Feb. 21, 2009
Bradley Ally, Florida, Men's 400 Individual Medley
"I felt that I swam a smart race. The 400 IM is a very interesting event. If you go too hard, you die out. If you go too slow you won't have enough speed to win. I have been working on my turns and other stuff in practice. Working hard in practice is the key to winning consistently and that's what I have been doing and it has paid off. "
Ava Ohlgren, Auburn, Women's 400 Individual Medley; Women's 400 Medley Relay
On the 400 IM...
"It was really exciting to be able to win that two times in a row from last year. I'm just trying to do as much for my team as I can. I'm just taking care of my business to do what I can to help everyone else. I just try to remain calm and collective."
On the 400 Medley Relay...
"Our motto for the whole weekend in the relays is 'get your hand on the wall' and that is exactly what we did. We went off each other perfectly and worked together, which is very important. Just being able to do what you can for your team is great, especially if you win a championship. The important thing is that we work together and support each other."
Matt Targett, Auburn, Men's 100 Butterfly; Men's 400 Medley Relay
On the 100 Butterfly...
"I feel like I had a great start today and then I was able to hold on to it until the end. It sounds simple but it is very hard to do when you're in the moment. We do everything as a team. We have been training together since August. There is not anything that one of us does that the other does not, which makes it a luck of the draw that I won today."
On the 400 Medley Relay...
"We actually didn't know our relay until about 20 minutes before. Our main goal was to work on technical things and put in a hard effort. I think that relays are an important part of the tradition here at Auburn. If you look at the NCAA record books, you will continually see Auburn. We want to keep that tradition."
Jemma Lowe, Florida, Women's 100 Butterfly
"This morning felt really weird. At the end of the race, I felt out of breath. I didn't feel like I could go any faster. My strategy was just to try real hard and see what happens. I think the key to winning was getting my head down at the finish and swimming really hard from the start "
Shaune Fraser, Florida, Men's 200 Freestyle
"I just wanted to go out and race well. I was sick yesterday so I wanted to make sure to give my all today. It is a great honor to win a championship for Florida and I hope I can win some more. "
Caitlin Geary, Auburn, Women's 200 Freestyle
"I knew that I always start off strong, so that was the goal coming into the race. It's exciting to swim the fastest time in the nation. We trained really hard all season, and its nice to see the work pay off."
Neil Versfeld, Georgia, Men's 100 Breaststroke
"Today is the day I finally learned to do the 100 breaststroke. I had a lot of control in the first 25 yards and that is all I needed to win today. I just tried to get a little faster than I did this morning. This is my first SEC title and it was great so I can't complain."
Jamie Saffer, Tennessee, Women's 100 Breaststroke
"I was really nervous and almost in tears before the race. I knew that I was swimming against a lot of good girls who were really tough competitors, and I was going to have to use the last wall to pull ahead. I really wanted to work on my last lap because I knew I could pull ahead. Some people are a lot weaker on the last lap so I worked on being really strong on the last lap."
Pascal Wollach, Auburn, Men's 100 Backstroke
"I just wanted to go out and swim as fast as I could. I had a swim earlier so I knew I was going to have to tough this one out. I love winning and bringing championships to Auburn. I hope and can win a couple more."
Gemma Spofforth, Florida, Women's 100 Backstroke
"This morning I was extremely excited. I was mad before the race because the record had just been broken. I was ready to take it back. But tonight I was a little disappointed. I was trying to come in and get the NCAA record and I was a little bit short of that. We haven't full tapered for this meet, so we will go back to training and then bring it down for NCAAs."
Elizabeth Hughes, Alabama, Women's Platform Diving
"A 305 is definitely my best performance. This morning I had 272 and I really improved on that. Mainly I was just trying to have fun, stay focused and take each dive one at a time. I'm in shock about winning a championship. I did not expect this and I am happy to win one for Alabama."
Gregg Troy, Florida Head Coach
"We had great effort from both our men's and women's programs today. We came in and had some great swims and we're pleased with that. Our women ended the day on a high note with a school record in the 400-yard medley relay, but we were a little disappointed on the men's side to swim the second-fastest time in the country and then get disqualified on an exchange. We know that we have to come in ready to race tomorrow and that we need to have a strong last day to maintain our performance so far."
Brett Hawke, Auburn Men's Coach
"It was a great night. We need to keep bringing it. It all started on that first night and it has been a snowball effect. Our guys are just so confident, so hungry. They are just committed. We have a great team right now. I'm really happy with where we are at. Paschal (Wollach) just surprised everybody. He just threw one down and stepped up. He wanted to win more than anyone else. That is just the general feeling of this whole team right now. That is the whole theme of this team right now - guys wanting to step up, guys wanting to win."
