AUBURN, Ala. — LSU senior Christoph Lubenau clinched a berth to the 2009 NCAA Championships with an automatic qualifying time in the 100-yard butterfly, while the men’s 400-yard medley relay squad captured third-place and a host of swimmers seized top-16 finishes at the SEC Championships Friday to cap off a sensational day for LSU swimming and diving.
Lubenau, who won the consolation final of the 100 butterfly at NCAA’s last season, proved that he will once again be a force to be reckoned with at this year’s national meet as the German became just the seventh swimmer in the country to eclipse the 46-second mark in the race this season.
The two-time All-American shaved a quarter of a second off his school record mark with a sizzling time of 45.99 seconds to earn third-place in the preliminaries. He then followed that effort with a time of 46.03 to take fourth-place in the finals, missing the medal podium by just three one-hundredths of a second.
In addition, the men’s foursome of James Meyers, Ben Decker, Lubenau and Hannes Heyl secured third-place in the event final of the 400 medley relay with a school-record time of 3:10.54. The women’s 400 medley group of Monica McJunkin, Kannon Betzen, Jane Trepp and Katherine Noland also broke the program mark with a time of 3:38.47.
However, Lubenau and the medley relay swimmers weren’t the only Tigers to shine on the third day of the conference meet as numerous athletes stepped up with career days and put themselves in position to secure bids to the NCAA’s in March.
Meyers enjoyed the best day of his short career as a Tiger, wrapping up a tie for fifth in the 100-backstroke final with a blistering NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 47.13, which is the second-fastest in school history. The local product from Baton Rouge also scored points for the Tigers in the consolation final of 100 fly, placing 13th with another NCAA provisional qualifying time of 47.47.
Fellow sophomore Jane Trepp continued to etch her name in the school record books Friday after breaking the 50-free mark yesterday as she shattered Noland’s 100-fly mark and improved her 100-breast record. Reaching the wall in a school-record time of 53.26 in the 100-fly prelims, the Estonian qualified for the event final and swam a mark of 53.59 to finish eighth.
After her swim in the 100 fly, she returned to the pool in the consolation final of the 100 breast and delivered a new school all-time mark of 1:01.41 to record an 11th-place finish. In addition to Trepp’s performance in the breast, Betzen also placed in the top-16 and became just the second athlete in program annals to swim under 1:02 in the event, touching in 1:01.79.
Germans Julius Gloeckner and Hannes Heyl also reached the finals on Day 3. After qualifying for the final round of the 400 individual medley with a season-best time of 3:50.52, Gloeckner locked up seventh-place with a mark of 3:52.57. Heyl registered a 100-back prelim time of 47.30, the third-fastest in school history, before placing eighth in the event final with a mark of 47.90. Moreover, the sophomore took 10th in the 100 fly with a time of 46.94.
Decker also reached an event final in individual competition, posting an eighth-place finish in the men’s 100 breast with a time of 54.44 after qualifying for the final with a career best of 54.23.
In the women’s 100 backstroke, senior Monica McJunkin took another step toward earning a spot at NCAA’s with a blistering mark of 53.07 to finish 10th. That mark is only six one-hundredths off the automatic qualifying standard and puts the Charlotte, N.C., native is great position to reach the national meet.
Senior Vanessa Duenas swam her best race of the season, touching the wall in 4:14.24 in the consolation final of the 400 IM to seize 11th-place, and junior Lauren Grandy recorded the school’s third-best 200-free time with a prelim mark of 1:47.84 before placing 16th in the finals with a mark of 1:49.24.
Tiger breaststrokers Roy Chambers and Chris White also raced into the top-16 as Chambers matched his career-best time of 54.87 in the prelims with the same time in the ‘B’ final to finish in 13th, while White swam a personal best of 54.96 in the prelims and placed 16th in the finals.
Sophomore Clint Hallum registered a 14th-place finish in the 400 IM with a time of 3:53.05, and versatile seniors Noland and Gilmore each placed in the top-16 of the women’s 100 fly.
In the morning session, freshman Morgan McGee improved her personal best in the 100 back with a mark of 54.46 as the Shreveport, La., native missed a top-16 finish by less than five one-hundredths of a second.
Lady Tigers’ diver Katie Lybbert earned her top career score in the women’s platform diving competition, totaling 196.70 points to finish 17th.
Senior Victoria Givens claimed the program’s fifth-fastest 100-breast time with a mark of 1:03.14, while the Tigers’ Luis Gonzalez moved up the men’s all-time top-10 list in the 400 IM with his PR of 3:55.53.
The 2009 SEC Championships conclude tomorrow with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, men’s platform diving, 1650 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay. The prelims will begin at 10 a.m. (CST) with the finals starting at 6 p.m. Live results will be available at www.LSUsports.net.
2009 SEC Championships ? Competition Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 20
Prelims ? 10 a.m.
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
Men’s Platform
Mile Heats ? 4 p.m. (approx.)
1650-yard Freestyle
Finals ? 6 p.m.
1650-yard Freestyle
200-yard Backstroke
100-yard Freestyle
200-yard Breaststroke
200-yard Butterfly
Men’s Platform
400-yard Freestyle Relay