Swimming Ends Day One in Third Place
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Miami swimming team closed out day one of competition at the All-Florida Invitational in impressive fashion, ending Friday’s action with strong showings in the final two events.
The Hurricanes’ 400 Medley Relay team comprised of Hannah Kling, Sofia Johansson, Lucy Worrall and My Fridell put on the performance of the night, earning a second-place finish (3:45.87) in the 11th and final event.
“Hannah had a wonderful night, with close to her best times all around,” head coach Christie Shefchunas said. “Sofia was the fastest split of anyone by about one second, and Lucy by about two seconds or so. It was a good way to end the day.”
Strong showings from two of the Hurricanes’ 200 Yard Freestyle Relay entries, including a fifth-place showing from Kling, Worrall, Fridell and Katherine Nicholson, also helped keep Miami in contention after day one.
The Hurricanes’ total of 196 points sits behind only the host Florida Gators (342.5) and Florida State Seminoles (226.5) after one day of action. Florida Gulf Coast (182), Florida Atlantic (130), North Florida (91) and Nova Southeastern (59) make up the rest of the pack heading into Saturday.
“Tomorrow’s a big day, with the 100’s of each stroke,” Shefchunas added. “It’s where we’re loaded in a lot of events. I predict much a much better day tomorrow than we had today.”
Individually, Katherine Daniels and Kling helped the Hurricanes earn points in the 200 Yard IM, finishing second and third respectively in the “B” final. Daniels touched the wall in a time of 2.07:53, while Kling clocked in at 2:08.44.
It was Kling who once again stood out in the final individual competition of the night, finishing first in the “B” final of the 50 Freestyle (23.96), while Nicholson (24.37) finished second.
“Hannah has really taken in the fact that she’s a senior, and wants to have a great final year,” Shefchunas said. “Her maturity level is awesome. She knows exactly what she needs to do, and she has a great mindset heading into this season.”
The Hurricanes open up day two at the Stephen O’Connell Center tomorrow at 10 a.m. for preliminary rounds. Finals for the day’s events will begin at 4 p.m.
