Tampa Takes Men’s and Women’s Titles at Sharks Invitational
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The No. 8 University of Tampa men's swimming team got out to an early lead and never relented in a first-place performance at the Sharks Invitational, as the No. 11 Spartan women also won.
In an event hosted by Sunshine State Conference opponent Nova Southeastern University, Tampa's men set a fifth school relay record as Karl Burdis also claimed an individual school record. Overall, UT was 5-for-5 in achieving school records in relays.
The Spartan men finished with 1,718.5 points, outpacing Florida Southern (1,386,5), Nova Southeastern (1,087.5), Florida Tech (659.5) and Saint Leo (367).
On the women's side, Tampa won the title with 1,340 points. Finishing second was Florida International (1,213), followed by Florida Southern (1,192), Nova Southeastern (804.5) and Rollins (306).
A total of 10 women's teams and eight from the men's side competed in the four-day event. Seven of the women's teams hailed from the SSC as six men's squads were from the league. In addition to FIU on the women's side, Lenoir-Rhyne and Bellarmine also competed in both men's and women's events.
In a day that featured two school records, senior Karl Burdis was the first to set a new mark with his performance in the 200 Back. He was third with a "B" time of 1:47.21, breaking his own record from last season.
The fifth relay record of the tournament for Tampa came in the final event, the men's 400 Free Relay. The group of Martin Hammer, Jordan Augier, Khalid Aldaboos and Jeremy Parker finished in 2:58.67 for an NCAA "B" time. The school record was set after standing since 1985. Also posting a "B" effort in the race was the team of Scott Nocco, Damen Pheiffer, Runar Borgen and Max Coulls.
Heather Glenday began the final day with a second-place finish in the 1,650 Free. She achieved an NCAA "B" time of 17:00.87 in the race. UT's men also secured a "B" time from Jonathan Hofrichter as his third-place effort was timed at 15:54.38.
In the 100 Free, Tampa has a pair of women reach "B" times, with Erin Plachy and Briana Murphy finishing third and sixth respectively.
The Spartans claimed the top two spots in the men's 100 Free, led by Parker's "B" time of 44.91. Hammer was a close second at 45.10. Aldaboos, Borgen and Pheiffer also had ""B" provisional times as well.
Alex Hipolito built on her excellent performances at the Sharks Invitational, winning the 200 Breast with a time of 2:18.14. The effort was also a "B" time as teammate Lisa Bero qualified with a fifth-place performance. Philip Nordenberg also won the men's 200 Breast, clocking a time of 2:03.96 for a "B" time.
In the final women's race of the tournament, Tampa's 400 Free Relay team of Glenday, Erin Plachy, Murphy and Emily Grams finished second with a time of 3:28.51. The time was good for an NCAA "B" cut.
The Spartans will return to action on Jan. 4, as they will host the annual Tampa Relays at the UT Aquatics Center. A live broadcast will be available through TampaSpartans.tv.
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