TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — LSU’s Mandy Leach, Evan Martinec and men’s divers, Corey Fox and Erik Petursson, turned in some phenomenal finishes on Friday at the Southeastern Conference Championships here at the Alabama Aquatic Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
“Mandy (Leach) is an outstanding athlete,” said LSU head coach Jeff Cavana. “She was an Olympian last year in Australia, she trains very hard each and every day, and I guess it all paid off for her today in the 100-yard butterfly. I am also pleased with the performances of the divers and Evan (Martinec). It’s an awesome feat to final twice at the SEC Championships as a freshman and he (Martinec) did it.”
LSU’s Leach, who competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sidney, Australia, for Zimbabwe, shattered the previous Lady Tiger record in the 100-butterfly event of 55.22 by turning in an outstanding mark of 53.49 on Friday. The time earned her a second-place finish in the competition, as well as an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
She was edged out by Tennessee’s Pam Hanson in the final of the event. Hanson ended with a time of 53.37 in the competition. The previous LSU record in the event was set in 1999 by fellow African, Candice Nethercott.
In the men’s 3-meter diving competition, the Tigers ended the event with two divers among the top eight. LSU’s Petursson led the way with a fifth-place finish, while Fox notched the eighth-place position. Petursson scored a season-high 546.30 in the event and Fox trailed slightly with 532.00 total points.
The Tigers’ Martinec, the highly-touted freshman from Tacoma, Wash., ended the third day of the SEC Championships as a finalist in two events.
Martinec placed sixth in the 100-yard backstroke event in 48.65 and eighth in the 100-butterfly competition with a time of 49.15. Both of Martinec’s times in the final rounds qualified him for the NCAA “B” cut.
Also qualifying for an NCAA “B” cut on Friday was LSU’s Mike Jotautas. Jotautas also earned the distinction in the 100-butterfly event by recording a time of 48.32.
With the final day of competition remaining, the LSU men’s team holds the sixth-place spot with 207 total-team points, while the Lady Tigers ended the third day of competition in seventh place with 180 points.
The 2001 SEC Championships will continue on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Alabama Aquatic Center here in Tuscaloosa, Ala.