Feb. 22, 2014
Night Four Results 
| Complete Results
LOUISVILLE (SMU) - Freshman Tara-Lynn Nicholas set a pool record in the 200-yard breaststroke to take home a conference championship for the SMU women's swimming and diving team on the final night of The American Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday.
Nicholas posted a 2:10.10 to narrowly edge out teammate Rachel Nicol. The junior clocked in at 2:10.33 to earn the silver for SMU. In the event's consolation final, freshman Kirsty McLauchlan and senior Jordan Newman contributed to the team score.
As a team, the Mustangs placed second in the inaugural championship with a team score of 624.5. The host Louisville Cardinals earned The American's first championship, while Rutgers was third, Connecticut fourth, Cincinnati fifth and Houston sixth.
The 400-yard freestyle relay team concluded the night with a second-place finish to give one final boost to the Mustangs' team score. The combination of seniors Monika Babok and Nina Rangelova and juniors Isabella Arcila and Nathalie Lindborg finished in a time of 3:17.20.
In the 200-yard backstroke, Arcila posted a runner-up finish for SMU with a season-best 1:55.27. Freshman Ursa Bezan also swam in the championship final and scored eighth-place points with a 1:59.97 finish. Senior Deanna Matthews finished first in the consolation final, while sophomore Anna Volchkov was fifth.
The 100-yard freestyle saw Rangelova tie for third place with a season-best 49.43, and teammate freshman Marne Erasmus place eighth in a time of 50.31, also a season best. After a swim-off earlier today, Nathalie Lindborg represented the Ponies in the consolation final where she swam the event's fifth fastest time and a season-best 49.55. Babok (50.25) clocked in just behind Lindborg.
Senior Alice McCall represented the Mustangs in the 1,650-yard freestyle and recorded a 17:01.25 good for seventh place, and sophomore Elizabeth Krane scored in the 200-yard butterfly with a season-best 2:09.60.
Freshman Lauren Lamb also competed today in platform diving and placed third in the consolation final with a score of 169.45.
The NCAA Championship is scheduled for March 20-22 in Minneapolis, Minn. Check SMUMustangs.com for qualifying participants.
