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Auburn leads NCAA men's swimming championships

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Posted: Friday March 26, 1999 12:38 AM

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Junior Aaron Ciarla started Auburn to an NCAA record in Thursday's opening event of the men's NCAA swimming and diving championships and then won the 50-yard freestyle.

Ciarla, Brett Hawke, Brock Newman and Matt Busbee set an open and NCAA record of 1 minute, 16.50 seconds in the preliminaries of the 200-yard freestyle relay. The quartet was a little slower in the championship final, but the 1:16.63 performance was good enough for first place.

Stanford, which set the previous records of 1:16.76 while easily winning the team title last year, finished second in 1:17.54.

Auburn also got a victory in the 200 individual medley from senior Lionel Moreau of France, who had finished second in the event last year. Moreau won in 1:45.24, followed by Texas swimmers Nate Dusing in 1:46.65 and Joe Montague in 1:46.67.

The victories helped 1997 champion Auburn take the team lead over Stanford after the opening day of the three-day meet at the Indiana University Natatorium. The Tigers compiled 173 points in the meet's first six events. Texas was second with 132, followed by Stanford with 114.5 and Arizona with 106.

Ciarla started his team toward the relay record with a lifetime best of 19.25 for the first 50 yards and started the team to the victory with a time of 19.38 in the final. He then won the 50 freestyle in 19:36 with defending champion Brendon Dedekind of Florida State second in 19:48.

"That relay is something we've practiced all year long. It was the main focus for us going into the meet, to start it off right," Ciarla said. "What better way to do it in the first event, to set a record, get the ball rolling a little bit."

Auburn, which finished a distant second to Stanford in last year's meet, 599-394 1/2, also won the 400-medley relay to complete a strong opening night the Tigers felt was critical in their quest for a second championship in three years. Michael Bartz, Dave Denniston teamed with Newman and Hawke to ton in 3:09.17 as Hawke passed Stanford's Justin Ewers on the final leg of the relay.

"We wanted to be in the top one or two places after the first evening. We just did the job this morning, got the swims [prelims] for tonight," Ciarla said. "We're just attacking the wall."

Two 1996 Olympians, South African Ryk Neethling and Bela Szabados of Hungary, battled for the championship in the 500 freestyle. Neethling, a triple winner in last year's NCAA meet for Arizona, successfully defended his championship in 4:13.80. Szabados, swimming for Southern California, was a distant second at 4:15.69.

"I just wanted to prove it myself that I can do it again," said Neethling, who will defend his championship in the 200 freestyle on Friday and defend his title in the 1,650 freestyle on the final day of the meet. "My time in the 500 is a little disappointing. ... It's really a little hard to be out there by yourself. ... It helps to have some people next to you."

Rio Ramirez of Miami, Fla., won the 1-meter springboard event for the third consecutive year with 643.10 points in the finals. Freshman Troy Dumais was second with 634.10.

 

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