Nevada Leads after Day One of the WAC Swimming & Diving Championships
Team Scores (Through 2 of 21 events):
1. Nevada 72
2. Hawai’i 64
2. Northern Arizona 64
4. New Mexico State 58
4. San Jose State 58
4. Boise State 58
7. San Diego 50
8. Idaho 48
9. Fresno State 36
The 2009 Western Athletic Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship began today with Nevada winning the 200-yard medley relay and Hawai‘i capturing the 800-yard freestyle relay for the third year in a row. Nevada is in first place with 72 points after day one of the four-day event.
Nevada’s team of Jeanette Tour, Margaret Doolittle, Marichi Gandionco and JayDee Huppert took first in the 200-yard medley relay with an NCAA consideration time of 1:40.88. San Jose State was second with another NCAA consideration time of 1:41.28.
In the only other race of the day, Hawai`i took the gold medal with a win in the 800 freestyle relay. The Rainbow Wahine team of Elliko Heimbach, Ricarda Schellenberg, Maura Barrett and Emma Berry won with an NCAA consideration time of 7:18.76.
After one day of competition, Nevada is the leader with 72 points. Hawai‘i and Northern Arizona are tied for second with 64 points followed by Boise State, New Mexico State and San Jose State with 58 points apiece. In seventh is San Diego with 50 points, followed closely by Idaho with 48 points and Fresno State with 36 points.
Action continues tomorrow at Palo Alto College Natatorium in San Antonio, Texas with the 500-yard freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 1-meter diving and the 200 freestyle relay. Prelims begin at 11:00 a.m. and the finals start at 6:30 p.m.
NAU Swim and Dive Tied for Second at WAC Championships; Sets School Record in 800 Freestyle Relay
The team of Danielle Filipp, Vivian Landeck, Kate Schafer and Claire Ferro broke a three-year old school record in the 800 freestyle relay, earning a silver medal in the event with a time of 7:23.90. The Lumberjacks took fifth in the first and only other event of the day, the 200 medley relay, and now stand in a tie for second place among nine teams.
Nevada leads the competition with 72 points, while NAU and Hawaii are tied for second with 64 points. San Jose State, New Mexico State and Boise State are tied for third with 58 points, San Diego is seventh with 50 points, Idaho is eighth with 48 and Fresno State is ninth with 36.
NAU’s team of Meredith Egloria, Maria Hechanova, Renee Rother and Rachael Foe took fifth in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:44.02.
The Lumberjacks’ record in the 800 freestyle relay was nearly two seconds faster than the old record time, and was exactly 12 seconds faster than NAU’s third-place time in the same event a year ago. Hawaii won the relay with a time of 7:18.76.
“It was a good first night, and a great way to finish off with the school record,” said head coach Andy Johns. “Danielle Filipp led-off with a lifetime best (200 free) of 1:51.60 and the other three swam lifetime best splits as well. There’s a lot of swimming left over the next three days and we’re pretty excited.”
SCHOOL RECORDS HIGHLIGHT FIRST NIGHT OF 2009 WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR SAN JOSE STATE
San Jose State University shattered the school record by almost three seconds in the 200 medley relay to kick off the 2009 Western Athletic Conference Championship on Wednesday night, February 25. The Spartan women’s swimming and diving team sits in a three-way tie for fourth through two of 21 events. The meet is taking place for the 10th straight year at the neutral-site Palo Alto College Natatorium, and will continue through Saturday, February 28.
Fourth-year senior Lauren Mar, sophomore tri-captain Kirsten Trammell, freshman Heather Denman and sophomore Meghan McCurley raced 1:41.28 to easily eclipse the previous school standard of 1:44.18, which was set at the 2008 WAC Championship, with Mar also swimming the 50-yard lead backstroke leg on that foursome. Her opening split tonight was another school mark, as she went 25.63 seconds to better former teammate Ashley Vrieze’s time of 25.83.
These are the 10th and 11th school records set by Spartan swimmers this season, with Denman and Trammell being involved in seven and four of them, respectively. Trammell swam the breaststroke leg, with Denman the butterfly and McCurley the freestyle anchor.
With the placement, all four Spartans earned silver medals and second-team All-WAC distinction.
Nevada, the two-time defending WAC team champion, held a slight edge at the conclusion of the backstroke leg, through 2008 WAC Freshman of the Year, Jeanette Tour, and held on to edge San Jose State, which placed second after finishing third a year ago. The Wolf Pack’s mark of 1:40.88 fell just .75 seconds shy of matching the WAC Championship record of 1:40.13, set by SMU back in 2003. Tour was followed by 2008 WAC Swimmer of the Year Margaret Doolittle, Marichi Gandionco and JayDee Huppert.
Both Nevada and San Jose State turned in NCAA consideration times, with this year’s standard at 1:41.72, also marking the first Spartan NCAA ‘B’ cut in program history.
The Spartan foursome of freshman Amy Friedhoff, sophomore Julia Koch, junior San Jose native Erin Garcia, and freshman Megan Mills, timed a season-best 7:33.54 for seventh-place in the 800 freestyle relay. It was the second-fastest time in program history, ranking just under a second behind a 7:32.74 mark from the 2000 WAC Championship. San Jose State’s time was almost six seconds faster than its fifth-place mark a year ago of 7:39.40, which was over 10 full seconds better than the 2007 effort.
Hawai’i defended its 800 free relay gold medal from the past two years, timing an NCAA ‘B’ cut 7:18.76 in a race that was just as fast as the 200 medley relay. UH’s winning time in 2008, by comparison, was 7:28.46. This year, the relays at the WAC meet are broken up into two heats, with the three slowest seeds going first, followed by the six fastest, with the addition of a ninth squad, Fresno State, which re-introduced its program after cutting it in 2004.
Through two events, Nevada leads with 72 points, followed by Hawai’i and Northern Arizona with 64 apiece, and San Jose State, New Mexico State and Boise State at 58 each.
Denman (Brookeville, Md./Sherwood HS), Friedhoff (Federal Way, Wash./Thomas Jefferson HS) and Mills (Redlands, Calif./Redlands HS) made their WAC Championship debuts tonight, with Denman now a first-time WAC medalist and All-WAC performer.
“We were very pleased with how the first day finished up,” remarked fourth-year head coach Sage Hopkins. “This is our weakest day, and our goal was to be within 25-30 points of first-place. We achieved that goal. Now each day, we get stronger, with our two strongest days being Friday and Saturday. We are looking forward to continuing the great swimming. It’s going to be a great meet.
Added Hopkins about the overall speed out of the gate of this year’s WAC meet, “It’s a very fast meet. The WAC is one of the fastest-improving conferences in the country, and the 800 free relay tonight was especially a very fast event throughout for all the teams.”
Top San Jose State entrants for the Thursday events include Friedhoff as the top seed in the 500 free, with Koch fourth, Trammell (second) and fellow sophomore Caitlin Macky (fourth) in the 200 IM, and Meghan McCurley and Mar as the top two seeds in the 50 free. Sophomore Jo Thibodaux and freshman Jessica Holden are entered in the one-meter diving event, with Thibodaux back a second time in her home state of Texas as a native of Alvin, and Holden set to make her WAC Championship debut.
Bulldogs Close In On School Record
Fresno State kicked off the 2009 edition of the WAC Championships in San Antonio, Texas Wednesday afternoon with competitive performances in the 200 medley relay and the 800 freestyle relay.
“We were right there with the other teams,” said head coach Jeanne Fleck. “We did awesome today.”
The ‘Dogs wasted no time fulfilling their goals and gaining strength as the team swam a three-second time improvement in the 200 medley relay. The team’s time of 1:47 falls just one-half a second short of breaking the school record.
“Heidi had a solid lead off in the 800 freestyle relay and finished her 200 yard leg in 1:54,” said Fleck. “It was really exciting to watch.”
Gjoen, freshman Dede Torres, junior Mary Tess Taylor and freshman Jordan Morillo took 23 seconds off their relay time to finish 7:56.57. Every single Fresno State swimmer swam a lifetime best time on Wednesday, giving the Bulldogs a confident drive entering the next three days.
Tomorrow’s events begin with the 500 freestyle, 200 IM and the 50 freestyle preliminaries at 11 a.m. CT. Divers will hit the boards in the 1-meter preliminaries at 1 p.m. CT.
“We’re going to do great,” said Fleck.
