Five Hurricanes Compete at U.S. Open in Atlanta
ATLANTA — Five University of Miami swimmers were among the participants at the 2019 U.S. Open Swimming Championships this week at the McCauley Aquatic Center on the Georgia Tech campus.
“As a program, we added to what the ‘U’ means on our cap at this meet,” head swimming coach Andy Kershaw said. “The team had a good presence and executed good races. This is a testament to the five swimmers here and the rest of the team at home that supported them.”
Among the Hurricanes contingent was a trio of juniors – Alaina Skellett, Carmen San Nicolas and Sydney Knapp – as well as sophomore Zorry Mason and freshman Isabel Traba.
Skellett delivered one of the most impressive weeks of all, finishing with her best time in the 100-yard backstroke, that ended up 31st in the field. Skellett, who Kershaw said is on a “great course for Omaha and the U.S. Olympic Trials,” needs to drop just 0.4 seconds to make an Olympic cut, and finished just short of her career-best time in the 200-yard backstroke, where she placed 38th.
San Nicolas posted the best times in her career in a 50-yard freestyle time trial, the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle.
“All the best she has been in three years,” Kershaw said of San Nicolas. “Carmen is looking great for ACC Championships and the Spanish international meets this spring.”
Not to be outdone, Knapp – a junior captain – posted a career-best time for the third straight meet, this time in the 100-yard freestyle.
“It’s great to see her hard work paying off and elevate to this level,” Kershaw said. “I can’t wait to see it continue for Sydney.”
Mason, Miami’s top point-getter on the season, competed in more events than any other Hurricane: the 200-yard IM, the 100-yard fly, the 100-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard breaststroke and a 50-yard freestyle time trial. While Mason came just short of posting career-best times in each event, she once again delivered an impressive week in the lane.
“I’m really proud of how she is taking her races out and putting herself in position to get big time drops,” Kershaw said. “We have a few adjustments to make to put it all together and I have no doubt that it will happen.”
Traba battled through an elbow injury that kept her out of training for the event for nearly a month, but still competed in the 100-yard fly and the 200-yard fly
“That prevented her from going her best times, but I’m proud of the courage and perseverance she showed coming to the meet and battling every chance she got,” Kershaw said. “She’s on her way back to 100 percent and will be that much tougher.”
