[ Golden Gater Online - February 20, 1997 ]
Lasse Lonnebotn
Staff writer
It was the best birthday present SF State swim coach Bruce Brown could have asked for.
Brown, who turned 50 on Saturday, saw five swimmers qualify for the nationals, two schools records broken and all 23 Gators swim to season -or lifetime-best times at the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference Championship in Long Beach during the weekend.
To top it all Brown was elected Men's Coach of the Year for 1997 by his fellow coaches in the PCSC.
Junior Chris Culp swam into second place in the 100-yard butterfly with the time of 51.09 seconds to qualify for the NCAA Division II National Championship.
Joining Culp in San Antonio, Texas March 12-15 for the nationals will be the men's 200-yard freestyle relay team of Dismas Locaria, Ray Florentinus, Mike Tilburg and Noel Dokken, which finished fourth with the time of 1-minute, 24.89 seconds in the conference championships.
"The relay surprised me," Brown said. "The competition in that event was very good, but the guys pulled together and swam well."
Going to nationals for the first time, Culp said it couldn't have been possible without the support from his teammates.
"This is the best team I've ever been part of," he said "Everyone on the team cheered me on ñ it was the best feeling I've ever had in my 16 years as a swimmer."
Culp also set two SF State records at this weekend's meet. The first came in the 200-yard breast stroke at 2:08.80. and the second as part of the men's 200-yard medley relay team that finished fifth at 1:36.35.
It will be the first time in eight years swimmers from SF State are going to the nationals.
While Brown considered the competition in the PCSC Championship as good, he knows the national meet will be even more competitive. Nevertheless, he expects the Gators to make an impact.
"We're very competitive and the guys are constantly improving. I hope we'll make the top 20 as a team," he said.
Culp is aiming even higher in the individual race.
"My goal is to place in the top eight," he said.
To accomplish that, he said, he probably have to swim under 50 seconds, which he has only done once before.
"Chris can do it," Brown said.
[ Golden Gater - February 20, 1997 ]