SWIMMING

Vanderpool-Wallace in running for national award
Auburn’s Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace has been chosen as a nominee for the Honda Sports Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top swimmer.

Vanderpool-Wallace, a native of Nassau, Bahamas, earned six All-America honors at the 2011 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, giving her 18 total on her career. Individually, she won the NCAA titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle, giving Auburn its first titles in those events.

At NCAAs, along with her individual titles, Vanderpool-Wallace swam the fastest freestyle leg on the 200 free relay team that finished in fifth place. She also swam on the runner-up 400 free relay team with her leadoff split coming in .01 of a second off her U.S. Open record time of 46.81. Also in relays, she swam on the fourth-place 200 medley relay and 11th-place 400 medley relay teams.

Vanderpool-Wallace was named the SEC Swimmer of the Year and won the Commissioner’s Cup for being the high-point scorer at the 2011 SEC Championships.

She set records in every individual event she swam in, winning titles in the 50 free, 100 free, 200 medley relay, 200 free relay and 400 free relay. She also finished runner-up in the 100 fly and 400 medley relay.

Her time of 46.81 set U.S. Open, NCAA, SEC and Auburn records, while her 21.34 in the 50 free set a SEC mark. Her time of 51.98 in the 100 fly set an Auburn record.

Tigers head to South Alabama
The No. 22/23 Auburn softball team will take a midweek break from conference play with a single-game against the South Alabama Jaguars in Mobile at 6 p.m. today at Jaguar Field.

Auburn is 25-4 overall and ranked 23rd in this week’s NFCA top 25 and 22nd in the ESPN/USA Softball top 25 poll. South Alabama is 24-5 overall this season and has won three straight entering today’s game.

“This is obviously a big game for us, playing an in-state team,” Auburn head coach Tina Deese said. “They are off to a great start this season and have been playing very well. Our team is going to have to be up for the challenge of playing them on their home field. Their fans will be into it and will certainly give them that edge.”

Takes 5th in San Diego
All five Tigers carded rounds in the 70s Tuesday, helping the Auburn women’s golf team to a final-round, 5-over 293 and a fifth-place finish at the Battle at Rancho Bernardo with a 41-over-par 905.

Senior Cydney Clanton led the Tigers individually, finishing the tournament in a tie for fourth place with a 2-over 218.

Patricia Sanz was a stroke behind Clanton on the day, finishing with an even-par 72. She moved up 12 places in the standings to finish in a tie for 20th with a 9-over 225. Just four strokes behind her was fellow junior Haley Wilson in a tie for 34th with a 13-over 229. She carded a final-round 74 to move up 12 spots in the standings.

Rounding out the Auburn lineup was Carlie Yadloczky and Karlin Beck with final-round 76s. Yadloczky finished the tournament in a tie for 51st with a 16-over 233 while Beck finished in a tie for 71st with a 25-over 241. Freshman Marta Sanz competed as an individual in the tournament, finishing in a tie for 38th. She carded a final-round 78 to finish with a 14-over 230.

Individually, Purdue’s Laura Gonzalez took medalist honors with a 7-under 209, while the defending NCAA champion Boilermakers won the title with a 15-over 879.