Arkansas Sweeps Tri-Meet with Unconventional Events at Vanderbilt
Behind a quartet of double-winners, Arkansas won a pair of dual meets in Nashville on Friday and Saturday, a meet featuring unconventional events.
The Razorbacks scored convincing wins over Vanderbilt, 181-62, and Arkansas-Little Rock, 198-45. Vandy captured the other meet, 170.5-72.5, over the Trojans.
The meet included a 300 individual medley and a 300 freestyle as well as 50-yard stroke events. The 50s, per the Arkansas Little Rock release, “were raced in a shootout style, meaning that after the full event, the top two from each team advanced for another race. Finally, the top swimmer from each team would compete one last time to determine the event winner.”
Befitting the oddity of the day, Arkansas capped the meet by splitting it’s A and B 200 free relays only to see them tie for the win, in a time of 1:36.63.
That race didn’t feature any of the principle protagonists of the early part of the meet. Betsy Wizard won the 50 butterfly and 100 fly. Bella Cothern claimed the 50 free and 100 free. Andrea Sansores took down both backstroke events. Vanessa Hermann did the same in breaststroke with teammate Bradi Jones second in each.
The Razorbacks medley relay of Sansores, Hermann, Cothern and Alessia Ferraguti prevailed with ease. Ferraguti also won the 100 IM, while the 300 IM went to Arkansas’ Luciana Thomas. Ferraguti was second to Cothern in the 50 free, Cothern going 23.35 to top her by two tenths.
Vanderbilt got a victory in the 300 free thanks to Mercedes Traba, who was second in the 300 IM. Ellen Taliaferro was second in the 100 IM and third in the 100 free. Her time in the IM of 57.40 is a program record.
Lauren Pieniazkiewicz finished third in the 50 breast, the best result for Arkansas Little Rock in the meet.
