Tampa Nearly Overtakes Nova Southeastern in Final Day of SSC Swimming Championships
CLEARWATER, Fla. - The University of Tampa women's swimming team finished second at the 2012 Sunshine State Conference Championships, with the Spartan men placing third overall. Heather Glenday also took home the top honors for the women, being named MVP.
UT's women notched 921 points, just 11 shy of 2012 champion Nova Southeastern's 932. Florida Southern (683) was third as Rollins (377), Saint Leo (307) and Florida Tech (126) also competed.
In men's action, Nova Southeastern led the way with 908 points to edge Florida Southern's 827. Tampa was third with 758 points as Saint Leo (445), Rollins (283) and Florida Tech (203) rounded out the field.
Glenday started the evening off with a SSC record showing in the 1,650 Free. The sophomore posted a time of 16:52.97 as it was also an NCAA A cut time.
Norbert Kovacs finished third in the men's 1,650 Free, finishing with an NCAA B time of 15:40.36.
In the women's 100 Free, a trio of Spartans notched NCAA B showings, with Erin Plachy (52.14), Kristine Kassl (52.15) and Kylie Piche (52.18) occupied the second, third and fourth-place finishes.
The men's 100 Free featured another NCAA B time, posted by David Humphrey in a fifth-place finish at 45.37.
Lisa Bero captured the SSS title with a record time of 2:17.75 in the women's 200 Breast, which was also an NCAA B time. Teammate Alex Hipolito placed fifth with a B time of 2:22.11.
A pair of Spartan men had B displays in the 200 Breast, with Kevin Doran finishing fourth (2:03.86) and Jonathan Wilks placing sixth (2:06.17).
Catherine Parker (2:03.97), Lindsay Calimer (2:06.08) and Catherine Patrell (2:06.26) each notched NCAA B times in the 200 Fly. In the men's edition, Zane Hranac (1:50.09) and Zach Sprague (1:51.31) each earned NCAA B times.
The Spartans women's 400 Relay team of Plachy, Piche, Kassl and Glenday earned the SSC title with a NCAA B time of 3:26.73. The men's relay team of Humphrey, Felipe Manzo, Kovacs and Jeff Fiore placed third, though the time of 3:02.40 was an NCAA B cut.
Tampa returns to action at the 2012 NCAA Division II Championships from March 14-17. The event will be held in Dallas, Texas.
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