March 26, 2005
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Louis Paul and Giordan Pogioli copped honorable mention All-America citations during the third and final night of competition at the NCAA Swimming and Diving championships, being hosted by the University of Minnesota.
Pogioli won the 200 breaststroke consolations with a personal best and varsity record time of 1:54.85, which was also a Minnesota pool record until Vladislav Polyakov of Alabama broke it in the championship finals with a 1:53.93. Although Pogioli could finish no higher than ninth, he still posted the fourth fastest time of the night, beating five swimmers from the finals.
The two others finishing faster than Pogioli were Gary Marshall of Stanford (1:54.54) and Mike Alexandrov of Northwestern (1:54.04).
"I wrote 'R-A-C-E' on his arm at the start of tonight, because that's all I wanted him to think about," said head coach Dan Ross. "Yeah, it would have been nice to see him in the championship finals, but I'm ecstatic with his time and finish."
Pogioli's time from tonight is the second fastest American mark heading into next week's World Trials meet in Indianapolis, second only to Stanford's Marshall. Pogioli is slated to swim in the 200 breast on Tuesday, April 5.
Pogioli trailed early on in the race to Caleb Rowe of Cal-Berkeley, but turned on the jets over the last three-quarters of the race. The junior's 50-yard split times were listed at 26.10, 29.02, 29.51 and 30.22.
"Everything turned out all right, but I would have rather been racing among the top eight," said a bittersweet Pogioli. "After this morning's race I knew I had another gear and a faster time in me, and I knew I could beat most of those guys. It was a fairly easy year to get into the championship, so I was upset to have not made it and placed ninth."
Paul was second in the consolations of the 200 backstroke, finishing with a varsity record time of 1:43.51. During prelims, Paul had posted a time of 1:43.61, which was the previous varisty record. Prior to Saturday, Paul's fastest mark was a 1:43.85, which he recorded at this year's Big Ten Championships.
Paul's 50-yard splits Saturday were timed at 24.17, 26.19, 26.67 and 26.48. This was the final race of Paul's collegiate career, leaving the Boilermaker feeling a bit awkward.
"It's hard to place what kind of emotional state I'm in now, it all seems a bit surreal," said Paul. "I'm thankful to Dan, (assistant coach) Bill (Weaver) and(former assistant coach) Tim Kelly for the opportunity to compete for such a fine institution."
Regarding his final race, Paul added, "This was the first time at this meet I ever had a faster swim at night. I made the right adjustments, but I'll always feel that I could have gone faster. But I'm excited to have scored a few more points for the team and help motivate Giordan in his race."
With Saturday serving as Paul's final day as a Boilermaker, the future is wide open for the native of Sydney, Australia.
"I have a lot to think about over the next three months," said Paul, "There was no better way than to go out tonight and set a new varsity record, but I have a chance to represent my country, and that's always been my top goal. It's going to be an excting next couple of weeks."
The 200 back consolation final was won by Arizona freshman Nick Thoman, who posted a time of 1:42.65. Placing behind Paul for third was Harvard junior David Cromwell. Florida's Ryan Lochte won the championship final in 1:38.37, just missing his NCAA and US Open record of 1:38.29. Second place went to Auburn junior Doug Van Wie, who touched the wall almost three seconds later at 1:41.24.
The team championship went to Auburn for a third straight year, as the Tigers scored 491 points. Second place went to Stanford (414) and third went to Arizona (388). Rounding out the top five in the team standings were Cal-Berkeley (381) and Florida (284).
With 40 points, Purdue tied for 20th with Arizona State; it's the highest placing and point total since the 1997 team placed 19th.
CSCAA Awards
Swimmer of the Meet - Ryan Lochte, Florida
Swimming Coaches of the Meet - Frank Busch, Arizona and Bob Groseth, Northwestern
Diver of the Meet - Joona Puhakka, Arizona State
Diving Coach of the Meet - Mark Bradshaw, Arizona State