Jan. 17, 2014
AUSTIN, Texas - Junior Rachel Nicol led the Mustangs with a third place finish and lifetime best in the 200-meter breaststroke on night one of the Austin Arena Grand Prix on Friday.
The Lethbridge, Alberta, native swam a 2:28.09 in the A final, which was faster than her preliminary time of 2:30.33. SMU alum Raminta Dvariskyte finished fifth in the A final representing the Mustangs, and freshman Tara-Lynn Nicholas swam in the B final and touched the wall in a time of 2:38.58.
"Rachel had a lifetime best for us tonight," Head Coach Steve Collins said. "It was really exciting to watch."
Freshman Ursa Bezan competed in the B final of the 400-meter freestyle and placed sixth (14th overall) with a time of 4:23.16.
Senior Nina Rangelova clocked in at 56.91 in the B final of the 100-meter freestyle, improving on her time of 57.25 in the preliminary event earlier today.
In the final women's event of the first half of the night, freshman Marne Erasmus placed fourth (12th overall) in the B final of the 100-meter butterfly. She clocked in at 1:01.96.
"Everyone swam really well for us tonight, I'm very happy with all of our performances," Collins added.
The Mustangs are back in action on Saturday for day two of the grand prix, which includes the 400-meter individual medley, 50- and 200-meter freestyle and 200-meter backstroke. Meet information can be found at USASwimming.org.
