IRVINE, Calif. – Kate Shannon Gray, a rising senior on the Alabama swimming and diving team, shaved more than two seconds of her seed time in the 200-meter individual medley, getting things off to a fast start on day one of the USA Senior National Championships being held in Irvine, Calif. this week.

Gray posted a time of 2:17.18, taking 25th place out of 125 who started the race. The Tuscaloosa native will also swim the 400m IM (individual medley) and the 200m breaststroke later in the week. Gray is joined at the national championships by Alabama teammates Daniel Armstrong, Alan Axford, Joe Ziegler and Suzanne Schwee as well as Crimson Tide signees Lauren Piper, Hunter Hinson and Devan Terry.

Alabama alumni Luke Boutwell and Hannah Brinks are also in action at nationals this week. Several other past and present members of the Alabama swimming and diving team qualified for the USA’s summer championships, but were unable to make the trip due to academic commitments.

Another Tide duo, 2010 seniors Mark Randall and Agustina de Giovanni, will be in action later this month at the Pan Pacific Championships, which will also be held at the William Woolett Jr. Aquatics Center in Irvine, Calif. Randall, the Alabama school record holder in the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle, will represent South Africa, while de Giovanni, the school record holder in the 400 IM, will represent Argentina.

In other day one action at the USA Championships, Ziegler notched a top-half finish in the 400m freestyle, taking 45th place with a time of 4:00.92. Brinks, also figured in the top half, finishing 70th in the 100m butterfly with a 1:02.74. In the men’s 100m breaststroke, Armstrong took 60th with a 1:05.79, Terry was 77th with a 1:06.38 and Boutwell finished 82nd with a 1:07.01. Schwee posted a 1:04.39 in the 100m butterfly while Piper posted a 2:26.35 in the 200m IM.

Action continues today with the women’s 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle and the men’s 200m freestyle, 100m backstroke and 200m butterfly.