Hoosiers Pick Up Three Big Ten Titles, Remain in First Place

The Indiana women’s swimming and diving team continued to set Big Ten and school records at a blistering pace and remain in first place after day three of the Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Canham Natatorium.

Led by victories from the 400-yard medley relay team, Kate Zubkova in the 100 backstroke and Christina Loukas on the three-meter springboard, the Hoosiers hold a 72-point lead over second-place Minnesota. Indiana has racked up 529 points, followed by the Gophers (457), Penn State (289), Michigan (280) and Wisconsin (259). The meet concludes tomorrow.

“ It is a battle, and we expected that,” said head coach Ray Looze. “Our girls went after it today, and we had an exceptional prelims. We dealt with our first adversity tonight, and I thought they reacted well. We just have to keep doing what we are doing, and staying consistent. We have two critical sessions left. The score is 0-0 as far as we are concerned.”

The night started with Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell blasting their way to victory in the 400 medley relay with a Big Ten record time of 3:31.26. That also automatically qualifies the quartet for the NCAA Championships next month. Zubkova broke the Big Ten record in the 100 back on the lead-off leg with a time of 51.55. It was a busy night for Zubkova as she competed in three championship races.

The trip to the medal stand turned out to be just a warm-up for Zubkova as she finished second in the 100 butterfly with a school-record mark of 52.44. Smailis touched the wall third with a career best of 53.05. Brittany Barwegen was 11th with a time of 53.92.

Zubkova then wrapped up her busy day by breaking her own Big Ten record in the 100 backstroke, defending her title with a time of 51.52. That automatically ensures Zubkova a spot in the race at the NCAA Championships.

Zubkova was battling Wisconsin’s Maggie Meyer through the first 50 yards but knew she would have what it took to pull away, winning the race by nearly a full second.

“I knew she would be really good over 50 yards, so I was prepared for that,” Zubkova said. “I knew all I needed to do was to hold her, then swim as fast as I could for the final 50. That was my plan all along for the race.

“I am (a little tired). But I will warm down, then head back to the hotel and get a good night’s sleep to be ready for tomorrow.”

Kristin Cihoski placed seventh in the consolation final with a career-best time of 54.98. Caitlin Heyman was third in the bonus final, lowering her personal best to 55.78. Amy Harriman was eighth in the bonus final (56.78).

Senior Christina Loukas captured her sixth career Big Ten title by winning the three-meter springboard competition with a total of 400.75 points. Brittney Feldman was third with 350.10, followed by Gabby Agostino in fourth (339.30).

Loukas won the preliminary round with 354.00 points, followed by Agostino in second (322.50). Feldman advanced to the finals with a score of 311.95 in the afternoon session. Amy Korthauer finished 10th (296.40).

In the 400 individual medley, Allison Kay touched the wall second with a time of 4:07.69. Ashley Jones was fourth with a career best 4:11.55, followed by Amilee Smith in 4:13.04.

Kay just missed the NCAA A cut in her morning swim with a time of 4:07.52, nearly five seconds better than her previous school-record time of 4:12.30 set in 2007. Jones and Smith went 1-2 in the third heat with Jones touching first in 4:11.78, followed by Smith in a career best 4:12.63. Cassie Luhrsen shaved nine seconds off her career best with a time of 4:23.33 to finish second in the first preliminary heat.

It was a memorable day for Sarah Stockwell as the senior broke the one-minute barrier in the 100 breaststroke for the first time in her career and finished third with an NCAA automatic qualifying time of 59.40. She achieved the milestone for the first time in the prelims by posting a 59.96.

Senior Abby Cooper finished fourth in the championship final with a lifetime best of 1:00.07, just 8/100ths of a second off an NCAA auto qualifying time. Brittany Barwegen was sixth in the consolation final in 1:02.80 and posted a lifetime best of 1:01.71 in the preliminary round.

The Hoosiers went 2-3-4 in the sixth heat of the 100 fly in the prelims with Zubkova just 2/100ths of a second off her then-school record at 52.90. Smailis was third with a 53.08, followed by Barwegen in a career-best 53.65. Kristin Cihoski finished second in her heat with a season-best time of 55.48. Kim Tracey also posted a lifetime best of 56.14 in the fourth heat.

Indiana had three swimmers qualify for the 200 free final, led by Farrell’s fourth-place time of 1:46.41, a career best. Brittany Strumbel was fifth in 1:46.52, also a new career mark. Nikki White rounded out the finalists by placing eighth in 1:51.16. Freshman Courey Schaefer was third in the consolation heat in 1:49.03.

In the morning session, White won her preliminary heat with a time of 1:46.31 but right on her heels was Farrell with a time of 1:46.94. In the final heat Strumbel posted a then-career time of 1:46.60. Ashley Kranz went a lifetime best of 1:53.33 to finish second in the first preliminary heat. Schaefer won her heat with a then-career mark of 1:48.73. She ended up tied for 16th and put up a 1:48.03 in the swim-off.

Katelyn Ishee placed third in the bonus final of the 100 breast, bettering her career time with a mark of 1:04.07. Kristy Winck also swam the bonus final where she finished seventh (1:05.22). She posted a career time of 1:04.50 in the prelims. Katie Johnson swam a career best of 1:05.63 in the morning preliminary round.

Gophers Win Three Events; In Second Place after Three Days
The No. 10 University of Minnesota women’s swimming and diving team won three events at the third day of the Big Ten Championships, in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Gophers are still in second place with 457 points, trailing leaders Indiana, who has 529 points.
 
Jenny Shaughnessy won her second straight 400 individual medley when she touched the wall in an automatic qualifying time of 4:06.37. Her time broke her previous school and Big Ten record after clocking a preliminary time of 4:07.11. She shaved nearly a second off her prelim time as she went on to set a new Big Ten and pool record in 4:06.37. Shaughnessy, who won the 200 IM last night, won the 400 IM last year at the 2008 Big Ten Championships last year in 4:09.41. Kait Strickland added a sixth-place finish in the same event and earned 13 points when she chipped in a career-best time of 4:14.11. Kristen Steenvoorden added a 13th-place time of 4:15.29, also a personal-best time.
 
The Gophers went one-two in the 200 freestyle, taking the championship and second place overall. Meredith McCarthy won her first individual event of her career when she set a career-best time of 1:45.01. Stacy Busack followed with a second-place finish. Busack took a second off her prelim time to add a second-place time of 1:45.63, a career-best. Marissa Davies won the 200 free consolation final in a time of 1:47.27, while Yuen Kobayashi followed in 10th (1:47.44) and Christine Jennings was 12th (1:47.85).
 
Jillian Tyler broke her own Big Ten record when she won the 100 breaststroke. Tyler, who had a time of 59.25 in the prelims, bettered her time to 59.17 to edge Wisconsin’s Ashley Wanland, who had a time of 59.29. Tyler won the 100 breaststroke as a freshman last year and finished second in the nation at last year’s NCAA Championships. Her best time this year came at the OSU Invite when she clocked a 58.8, setting a school record. Kaylee Jamison competed in the 100 breast consolation final when she set a career-best time of 1:02.39.
 
The Gophers started the third night of finals with a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay. Minnesota’s Hannah Whitehead, Tyler, Megan Braun and Stacy Busack combined for an automatic qualifying time of 3:32.38, but the Hoosiers won the relay in a time of 3:31.26. The Gopher time set a varsity record, which was previously 3:34.16, set earlier this year at the Ohio State Invitational (12/5).
 
Braun led the Gophers in the 100 fly when she finished in a provisional qualifying and school record time of 53.14 and fourth overall. Kaylee Jamison added a seventh-place showing in the 100 fly when she clocked a personal-best 53.31. Danielle Ridder won the consolation final with personal-best 53.61, followed by Jenna Lennertz in 10th (53.89) and Kelsey Ridder added another two points, finishing 15th overall.
 
Whitehead led the Gophers in the 100 back when she finished with a time of 54.56. Castina Wabeke added a career-best time of 54.27 for 10th overall, while Danielle Ridder was 14th in 54.86.
 
Action continues tomorrow at 11 a.m. for the prelims and 6:30 p.m. (ET) for finals.

THREE MORE SCHOOL RECORDS FALL FOR BADGERS AT BIG TENS
If there is one thing preliminary rounds are good for, it’s building expectations.
 
In the finals, it’s all about living up to them.
 
That’s exactly what the Wisconsin women’s swimming and diving team did again Friday, as an exceptional morning preliminaries session translated into another successful run in the finals for the Badgers at the Big Ten Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
 
After setting new school standards and clocking automatic qualifying times for the NCAA championships during the prelims, both sophomore Maggie Meyer and freshman Beckie Thompson did themselves one better in the evening session. The duo also helped the Badgers to a school-record swim in the 400 medley relay.
 
“We really showed some guts today,” said UW head coach Eric Hansen. “Our young swimmers stepped up in the finals after some big swims this morning.”
 
Meyer backed up her record-setting effort in the prelims by scoring a runner-up finish in the 100-yard backstroke and lowering her own hours-old school record. Meyer clocked in at 52.41 to earn All-Big Ten honors, while improving her automatic NCAA qualifying time in the process.
 
Indiana’s Kate Zubkova took the title in a Big Ten-record time of 51.52.
 
The event was an outstanding one for the Badgers, as junior Candice Peak took fourth place in a personal-best 53.16 and junior Sara Goff was ninth in 54.07. Both lowered their previous ‘B’ qualifying times for the NCAA championships.
 
Adding in Meyer’s record time, the trio combined to clock three of the four fastest 100 backstroke times in UW history on the same night.
 
“It’s rewarding as a coach to see your athletes peaking at the right time of the season,” said Hansen. “Candice and Sara both swam exceptionally well, and Maggie has really begun to show the potential she has to go even faster when we get to the NCAA championships.”
 
For Wanland, the finals of the 100 breaststroke provided another opportunity to drive down her own school record, which she did again by scoring a runner-up finish in 59.29 seconds. The time also was another automatic NCAA qualifying mark for the freshman, who became the first UW swimmer to go below the 1-minute mark with her time of 59.61 in the prelims Friday morning.
 
“It’s surprising to see a freshman go that fast already, but it’s not all that surprising if you’ve been around Ashley this season,” Hansen said. “She has improved every time she has raced this year, and she just keeps getting better and better.”
 
Meyer and Wanland both had a hand in UW’s effort in the 400 medley relay, as well, helping the Badgers shatter the UW school record with a third-place finish in 3:33.26.
 
Meyer led off with a backstroke split of 52.71 before Wanland took over for the breaststroke (59.16), sophomore Karlyn Hougan moved into the lineup for the butterfly (52.76) and Thompson anchoring the Badgers home on the freestyle leg (48.63).

“We’ve got some tough young kids, and we found that out today,” Hansen said. “I didn’t know how they’d react but they showed their pretty seasoned.
 
“We had Karlyn step in for Christine Zweigers, and she threw down a great split.”
 
Hougan also came up big with an eighth-place finish in the 100 butterfly, swimming a career-best time of 53.58. That cut more than a full second off her time from the prelims and improved her NCAA ‘B’ qualifying mark, as well.
 
Also impressive was the performance of sophomore Ciara Rinaudo, who took seventh for the Badgers in the 3-meter diving competition. Rinaudo posted a score of 314.30 to finish just off her career-best total of 314.55. Indiana’s Christine Loukas shattered the Big Ten meet record to win the title with a score of 400.75.
 
“I’m really proud of how Ciara was able to contribute for us tonight,” Hansen said. “She came up with a big score, and that really bodes well for the future of our diving program.”
 
The Badgers now turn their attention to the final day of the championships, with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 freestyle, 400 freestyle relay and platform diving competition on the schedule.
 
With their performance Friday, the Badgers moved to fifth in the team race, which Indiana continues to lead over second-place Minnesota and third-place Penn State.
 
“I really think we’re coming together well as a group,” Hansen said. “We’re using this meet to get sharper for the NCAA championships, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.
 
“We have plenty of momentum, and some of our best events are on the final day, so I’m excited to see what we can do.”
 
TOUR BREAKS SECOND RECORD AT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Hawkeye sophomore Katarina Tour broke her second school record Friday at the Big Ten Championships, swimming a NCAA B cut time of 1:01.45 in the 100 breast prelims. The Hawkeyes are in ninth place with 115 points after three days of competition. Indiana leads the team race with 529.

Tour and junior Deidre Freeman were Iowa's top individual placewinners on the day. Tour placed eighth in the 100 breast in 1:01.95. Her record-breaking time in the prelims bested the previous school best of 1:02.43 set in 2002 by Allison Lyle. Tour set the school 200 IM record (2:01.33) during Thursday's races. Freeman also placed eighth on three-meter diving (301.65).

The Hawkeye 400 medley relay of freshman Danielle Carty, Tour and juniors Laura Mozdzen and Christine Kuczek placed eighth with a season-best 3:43.73. Junior Julie Feingold also advanced to Friday night's finals, placing 21st in the 100 breast (1:04.90) and 23rd in the 400 IM (4:29.08). Iowa's other top placewinners included freshmen Daniela Cubelic (100 back-20th) and Carty (100 back-23rd), and sophomore Verity Hicks (23rd-200 free). In all, Iowa posted 12 collegiate bests during Friday's events and Carty was named Iowa's Big Ten Sportsmanship award winner.

Iowa resumes competition at 10 a.m. (CT) Saturday at Michigan's Canham Natatorium. Events scheduled for the final day of competition are the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 1,650 free, 400 free relay and platform diving. Live results are available at www.mgoblue.com.
 
BIG TEN TEAM STANDINGS AFTER FRIDAY'S EVENTS
Place     Team-Points
1.            Indiana - 529
2.            Minnesota - 457
3.            Penn State - 289
4.            Michigan - 281
5.            Wisconsin - 260
6.            Purdue - 219
7.            Northwestern - 185
8.            Ohio State - 139
9.            Iowa - 115
10.          Michigan State - 97
11.          Illinois - 75