Tulane University
Emory
Swimming & Diving Continues Steady Improvement At Alabama
Oct 29, 2011 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Oct. 29, 2011
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Green Wave posted 34 season-best swims, including lifetime best performances by Kayla Alf-Huynh, Amy Needham, Lauren Pfohl and Elizabeth Whitaker, but it was not enough as the Tulane University women's swimming and diving team dropped a pair of dual-meets to Alabama and Emory on Friday at the Don Gambril Olympic Pool.
Alf-Huynh's mark of 23.51 in the 100 fly was good for a No. 2 overall finish against the Tide and Eagles while also standing as the second-best individual time and No. 3 overall time in Tulane history. Needham was eighth in the event with a 58.90 and Whitaker's time of 1:53.49 in the 200 free was good for second place on Saturday. Pfohl, meanwhile, had her season-best time come in the leadoff 50 split of the 200 free relay with a 24.22. Despite the impressive numbers on the day, however, the Green Wave fell to Alabama 208-90 and to Emory 184-110.
"I'm really impressed with today's results," Tulane head coach Lena Guarriello said. "We had some great swims and I'm proud of the way the team fought through the last race of the day. We left the pool a different team than we were when we arrived this morning."
In addition to her career-best performance in the 100 fly, Alf-Huynh posted the only individual win of the day for Tulane with a time of 23.51 in the 50 free - three-tenths of a second faster than runner-up Kristel Vourna of Alabama. Needham also added a runner-up showing in the 200 fly with a mark of 2:06.65.
Sophomore Rachel Ranson led the Green Wave effort in the 100 free with a 52.06 to finish third, as did Gisele Calderon on the 500 free with a mark of 5:09.58. Allie Evans (10:39.41) and Vanessa Loewen (2:08.30) finished fourth in the 1000 free and 200 back, respectively, and Erin Cunningham had a team-best 2:11.18 in the 200 IM to finish fifth overall.
Loewen added a sixth-place showing in the 100 back with a time of 59.07 while Shelby Kiser was sixth in the 100 breast (1:08.69) and seventh in the 200 breast (2:30.90). Sophomore Sadie Eicher led Tulane in the one-meter springboard with a score of 200.30 to finish sixth on Saturday, and with a 201.95 in the three-meter springboard to finish seventh.
The Green Wave finished third in both the 200 medley and 200 free relays as Alf-Huynh, Kiser, Grace Tarka and Hagar Elgendy combined to clock a 1:48.77 and the quartet of Alf-Huynh, Ranson, Kristine Gu and Elgendy tallied a mark of 1:36.46, respectively.
The Green Wave returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 5, when Tulane plays host to Vanderbilt at the Reily Student Recreation Center Natatorium. The head-to-head matchup against the Commodores is the final home contest of the 2011-12 season for the Tulane team, which will hold a special pre-meet ceremony honoring Elgendy as its lone senior.
Players Mentioned
