March 8, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Freshmen Lauren Clifford (Pollock Pines, Calif.) and Jordan King (Beaverton, Ore.) both earned wins at the Speedo Championship Series Southern Sectional held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium this weekend.
The two ended their first collegiate season in a successful way with Clifford taking the top spot in the 400-yard individual medley (4:17.70) on Saturday night while King did likewise in the 200-yard butterfly on Friday night (2:00.07). Clifford's time in the 400 IM cut more than seven seconds off her previous lifetime best swim in the event while she also placed third in the 200-yard individual medley (2:03.48).
Clifford and King both the made the finals in the 200-yard backstroke, setting lifetime-best performances in fourth and sixth place swims, respectively. Clifford finished in 1:59.71 while King hit the wall in 2:01.06.
Jordan King also made the championship final in three additional events. On Sunday, King finished second in the 200 IM (2:02.10) and third in the 100 back, setting a lifetime-best of 55.57. She also earned a sixth-place finish in the 100 fly on Saturday evening, clocking a time of 55.75.
Another Aggie freshman, Alyssa Conner (Granite Bay, Calif.), finished ahead of her two teammates in the 200 back as she placed third in a career-best of 1:59.44. Conner also added a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.54), cutting nearly three seconds off her old career best of 1:53.17.
Sophomore Hannah Kinder (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) grabbed third-place in the 200 freestyle on Saturday, setting a new career best by exactly one second after finishing in 1:47.10. Kinder also placed fourth in the 100 free (51.30) on Friday.
Junior Ella Doerge (Clive, Iowa) earned a pair of fourth-place finishes at sectionals. On Saturday, Doerge swam a career best of 1:48.28 in the 200 free prelims and recorded a time of 55.02 in the 100 fly.
A few of of A&M's signees, coming off the state championships last weekend, had strong meets as well. Liz Nelson, swimming for The Woodlands Swim Team, finished second in the 500-yard freestyle on Friday night in a career-best of 4:46.24. On Sunday, Maureen McLaine, swimming for City of Plano, placed second in the 1,650 free (16:33.02) while finishing directly behind Nelson on Friday in the 500 free (4:50.74). Another City of Plano Aggie signee, Jaclyn Rehring, was eighth in the 200-yard butterfly on Friday (2:04.23).