University Southern California Trojans
Costa, Imai Qualify For Finals At NCAAs
March 25, 2000 | Men's Swimming & Diving
March 25, 2000
MINNEAPOLIS - Junior Ryosuke Imai qualified third in the 200m breast, junior Leonardo Costa qualified fifth in the 200m back and USC's 400m free relay qualified sixth to highlight the prelim session for the Trojans on the last day of the 2000 NCAA Men's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday (March 25) at the Minnesota Aquatics Center.
USC enters the last session in seventh with 170 points. Texas is in first (416). The meet is being swum in short course meters.
Imai, swimming in the third heat of the breast prelims, briefly held the U.S. Open record when he recorded his 2:10.65, which topped Tom Wilkens' 2:10.76 set in 1998. But two swimmers lowered it in successive heats after Imai.
Costa, who finished eighth in the 100m back on Friday, finished fifth in the 200m back in 1:55.80. He took sixth in the event at the 1999 NCAAs.
USC's 400m free relay of junior Philippe Demers, freshman Jeff Lee, senior Bret Awbrey and junior Gabe Woodward finished sixth in 3:16.32. Even more impressive, all four swimmers came off morning races to make finals. USC was in fourth and in danger of not making the finals when Woodward entered the pool, but the junior swam a 48.01 split, the fastest anchor time of the day, to secure a spot in the top eight.
Demers, in one event earlier, qualified for the consolation finals of the 200m fly with a 1:58.62, 15th overall. He also made the consolation finals in the event as a freshman.
Freshman Erik Vendt, who has two second-place finishes already, sophomore Mark Warkentin, who has two top-eight finishes so far, and sophomore Joel Everman will swim the 1500m free in a timed finals before the final session, which begins at 7 p.m.
Other USC finishers today included Woodward (100m free, 49.75, 31st), Lee (100m free, 49.92, 40th), sophomore Nick Kaschik (200m back, 1:58.45, 21st), junior Slawek Richter (200m breast, 2:16.81, 28th), freshman Mike Gausman (200m fly, 1:59.33, 22nd), Awbrey (200m fly, 1:59.39, 23rd) and sophomore Thomas Kerekjarto (200m fly, 2:00.24, 30th).
