The Vanderbilt swimming and diving team swam to 11 personal best times and nearly missed a school record in the only relay of the day at the 2009 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday. The Commodores set season-high times in all but one of their performances at the second day of the conference meet.

The Commodore quad of Austin Langley, Rebecca Rogers, Jackie Roeing and Jess Cohen all swam their season-best performance in the 200-yard individual medley. Langley led the way with a 2:17.58, cutting nearly seven seconds off her previous season high. Rogers finished three-tenths of a second back of Langley with a 2:17.89, trimming an impressive 11 seconds off her previous 2:28.44 career-high. Roeing and Cohen followed in respective order, swimming times of 2:18.60 and 2:22.35, respectively.

Sophomore swimming standout Jennifer Molchan led the clan of 'Dores in the 50-yard freestyle event as seven Vanderbilt swimmers cruised to season-high times. Molchan's cut over a half-second off her previous 50-free season best, swimming a 24.01, good for 42nd place. Fellow sophomore Anna Fargo joined Molchan with a personal best mark of her own in the 50-free by recording a 24.66. Fargo¨?s time was nearly a full second faster than her previous best.

The freshman trio of Allie Voss, Cooper-Surma, Kelly Obranowicz all recorded 50-free times under the 25-second mark Thursday. Voss led the freshman with a season-high 24.41 while Cooper-Surma and Obranowicz turned in times of 24.58 and 24.68, both marking season-highs.

Christina Chao and senior Suzanne Wetz also posted impressive performances in the 50 freestyle with both swimming career bests. Chao's 25.09 was nearly a half a second faster than her previous career best while Wetz's 27.18 was over a second faster than her 28.29 that she swam at last year¨?s SEC Championships.

The progress that the Commodores have made this spring is very noticeable. Overall Thursday, five Vanderbilt swimmers swam 24's in the 50 freestyle. Prior to the Conference meet, only two Commodores the entire 2008-09 season cracked the 25-second barrier in dual meet action (Molchan and Obranowicz).

Press Release courtesy of Travis Young.