March 25, 2004
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. - Junior Louis Paul picked up a point for the Boilermakers at the NCAA Championships, placing 16th in the consolation finals of the 200-meter individual medley.
Paul began the day with a prelim time of 1:58.72, but could not improve on that showing, as he finished in 2:00.27 (1:47.76 in short-course yardage).
"Louis is very disappointed with the final result," said head coach Dan Ross. "He tried to finesse his way through the backstroke and butterfly and that pushed him back in the early stages. He came back nicely in the breaststroke and freestyle, but just couldn't gain any ground. This is a very tough meet, so he'll have to keep his head together and find a way to come back tomorrow."
The native of Sydney, Australia, has placed 16th in this event the last two seasons, receiving an prestigious All-American Honorable Mention citation each time.
Auburn's George Bovell won the 200 IM title finishing with a world record time of 1:53.93. Runner-up Markus Rogan of Stanford finished nearly two seconds behind Bovell.
Paul races again Friday in the 200 freestyle, while Tamas Bessenyei and Giordan Pogioli will see their first action of the weekend, competing in the 100-meter breaststroke. Diver J.R. Hillis will tackle the three-meter springboard.