The following is a press release courtesy of meet hosts Georgia Tech and written by Kevin Gell:
The Colorado women showed up big on the first night of ECC Nationals to develop a commanding 304 point lead over second place Illinois. The Buffs claimed 3 out of 7 events on the women’s side. Led by a dominating win in the 4×200 Freestyle Relay, CU looks poised for another strong showing on Saturday. Other event winners on night one include Illinois’ Melissa Andruzzi (400 IM, 200 Breaststroke), CU’s Alaina Gossett (200 Backstroke), NC State’s Julianna Prim (200 Butterfly), and host Georgia Tech’s Maddie Sibilia (500 Free). The Buffs capped the night off with a win in the 4×100 Medley Relay by nearly three and a half seconds. After day one, Colorado is followed by a tight team race between Illinois, Florida, and Northeastern.
On the men’s side, the Buffaloes are in a tight team battle with the Florida Gators. The team’s ended night one with just four points between them, with Florida narrowly edging out Colorado. The two powerhouses are trailed by a strong Ohio State team in third. The diverse field resulted in UVA being the only team to claim more than one event during the Friday session. UVA claimed the 4×200 Freestyle Relay crown. Dirk Verheul won the 500 Freestyle for the Cavaliers’ second event win. Northeastern’s David Thornton claimed the 400 IM title, while TJ Conde of Colorado Mesa University took the 200 Backstroke. Virginia Tech’s James Crabb won a close race in the 200 Butterfly while Ohio State’s Andrew Brower took the 200 Breaststroke title in a meet record time. Florida finished the meet off with an exciting win in the 4×100 Medley Relay.
In the combined team race, Colorado (534) holds a 150 point lead over Florida (381). Rounding out the top three teams was Ohio State, with 307 points. Many teams are poised to move up in the team race, and if day one is any indication, the second day of competition will feature more outstanding swimming from each of the 74 teams at the meet.