A tale of two races and both finishing with Mona McSharry just short of becoming US collegiate swimming champion. Twice runner-up, two excellent swims nonetheless.
Now in her senior year at the University of Tennessee, McSharry went to the NCAA Championships as the top seed in the women’s 100 yard breaststroke, the event she’d finished runner-up in last year, only to be denied again by fifth-year senior Jasmine Nocentini, who produced the second fastest time in event history.
Staged at the University of Georgia in Athens, Nocentini took the win in 56.06 seconds, the Italian, who swims with Virginia, taking .87 off her previous best (US collegiate swimming still uses yards). McSharry closed fast, just not quite fast enough, touching home second in 56.64, moving to equal third-fastest on the NCAA all-time list. Lydia Jacoby, the Olympic champion swimming for Texas, ended up fifth.
McSharry then came out on Saturday and clocked the fastest qualifying time in the 200 breaststroke, just ahead of Alex Walsh, also from Virginia. Come the final, however, Walsh stepped up another gear, winning in 2:02.07, with McSharry again closing fast in the last 50m to take second in 2:04.07.
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The 23-year-old Sligo swimmer was also part of the Tennessee 400 relay team which finished fifth, helping them to a fourth-place team finish overall. It was her fourth NCAA runner-up position in all during her time in Tennessee, McSharry now turning her attention to the Paris Olympics in July.
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