Novikov was dead last after the first turn at 24:58 and was still eighth after turn two at 52.95. He turned up the speed with a 31.08 breaststroke leg, the best in the field, to reach third place. In the fourth leg, the freestyle, Novikov had a third-best time of 26.95. Novikov swims the 400 IM today. “I feel a lot more confident,” he said. “The competition is excellent and all I can do is my best, but when you have other swimmers pushing you it makes you better.” NOTES: In yesterday’s prelims, CSI freshman Tarasaov placed 24th with a personal-best time of 1:53.10, while Romanov placed 32nd in 1:54.31 ... The Dolphins were 17th in the 200 medley relay in 1:33.09 ... CSI has five athletes competing in 10 events as the national meet continues through Saturday ... Dolphin senior Pavel Buyanov is a two-time NCAA champion in the 100 breaststroke, an event he won in 2008 and 2009 and is seeded second this week. He will also compete in the 200 breaststroke. © 2011 SILive.com. All rights reserved.
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