The following is a press release courtesy of ECC Nationals’ Kevin Gell.
ATLANTA, Georgia – After an eventful Finals session on Day 2 of the 2014 ECC National Championship, the Florida Gators and Colorado Buffalos continue to battle over the team title. Currently, the Florida men lead Colorado 684.5-570 while the Colorado women has taken a commanding lead over the Gators with 704 points to Florida’s 379. Combined, the Buffalos extended their lead, with a point total of 1274 over Florida’s 1063.5. With one day left of competition, Florida will have to have big swims in the sprint events in order to catch the Buffalos.
Colorado highlighted the session with wins in the Women’s 4×100 Freestyle relay and 4×50 Medley Relay. Casey Wilson was the Buffalo’s only individual winner of the night, taking the Women’s 100 Breaststroke in 1:07.66.
On the Men’s side, the Gators responded to Colorado’s success with wins of their own in the 4×100 Freestyle Relay and 4×50 Medley Relay. Florida also only saw one individual win on Day 2. Kristof Kertesz added to his medal count by winning the Men’s 1000 Freestyle over his teammate, Brandon Gardner. The two swam 10:01.87 and 10:02.29, respectively. Much like Colorado, the Gators showed their strength and depth in every event tonight. At the conclusion of the meet tomorrow, it will be both teams’ depth that decides the final outcome.
Indiana saw Taylor Johnson take home gold in the 50 Butterfly with a time of 25.89 and UNC’s Kim Carducci’s takes gold in the 50 Freestyle with a 24.30. Day Two was a night of double winners as Melissa Andruzzi, Bobby Bittner, and Ben Gastrock all claimed two individual golds. Illinois’ Andruzzi and Virginia Tech’s Gastrock both added to their medal counts in the 200 Individual Medley and 200 Freestyle events, While South Carolina’s Bobby Bittner claimed firsts in the 50 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke. Indiana’s Hunter Hoffman claimed the 50 Freestyle title with a time of 20.61, while Ohio State’s Andrew Brower won a close race in the 100 Breaststroke when he touched first in 56.72 seconds. North Carolina State saw Siri Smits win the 100 Backstroke in 58.78, and Jillian Cordes of Northwestern won the Women’s 1000 Freestyle in a meet record time of 10:55.30. The 1 Meter Springboard was also contested this afternoon. Hannah Herbold of Metropolitan State University claimed the women’s title in a meet record 376.15 points, while Rhode Island’s Dan Schott scored 495.65 points to win the men’s event.
After Day 2, the top five team scores are as follows:
Women:
1. University of Colorado 704 points
2. University of Florida 379 points
3. University of Illinois 318 points
4. Virginia Tech
5. University of Georgia 269 points
Men:
1. University of Florida 684.50 points
2. University of Colorado 570 points
3. Northeastern University 330 Points
4. Pennsylvania State University 296 points
5. University of Georgia 234.50 points
Combined:
1. University of Colorado 1274 points
2. University of Florida 1063.50 points
3. Northeastern University 588 points
4. Virginia Tech
5. University of Georgia 503.50 points