The SMU women's swimming & diving team finished second at the 2001 SMU Swimming & Diving Classic Saturday night, as the Ponies garnered 323 points, just 23 off the leading clip that the Auburn Tigers set en route to defending its title at the Classic. Auburn won last year's event with 313 points, and took home the 2001 crown after totaling 346 points.

"We could never get that separation between us and Auburn," SMU head swimming coach Steve Collins said. "It just happened that most of the events we were most strong in, Auburn was strong in them as well."

SMU tallied three first place showings on the night, but couldn't catch Auburn and NCAA record holder Maggie Bowen, who finished the meet as High Point Swimmer for the Tigers for the second straight year. Bowen ended the night in fine fashion, as she hooked up with SMU's Alenka Kejzar in another classic battle in the last individual event of the night, the 200 IM. Bowen won the event with a new meet record 1:59.91, while Kejzar finished second with a time of 2:01.38. During Friday night's 400 IM Bowen and Kejzar finished first and second, respectively, as both bettered Bowen's meet record she set in the event last year.

To begin the night, Auburn pushed up its lead as the 400 free relay team won with a time of 3:24.63. SMU battled back as it did all night long, as Georgina Lee dominated the 500 free, the same event she set a new WAC record in last February, scoring a time of 4:50.33. Kejzar followed Lee's performance with a first place showing in the 200 back scoring a time of 1:58.84 after Anu Koivisto followed her new meet record performance Friday night in the 100 back with a first place showing Saturday night in the consolation finals of the 200 back.

After UCLA's Elvira Fischer finished first in the 200 breast, High Diver of the Meet Michelle Davison won her second event in as many nights, winning the three-meter competition with a score of 344.70. Davison set a new meet record Friday night in the one-meter competition.

After another UCLA win in the 100 free, SMU's Lee won her second event of the night, the 200 butterfly, with a NCAA qualifying time of 1:59.31. After Bowen's record setting performance in the 200 IM, the Tigers ended the night on top by finishing first in the 200 free relay.

UCLA finished third with 292 points, while Rice, Pacific, and Miami rounded out the bottom three.

SMU will next be in action Nov. 16 when they host Texas A&M at Perkins Natatorium. The meet will begin at 2:00 p.m. For complete coverage of the SMU Women's Swimming & Diving Classic log onto www.smumustangs.com/swimw/01-02/classic.asp.