."
The Seminole divers will compete in the platform competition on Saturday February 23 with prelims beginning at 11:00 a.m.
Swimming
Lauren Sparg Wins 100 Fly As Seminoles Stay In Third Place After Day Three Of 2008 ACC Championships
Atlanta, Ga. - Senior Lauren Sparg got the Seminoles started off right and Florida State was able to remain in third place with 359.5 points Friday, February 22 at the 2008 ACC Championships. The Seminoles are now only 18.5 points behind second place North Carolina.
The Durban, South Africa native took home the women's first individual gold with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 53.50 in the 100 butterfly. Sparg was joined in the finals by senior Abbie King who finished fourth with a personal best time of 54.73. FSU freshman C.J. Hendry also score points for the Seminoles finishing 10 th (55.22). Both times were NCAA "B" qualifying times. This is the third consecutive year FSU has won the 100 fly.
Florida State turned in two more podium finishes in the 100 breast. Freshman Lowri Tynan turned in a personal best time of 1:02.25 winning a silver medal while her teammate junior Georgia Holderness was right behind her taking third (1:02.43). Junior Kylen Huntwork did her part finishing 13 th in the consolation finals (1:05.28).
In the 200 free freshman Jocelyn Phillips took home fifth place in a time of 1:48.47. The Seminoles also scored points in the consolation final as sophomore Kylsie Grimes won the heat to nab ninth place points and a personal best (1:49.12). Freshman Holly Mills finished in 11 th place touching the wall with a time of 1:49.30 and senior Lindsay Kenney touched in 15 th position (1:51.22).
The 400 medley relay provided some drama for the Seminoles. The team of Hendry, Tynan, Sparg and King finished fourth one-hundreth of a second behind third-place North Carolina in a NCAA "B" qualifying time of 3:41.51.
FSU had another great showing on the diving board with all four women scoring points for the Seminoles on the three-meter. Sophomore Katie Sirounis was the best Florida State finisher grabbing the number four position scoring 298.55 points. Freshman Kat Adham qualified for her second consecutive final this time finishing eighth (253.55). In the morning prelims sophomore Aleia Monden finished ninth (262.25) and sophomore Mel Cabassol took 15 th (226.50)
The 100 back saw senior Kate Skaggs take home 16 th place touching the wall in a time of 57.23.
Florida State will be back in action Saturday, February 23 in the final day of the ACC Championships. The Seminoles will compete in the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and 400 freestyle relay. Divers will compete on the platform. You can watch your Seminoles in action every evening by logging on to www.accselect.com at 7:00 p.m. For results visit www.seminoles.com .