GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida men’s swimming team recorded three NCAA top-10 marks Wednesday at the opening session of the 2011 SEC Swimming Championships at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center.
In the men’s 200-yard freestyle relay time trials, seniors Brett Fraser (George Town, Cayman Islands) and Conor Dwyer (Winnetka, Ill.) paired with freshman Brad deBorde (Longwood, Fla.) and sophomore Scott Sommer (Ocala, Fla.) to clock in at 1:17.90. The NCAA qualifying time marked the third-fastest time in school history in the event, while tying for the second-fastest time nationally this season.
Fraser’s 19.63 NCAA “B” cut split in the 200 free relay bettered his previous personal best of 19.67 and marked the second-fastest 50-yard freestyle time in school history. The 2008 Olympian’s 19.63 mark is the eighth-fastest time in the country this year in the event, while falling just one-tenth of a second short of the O’Connell Center pool record (19:54 by Auburn’s Matt Busbee in 1998).
In the men’s 100-yard butterfly time trial, sophomore Sebastien Rousseau (Cape Town, South Africa) swam a personal-best 47.39. The NCAA provisional mark is the 10th-fastest time in the NCAA in 2010-11, while also being the 10th-quickest mark in school history in the event.
Also competing in the time trials for the Orange and Blue was junior Kirsten Smith (Cary, N.C.). Smith notched her second NCAA “B” cut of the season with a first-place time of 1:47.42 in the women’s 200 free time trial. Her personal-best time tied for the third-fastest mark by a Gator woman this season.
