MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Sophomore Julius Gloeckner earned first-team All-America honors in the 400 individual medley on Friday night to position the LSU men’s swimming and diving team in a 27th-place tie at the NCAA Championships.
Gloeckner accumulated 12 points, which tied LSU with South Carolina and Pittsburgh for 27th place. Auburn holds a 380-278 lead on Arizona heading into the competition’s final day.
Gloeckner, who finished seventh in the consolation finals of the event last year, earned All-America honors for the second consecutive season with a seventh-place finish in the championship final. He improved on his school record by one second to qualify in the prelims (3:45.77) and then clocked a mark of 3:47.76 in the final.
Gloeckner’s previous career-high and school-record time was 3:46.84, which earned him the No. 5 overall seed for the event. The sophomore is seeded 15th in the 200 butterfly (1:45.37) on Saturday.
Meanwhile, sophomore Christoph Lubenau made his NCAA debut Friday and placed 21st in the prelims of the 100 butterfly with a time of 47.54.
Events conclude Saturday with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly and 400 free relay. Prelims begin at noon, while finals get underway at 7 p.m.
Junior Miko Malberg, who swam the 50 free Thursday, is seeded 53rd in the 100 free (44.34).
2007 NCAA Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships
Minnesota Aquatic Center
Minneapolis, Minn.
Saturday’s Schedule of Events
Preliminaries (noon)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
200 breaststroke
200 butterfly
400 freestyle relay
1:30 p.m.
platform diving
4:30 p.m.
1650 freestyle (all but last heat of timed finals)
Finals (7 p.m.)
1650 freestyle (last heat of timed finals)
200 backstroke
100 freestyle
200 breaststroke
200 butterfly
platform diving (finals)
400 freestyle relay