February 26, 2010
Mahon and Higgins driving forces for H2Okies through day three
Underclassmen post individual third-place finishes and help relay to fourth-place

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Freshman Gregory Mahon and sophomore Charlie Higgins posted third-place finishes in their respective events and helped the 400 medley relay team to a fourth-place finish to guide the H2Okies through day three of the ACC Championships on Friday at Koury Natatorium.

Mahon, who broke a school record on Thursday in the 200 IM, finished third in the 100 butterfly with an NCAA “B” cut of 47.33, while Higgins posted his bronze finish in the 100 backstroke with a “B” time of 47.55. Both marked top finishes for the season. Higgins was also the next finisher behind Mahon in the 100 fly, taking eighth in 52.08, after a strong preliminary finish of 47.96.

Higgins and Mahon also teamed up with Jonathan Huss and Gregory Morgan to help the H2Okies to a fourth-place finish in the 400 medley relay. The foursome touched in with a “B” qualifying cut in 3:13.65, cutting nearly six second off of their previous season-best mark.

The H2Okies continued to cement themselves among the top 10 finishers as Karl Botha took 10th in the 100 fly with a time of 48.25, while Tom Sheranek was the 10th finisher in the 400 IM, touching in at 3:53.88. Both earned “B” cuts. Huss went on to earn the seventh spot in the 100 breaststroke with a team-best “B” finish in 54.81. Scott Harkins and Richard Ulatowski also competed in the 100 breaststroke.

Stephen Hawkins earned a 12th-place position as the next finisher behind Higgins in the 100 back with an NCAA “B” qualifying time of 48.86. Ryne Francis also earned a top-20 performance. In the 200 freestyle, Morgan placed 14th in 1:39.13, followed by Bryan Uncur, who took 22nd in 1:40.44.

Heading into the final day of competition, the H2Okies have moved back up to fourth-place with 255.5 points. Virginia, North Carolina and Florida State remain in the top three, respectively.

Tech will return for the final day of competition on Saturday to compete in the 1650 free, 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly and 400 free relay. Prelims will begin at 11 am, followed by the finals at 7 pm. Live results will be available at http://www.theacc.com/championships/10-sd-championship.html

For updates on Virginia Tech swimming & diving, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_SwimDive).

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