Indiana Takes Over Lead After Day Two of Big Ten Meet

White Wins Big Ten Title; Hoosiers Move Into First at Big Ten Championships
Freshman Nikki White made a statement with her first Big Ten title and the Hoosiers used their depth to move into first place on day two of the Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Canham Natatorium. The meet continues through Saturday.

Indiana is in the lead with 250 points. Minnesota is second with 236, followed by Michigan (156).

“The team did a really good job this morning,” said head coach Ray Looze. “They put us in a position to score some points tonight. They have a good demeanor about them; they are loose and having fun. I like what I am seeing naturally occur.

“The good news is there is room for improvement. We are identifying that and we will apply it tomorrow. It is a long meet and this is just the first day, so we have two more days that are critical. But as a staff we are really proud of the way the girls, from the divers to the IMers and the freestylers, got it done today.”

Kate Zubkova, Margaux Farrell, Sarah Stockwell and Allison Kay opened the evening session with a seventh-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The quartet went 1:31.70, the sixth-fastest time ever by an IU 200 free relay team. It is also an NCAA B cut.

White won her first individual Big Ten title with a pool and Big Ten meet-record time of 4:37.38. That beat the previous pool and Big Ten meet record of 4:38.77 which she set earlier in the day. It is the second-fastest time in school history, just behind her school and Big Ten-record time of 4:36.61.

“I really worked on my walls,” White said. “I was going off farther than normal. I have been working on that this week. I was trying not to go out to fast so I wouldn’t die, which I kind of did this morning. I could see the girl next to me was starting to catch up, so I kicked harder and put all of my heart into it.”

Amanda Smith was fourth in 4:42.09, while freshman Brittany Strumbel came home sixth in 4:43.08, just 1/100th of a second off her personal best set in the morning prelims. Cassie Luhrsen knocked a little over six seconds off her preliminary time with a career best 4:45.71 to win the bonus heat and finish 17th overall.

In the prelims, Ashley Kranz bettered her career best by almost four seconds with a time of 4:55.93 to finish fourth in her heat. In the fourth of nine preliminary heats, freshman Courey Schaefer knocked nearly 10 seconds off her career best with a time of 4:53.91 to finish third in the heat. Luhrsen went 4:51.88 in the fifth heat. In heat seven, Strumbel took more than 10 full seconds off her previous best with a time of 4:43.07.

Smith and White were in the final two heats, with Smith taking three seconds off her career best to finish first in her heat and second overall with a time of 4:40.77. White qualified first for the final with a time of 4:38.77.

Ashley Jones took over the school record in the 200-yard individual medley with a second-place time of 1:58.24. Right on her heels was Donna Smailis in third in 1:58.31. Both times bettered the previous school record of 1:58.87 set by Smailis in the morning swim.

A last-minute scratch bumped Abby Cooper into the championship final after she had lost a swim-off earlier in the afternoon. Cooper took advantage of the switch by taking seventh in 2:00.34. The scratch also moved Sarah Stockwell into the consolation final with Kristin Cihoski, as Cihoski finished 10th in a career-best 1:59.50, while Stockwell was 13th (2:00.38).

In the morning session, Katelyn Ishee won her heat of the 200 IM prelims with a career-best time of 2:10.31. Freshman Katie Johnson was second in the second heat with a career-best time of 2:07.86. Cihoski was third in her heat in 2:01.10. Smailis broke her school record to finish first in the sixth heat with a time of 1:58.87. Jones went 1:59.12 in heat seven, while Cooper also went under two minutes for the first time in her career with a time of 1:59.88. Stockwell went a 2:01.17 in the final heat.

Margaux Farrell was 13th in the 50 free with a time of 23.09. In the morning session Amy Harriman was second in her heat with a time of 24.70. Farrell was fifth in heat 11 with a career-best time of 23.02.

Christina Loukas took second in the one-meter springboard competition with a score of 333.85. Brittney Feldman was fourth (318.50) and Gabby Agostino posted a fifth place finish in her first Big Ten meet (296.30). Christina Kouklakis was 11th with a score of 254.10.

Loukas won the prelims with a score of 315.40 to advance to the finals along with Feldman (third- 307.00) and Agostino (fifth- 279.45). Kouklakis was 13th in the prelims. Freshman Nicole Brehm was 22nd with a score of 217.35, with Amy Korthauer 27th (202.70). Heidi Mahnken rounded out the IU contingent in 34th (177.80).

Gophers Win 200 Free Relay and 200 IM; In Second After Second Day
The No. 10 University of Minnesota women’s swimming and diving team earned wins in the 200 free relay and the 200 individual medley as the Golden Gophers are in second place after two days of the 2009 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minnesota has 236 points, while Indiana leads after the second day with 250 points.
 
The Golden Gophers added their second relay title when they won the 200 free relay. It was the Gophers’ first 200 free relay title since 1992. Minnesota’s Kaylee Jamison, Meredith McCarthy, Meagan Radecke and Stacy Busack combined for a time of 1:28.74, just under the automatic qualifying time of 1:28.35. Jamison and Wisconsin’s Rebecca Thompson were neck-and-neck in the first leg. After Jamison, McCarthy swam the second leg to give Minnesota the lead into the third exchange. Meagan Radecke swam the third leg, while Stacy Busack took the title home when she clocked a relay split time of 21.48 to win the relay. The relay time proved to be a Gopher school record and a Michigan pool record.
 
"I am so proud of relay,” co-head coach Kelly Kremer said. “Our sprinters started us off on the right note and they really got us going with the win there. In the 500 freestyle, 200 IM and right into the final 50, everyone just kept feeding off that momentum. We are really proud of our team’s effort tonight and hopefully we will make a meet out of it."
 
Jenny Shaughnessy took home the 200 individual medley when she won the event in a school-record time of 1:57.18. Shaughnessy had a daunting task in front of her, competing three times in the day. Shaughnessy held a prelim time of 1:59.88 and tied Abby Cooper for eighth overall. Shaughnessy and Cooper had to compete in a swim-off in which Shaughnessy set a school record in 1:57.67. She then made the championship final and was placed in Lane 1. In the finals, Shaughnessy turned it up in the final stroke, the freestyle, and came from behind to sneak in the win. It was Shaughnessy’s first win in the 200 IM after winning the 400 IM last year. Jillian Tyler won the 200 individual medley consolation final when she used her best stroke, the breast, to get ahead of the competition and went on to win in 1:59.03. 

Minnesota gained 33 points between the 500 free championship and consolation final. Ashley Steenvoorden led the Gophers in the 500 free when she finished second overall. Steenvoorden gained 17 points for the Gophers when she touched the wall in a career-best and school record time of 4:39.85, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Steenvoorden shaved four seconds off her preliminary time of 4:43.65. Indiana’s Nikki White set a Big Ten record with an automatic qualifying time of 4:37.38. Yuen Kobayashi added a third-place finish when she chipped in a time of 4:40.83 to give Minnesota 16 points. Christine Jennings added another 12 points to the Gophers’ score when she finished seventh in 4:43.99. In the consolation final, Marissa Davies and Kristen Steenvoorden added another nine points, finishing 12th and 13th respectively. Davies added a career-best 4:45.50, while Kristen Steenvoorden clocked a career-best 4:45.98. 

Stacy Busack led the Gophers in the 50 free when she clocked a second-place time of 22.39. Kaylee Jamison also competed in the 50 free and finished seventh overall in 22.95. McCarthy won the B Final when she chipped in a career-best time of 22.52, while Radecke added the 13th-place overall in 23.07. 

“We had a great night,” co-head coach Terry Nieszner said. “We were so happy with how our 200 free relay responded and they upended Wisconsin, who won the event last year. We did a great job throughout all of our events and Jenny winning the 200 IM, was something special. We knew that this meet would be a dogfight throughout the meet. We’re excited on the points we’ve put up in the first two days and we’re looking forward to the rest of the meet.”
 
"I am really happy with it (the race),” Shaughnessy said. “I don't know what I was expecting coming into the event. “I was trying to go faster than this morning and the win was a bit of a surprise, but I am happy with it."
 
Minnesota continues action on Friday as it competes in the 400 IM, the 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast and 100 back. The Gophers will also compete in the 400 medley relay during the evening session. Preliminary heats begin at 11 a.m., while finals are at 6:30 p.m.
 
Penn State Moves Up to Third Place
The Penn State women’s swim team advanced to third place after Thursday’s events at the Big Ten Championships. The Nittany Lions have collected 155 points. Indiana is currently in first place with 250 points while Minnesota follows in second with 236.
 
“The girls are swimming very, very well,” said head coach John Hargis. “They’re competing well and we’ve had some break-through swims which is fun to see.”
 
Kailey Morris (Baltimore, Md.) led the way in the 500 freestyle placing fifth with a time of 4:42.80 to earn 14 points for the Nittany Lions. Kelly Nelson (West Chester, Pa.) added 11 with an eighth place finish in 4:48.80. Karie Haglund (Marietta, Ga.) and Sarah Baker (Fairfax, Va.) also added points as Hagland touched the wall in 4:50.62 for 15th place while Baker followed at 16th in 4:52.13.
 
Diana Greco (West Chester, Pa.) placed second in the C Final, 18th overall, and earned an NCAA B time of 4:46.48. She also moved up to seventh all-time in the Penn State record book. Stephanie Roop (Downington, Pa.) earned an NCAA B time of her own placing 20th overall in 4:48.32.
 
Kaitlin O’Brien (Caldwell, N.J.) improved on her time from prelims and placed fourth in the 200 IM. Touching the wall in 1:58.50, O’Brien claimed 15 points for Penn State. Daphne Skelos (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) lowered her time from 2:01.10 to 1:58.80 for an 11th place finish and six points.
 
Lyndsey Smith (Westminster, Md.) claimed first place in the C final, 17th overall, and punched her ticket to the NCAA Championships with a B time of 2:00.08. In addition this time propelled her from 10th all-time to third in the Penn State record book.
 
Competition in the 50 free was close throughout as the top four finishers were within a quarter of a second of each other. Michelle Myers (Boalsburg, Pa.) came in fourth shaving .02 seconds off her preliminary time in 22.58 and earning 15 points for the Lions. Lindsey DeForrest (Wycombe, Pa.) also picked up points placing 14th overall touching the wall in 23.08. Samantha Palser (Chester Springs, Pa.) placed eighth in the C final, 24th overall with a time of 23.76.
 
Myers, DeForrest, Palser and Baker teamed up for the 200 free relay and finished fifth for 28 points and also collected an NCAA B time of 1:30.98.
 
In the diving well, Courtney Adlam (Ambler, Pa.) placed 15th with a score of 213.00. Adlam is the first women’s diver to earn points for Penn State in two years.
 
“It looks like it’s going to be a dog fight between us, Wisconsin and Michigan for third place,” said Hargis. “It’s going to come down to the prelims and who wants it most.”
 
The Big Ten Championships will resume Friday at 11 a.m. ET at the University of Michigan with the 400 IM, the 100 butterfly, the 200 free, the 100 breast, the 100 back and the three-meter springboard. 
 
WISCONSIN’S THOMPSON FOLLOWS RECORD WITH TITLE AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Beckie Thompson has been on top of the Big Ten Conference in the 50-yard freestyle for most of her freshman season.
 
She made it official on Thursday.
 
Thompson, fresh off a conference-record swim in the morning preliminaries session, backed up all the impressive times by claiming her first individual conference title on the second day of the Big Ten Swimming & Diving Championships at Canham Natatorium.
 
She earned the top seed by a comfortable margin with her league-record swim of 22.09 in the prelims Thursday morning, but Thompson had to battle to claim the title in the finals.
 
Minnesota senior Stacy Busack was nearly even with Thompson throughout the race and touched just three hundredths of second behind Thompson’s winning time of 22.26 seconds. Busack’s runner-up finish came in 22.29.
 
“I’m excited about the finish,” said Thompson, who has been the Big Ten leader in the event since December. “I was really excited coming out here for my first Big Tens, getting to see what it is all about.
 
“I had a really good 50 this morning and a really good 50 tonight, so I was really happy with it."
 
Thompson has clocked four of the five fastest 50 freestyle times in conference history over the course of her freshman season, with three of those coming Thursday alone. One of only three athletes in league history to go under the 22.30 mark, Thompson can claim to have done so four times in just her initial season.
 
In all, Thompson has set conference records in the 50 free and 200 medley relay a combined total of five times in her first season.
 
“It says a lot about Beckie, as a freshman to go out and win the 50 free,” UW head coach Eric Hansen said.”That’s an event you don’t usually see a freshman stepping up in, so it’s a pretty big deal.
 
“She’s a freshman who has set five Big Ten records, so that pretty much says it all.”
 
UW sophomore Maggie Meyer came home fifth in the 50 free, clocking a time of 22.63 after her preliminaries time of 22.47 on Thursday morning. The Badgers qualified an impressive seven swimmers for the finals in the event, and junior Kelsey Gergen also scored for the Badgers with her 10th-place finish in 22.88.
 
For Thompson, the win came a day after she anchored the Badgers to a championship and conference-record time in the 200 medley relay. Meyer also was part of that title-winning effort.
 
“That’s a great start for Beckie to come out and win two titles in her first two days ever at Big Tens,” Hansen said. “Maggie swam really well again tonight, as well, and I think both of them are only going to get faster by the time we get to the NCAA championships next month.”
 
The Badgers opened Thursday’s finals session with a runner-up finish in the 200 freestyle relay, with the team of Thompson, Christine Zwiegers, Gergen and Meyer turning in a time of 1:29.36. Meyer anchored the Badgers home with an impressive split of 21.97 over the final 50 yards.
 
Minnesota took the title in a pool-record time of 1:28.74, the top mark by a Big Ten school in the relay this year.
 
The Badgers, who also came in under the previous facility record, entered the night as the conference’s top-ranked team in the event and swam just off their season-best time of 1:29.20. That clocking also had the Badgers ranked third nationally entering the weekend.
 
“We swam well in the 200 free relay, but we really didn’t swim up to expectations.” Hansen said. “We know we can go faster than that, and we have a month to work that out for the NCAAs.”
 
More valuable team points came courtesy of junior Candice Peak, who finished sixth in the 200 individual medley in 2:00.09. Peak also clocked a personal-best time of 1:59.41 in the prelims Thursday morning.
 
“I was really proud of Candice,” Hansen said. “She swam extremely well.”
 
Also contributing was sophomore Ciara Rinaudo, who took 14th place in the 1-meter diving competition, as she racked up a score of 234.85 points. Rinaudo scored 250.0 during the morning prelims to qualify for the finals.
 
The Badgers moved from ninth to sixth in the team standings Thursday, as they have collected a total of 97 team points. Through two days of the four-day meet, Indiana leads the way with 250 points, with Minnesota in second at 236.
 
The championships continue Friday with 400 medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke and 3-meter diving competition. Prelims begin at 10 a.m., with the finals session set for 5:30 p.m.  

HAWKEYES BREAK MORE RECORDS AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Hawkeye women's swimming and diving team broke two more school records Thursday in the second day of competition at the 2009 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, MI. After two days of competition, Iowa is in ninth placed in the team race with 71 points. Minnesota leads the team standings with 250.

Iowa sophomore Katarina Tour was the first Hawkeye record breaker of the day, smashing the 200 IM record of 2:02.93 set in 2005 by Jennifer Skolaski with her time of 2:01.33. Tour is the first Hawkeye in school history to swim under 2:02 in that event. The Hawkeye 200 free relay of juniors Christine Kuczek and Julie deBruin, freshman Daniela Cubelic and senior Alison Gschwend was next in line, placing eighth with a new school record of 1:32.37. Gschwend, deBruin, Kuczek and Tour set the previous Iowa best of 1:32.95 in that event last season. Tour, Cubelic and deBruin swam with freshman Danielle Carty on Iowa's record-breaking 200 medley relay on Wednesday.

Iowa's other top placer on the day was junior Deidre Freeman, who finished 12th on one-meter diving with a score of 253.50. In all, Iowa posted 12 collegiate-best and two season-best performances during Thursday's events.

Iowa resumes competition at 10 a.m. (CT) Friday at Michigan's Canham Natatorium. Events scheduled for Friday are the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, 400 medley relay and three-meter diving.
 
BIG TEN TEAM STANDINGS AFTER THURSDAY'S EVENTS
TEAM SCORES (After Day 2)
===============================
 1. Indiana               250
 2. Minnesota          236
 3. Michigan            156
 4. Penn State         155
 5. Purdue               135
 6. Wisconsin          131
 7. Northwestern      118
 8. Ohio State           78
 9. Iowa                    71
10. Michigan State    69
11. Illinois                49