Franklin finishes seventh in 1650 free

AUSTIN, Texas – Sophomore Chelsea Franklin accomplished a rare feat at the 2011 NCAA Championships by breaking two records in one swim and finishing seventh in the 1650 freestyle event on Saturday evening.

The sophomore clocked 15:59.05 in the mile-long freestyle event. Her time was good enough to place seventh overall and earn her the top spot on the Arkansas records list. Senior Jamie Marks held the previous 1650 record at Arkansas, which was set in 2010. Marks earned All-American status in the same event as a sophomore and competed in the 400 IM at this year’s NCAA Championships.

"I am extremely proud of Chelsea and the way she handled herself this weekend," Arkansas coach Jeff Poppell said. "She never stopped believing and swam her heart out, dropping 10 seconds off her personal-best time and breaking two school records in the process. It was a great way to end the season."

Franklin also broke the school record in the 1,000 freestyle with a leadoff split time of 9:42.59. Franklin’s time breaks her own record time by nearly two seconds. Franklin first broke the record in the 1,000 free at the Southeastern Conference Championships while swimming the 1650 free.

She caps her sophomore season with All-American status in her first NCAA Championship meet of her career as well as breaking three Arkansas record throughout the season.

Georgia’s Wendy Trott finished first in the event with a time of 15:40.32. The Razorbacks tallied 12 total points between Marks and Franklin while swimming in four total events to finish 32nd overall as a team. Cal Berkeley was named the 2011 NCAA Champions with a team total score of 424.