Gregory 12th in 200 fly Arkansas 9th at SECs

LEXINGTON, KEN. – University of Arkansas junior swimmer Emily Gregory placed 12th in the 200 butterfly the final day of competition at the Southeastern Conference Championships in Lexington, Ken. Gregory qualified for the finals with a 15th-place finish and a time of 2:05.00 in the preliminaries. She had the best Lady Razorback finish of the championships touching in 12th in the finals with a 2:04.33. Senior Mariann Fulop also qualified for the finals of the 200 backstroke. She placed 13th and turned in a 2:03.03. “SECs are truly one of the most exciting and pressure packed championships because of the atmosphere and the fact that we’re competing against some of best teams in the country,” said Poppell. “It’s good to see our girls stepping up and competing against the best.” Arkansas finished the championships in ninth place with 143 points. Auburn took home the SEC title. “Saturday was our best day of the competition,” said head coach Jeff Poppell. “We made some big, big steps this year from where we started in the fall. I feel very confident about being able to come back to the SEC Championships next year and be competitive with the other teams in the conference.” Sophomore Elizabeth Engs had another career-best time Saturday in the 200 breaststroke. She finished 20th with a 2:21.67, taking three seconds off of her previous individual best. Junior Katie McGraw turned in a season-best 2:26.79 in the same event. In the 200 fly, freshman Allison Chinn earned a personal best 2:08.79 and an 18th-place finish. Senior Kristen Thibodeaux placed 19th and sophomore Emily Fletcher finished 23rd. Sophomore Summer Jackson had a 52.96 in the 100 freestyle, followed by junior Tifanie Silver with a 53.31. Daysha Kimmel earned a season-best time of 2:16.79 in the 200 back. Sophomore Macey Webb was the only Lady’Back to compete in the 1,650 free. She finished 24th in 17.39.46. In the final event of the championships, the 400 free relay, the squad of Fulop, Thibodeaux, Silver and Gregory placed eighth with a 3:30.99. For more information about Arkansas swimming and diving, please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.