AU ROUNDUP: Former Tigers set world records

Special to the News

Published: April 9, 2008

MANCHESTER, England — Auburn swimmers set two World records Wednesday as the FINA Short Course World Championships opened.

Former Tiger Kirsty Coventry set a new World record in the 400m individual medley while former Auburn swimmers Bryan Lundquist and Doug Van Wie swam on the World record-setting 400m freestyle relay team.

The Short Course World Championships is a five-day meet held at the Manchester Evening News Arena in England. Eleven current and former Auburn swimmers representing six different countries are competing this week.

Coventry, a native of Zimbabwe, had the most successful day as she tallied a World record and a pair of national records. She started off the finals session by winning the 100m backstroke semifinals with a time of 57.99, breaking the Zimbabwe national record that she had set in the preliminary session with a time of 58.41.

She followed that performance by setting a new World record in the 400m IM, clocking a time of 4:26.52 that shattered the six-year-old record time of 4:27.83, held by Jana Klochkova of the Ukraine.

Also setting a new World record on Wednesday were Lundquist and Van Wie as they made up half of the winning American 400m freestyle relay team. The team of Ryan Lochte, Lundquist, Mathan Adrian and Van Wie clocked a time of 3:08.44, setting a new World record in the event by more than a second.

The previous record of 3:09.57 was held by the Sweden relay team of Johan Nystrom, Lars Frolander, Mattias Ohlin, Stefan Nystrand, set at the 2000 FINA World Short Course Championships in Athens, Greece.

Softball shuts out, sweeps Georgia State
PANTHERSVILLE, Ga. —  Auburn pitchers combined to throw a pair of shutouts as the Tigers’ softball team swept a double-header from Georgia State Wednesday afternoon.

Auburn won Game 1 of the series, 1-0, and Game 2, 3-0, to improve to 33-11 on the season. Georgia State dropped to 27-10. The Tigers returnn to action with a three game series against No. 2 Alabama beginning with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. at Jane B. Moore Field. Saturday is Military and Public Service Day. The first 200 men and women in the military and police and fire departments will receive free hot dogs and compete in a tug of war contest.

In Game 2, Lauren Schmalz improved to 6-1 after earning the win in relief and Angel Bunner notched her second save of the season as the Tigers won, 3-0. Schmalz allowed only two hits in two innings of work and struck out one in relief of starter Brittany Day. Bunner struck out four and allowed just one hit in three innings of work.

Myesha Finney gave the Tigers a 1-0 advantage with a lead-off home run in the top of the fourth inning. The solo shot was Finney’s fourth of the season and the sixth of her career. Still in the fourth, Taryn Gray made it a 2-0 lead with an RBI single to left that plated Megan Mitchell, who pinch-ran for Tatiana Fernandez (walk).

The Tigers made it 3-0 with a run in the top of the seventh inning. Pinch-hitter Jessica Martin reached on a fielder’s choice and moved to third after a single by Krista Clyde and a fielder’s choice by Cassie Trosclair. With two outs, Trosclair stole second and on a delayed steal from third, Martin scored to give the Tigers a three run cushion.

The Panthers would not threaten in the seventh as the Tigers completed the shutout sweep.