NCAA Women's Division I Championships Team Recaps - Day Two
1. California, 302
2. Georgia, 295.5
3. Arizona, 282.5
4. Stanford, 213.5
5. Auburn, 195
6. Texas, 169
7. Texas A&M, 144
8. Florida, 136
9. Southern California, 116
10. Indiana, 114
Alabama: Freshman Diver Carrie Dragland Scores at NCAA Championships
Alabama freshman Carrie Dragland finished 12th in the three-meter diving event at the NCAA Championships on Friday, putting the Crimson Tide on the board after day two here at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on the Texas A&M campus.
“Carrie did a good job out there today,” Alabama head coach Eric McIlquham said. “She got us on the board in terms of team points and dove well against a really tough field. She’s come into this meet as a freshman and gotten the job done. Now we just need to have a good day tomorrow and close things out on a positive note.”
Dragland, the Southeastern Conference Diver of the Year, was the league’s top finisher off the three-meter at the NCAA Championships after she tallied 307.65 points in the consolation finals. She will return to action Saturday when she will compete off the platform event.
Junior Agustina de Giovanni finished 23rd in the 100 breaststroke with a career-best time of 1:00.85. She shaved a quarter of a second off her previous best time set during the regular season. She returns to pool Saturday in her specialty, the 200 breaststroke.
Junior Hannah Brinks finished 42nd in the 100 butterfly with a time of 54.36 while sophomore Kate Shannon Gray was 41st in the 400 IM with a time of 4:16.53.
Arizona: Night Two at the Women’s NCAA’s
After two days of intense racing, the Arizona Wildcats sit in third place going into tomorrow night’s final round of events. California is currently the leader with 302 points followed by Georgia with 295.5.
Julie Stupp placed fifth in the championship heat of the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:02.99. Stupp gained ground on leader Julia Smit in the breaststroke leg, but down the stretch Stupp couldn’t reel Smit in. Stupp’s time was the 11th fastest time ever swum in the women’s 400 IM.
In the consolation final of the 400 IM, Jenny Forster placed second with a time of 4:06.10, while Kathryn Thompson clocked in at 4:10.07 for seventh place.
The duo of Ana Agy and Hailey DeGolia posted times of 51.96 and 52.61 respectively in the finals heat of the 100 butterfly. DeGolia was the early leader after 50 yards but couldn’t hold it while Agy looked to turn it on late and finished fifth. DeGolia earned eighth for Arizona.
Lara Jackson took second in the 100 fly consolation final with a time of 52.30. Jackson will swim in the 100 free and 400 free relay tomorrow in what will be her last collegiate events.
Justine Schluntz was the early leader in the championship heat, but was passed up by through the final 50 and placed seventh with a 1:44.13 showing. After a motivated prelim swim, Taylor Baughman and Leone Vorster placed fourth and seventh respectively to keep the points rolling for the Cats. Baughman had a time of 1:45.05 while Vorster was in at 1:46.10.
U.S. National Teammates Chandler and USC’s Rebecca Soni battled down the stretch in the 100 breast as the race was tight throughout. Over the last 25 yards, Soni pulled away from the crowd and defended her NCAA title set last year. Chandler finished with a time of 59.24, good for fourth overall.
Agy and DeGolia teamed again in the 100 backstroke with Agy going 51.65 and placing third and DeGolia taking seventh place with a time of 52.08.
To end the night, the Arizona 800 free relay team of Justine Schluntz, Leone Vorster, Alyssa Anderson and Taylor Baughman finished seventh with a time of 7:03.87.
While the false start in the 200 medley relay has hurt Arizona’s chances at the NCAA title, the Cats are still in the hunt. With the top three teams separated by only 19.5 points, whoever has the best day tomorrow will win the title.
Auburn Remains In Fifth After Second Day Of NCAA Championship Competition
The Auburn women’s swimming and diving team concluded the second day of 2009 NCAA Championship competition in fifth place, led by a runner-up performance from two-time NCAA Champion Rachel Goh in the 100 backstroke. The Championships are a three-day competition held March 19-21at the Texas A&M Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas.
Auburn finished with 195 points, behind top-scorer California (302), Georgia (295.5), Arizona (282.5) and Stanford (213.5). Trailing the Tigers are Texas with 169 and host Texas A&M with 144.
Friday’s itinerary included prelims and finals for the 200 MR, 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back and 3-meter springboard. Only an evening timed final was set for the 800 FR. Preliminaries began at 11 a.m. CST followed by finals at 7 p.m.
The Auburn backstrokers came up huge for Tigers the late in Friday’s NCAA Championship finals, picking up 37 crucial points in the 100 back. The Tigers were led by a second-place finish from Rachel Goh, a two-time national champion in the event. The Melbourne, Australia native picked up 17 points for the Tigers after hitting the wall in 51.61.
Senior Margo McCawley earned 13 points with a sixth-place effort, coming in at 52.06. Also in the Friday night 100 back finals were senior Julianne McLane (52.71) and Melissa Marik (52.78), placing 13th and 14th in consolation.
Auburn was 46 points behind fourth-place Stanford after drawing a blank in the 100 breast finals, but was able to gain some ground thanks to Goh and company. The Tigers cut the Stanford lead to just 10.5 with only the 800 FR remaining.
Auburn claimed the 2009 SEC title in the event, slashing their way to a new US Open record time of 6:54.02. Ava Ohlgren set the Auburn 200 free record in the process, getting things started with a 1:42.99 leadoff split.
The team of Ohlgren (1:46.23), Geary (1:45.28), Marik (1:47.42), and Bird (1:45.92) was unable to find that same stride, coming in at 7:04.85 for an eighth-place finish.
Auburn relay got the finals going with a fourth place finish in the 200 MR, coming in at 1:36.85 behind Georgia, Wisconsin and Tennessee. The team of Rachel Goh (24.30), Micah Lawrence (27.85), Alana Dillette (23.33), and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (21.37) touched in with Auburn’s second fastest time of the season.
Top-seed Arizona was disqualified at the start of its 200 MR preliminary heat after senior Haley DeGolia was charged with a false start of the block.
Junior Ava Ohlgren was next up for the Tigers as their only entry into the 400 IM finals. The 2007 NCAA 400 IM Champion was denied a shot at a second title after missing the A final cut, seeded ninth with a prelim time of 4:07.28.
The Northville, Mich., native bettered her previous time by over three seconds to take first 4:04.18 in consolations. Had she made the cut to finals, her time would have equaled a sixth-place finish.
Junior Alana Dillette was the only Auburn swimmer competing in the 100 fly. The Nassau, Bahamas, native placed seventh in the consolation final with a time of 52.91, resulting in a 15th-place finish.
The 2008 Olympian swam a 52.53 in prelims to tie for the 14th seed in Friday night finals. Senior Margo McCawley placed 26th in prelims with a 52.82.
Through the 100 fly finals, California was in the lead with 207 points, followed by Arizona (196.5), Georgia (173), Stanford (167) and Auburn in fifth with 132.
Caitlin Geary placed 13th in the 200 free finals with a time of 1:45.09. The 2009 SEC Champion in the 200 free came in ninth in the morning prelims with a time of 1:44.71.
Junior Maggie Bird (1:46.57) placed 26th followed by senior Emile Ewing (1:46.86) in 32nd, senior Chelsea Haser (1:47.75) in 47th and freshman Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace (1:48.22) in 51st.
Auburn was unable to advance a swimmer to the 100 breast finals, with freshman Micah Lawrence (1:00.73) getting closer than any other Tiger. The native Texan finished 19th and missed the 16th spot by less than four-tenths of a second.
Junior Abby MacGregor placed 29th with a time of 1:01.10 followed by sophomore Melanie Roberts in 35th with a 1:01.43.
Cal: Sims, Vollmer Claim NCAA Titles; Bears Take the 800 Free Relay Title in NCAA Record Time; Cal Vaults to First Place
The California women’s swimming team capped off an amazing Friday night with team and individual performances for the ages as senior Dana Vollmer claimed an individual NCAA title in the 200-yard freestyle, while sophomore Amanda Sims won the NCAA title in the 100-yard butterfly.
The icing on the cake was in the 800-yard freestyle relay as Cal’s foursome of Sara Isakovic, Hannah Wilson, Liv Jensen and Dana Vollmer clocked a new school, NCAA, NCAA Championship, American and U.S. Open record time of 6:52.69. Jensen set the tone early and finished her 200 yard split in 1:43.15 and Vollmer left no doubt with the last 200 yards with a scorching 1:41.75.
Auburn previously held the NCAA record with a time of 6:54.02 at the SEC Championships on Feb. 18.
Cal however is no stranger to dominance in the 800 free relay. For the sixth straight year, the Bears took home the Pac-10 title in the 800 free relay with a conference record time of 6:56.87. Additionally, Vollmer clocked a Pac-10, NCAA, Cal and American record time of 1:41.53 in the leadoff 200 yard leg of the freestyle.
As a team, Cal vaulted all the way to first place with 302 total points at the 2009 NCAA Championships at the Student Rec Center Natatorium hosted by Texas A&M. Georgia is in second place with 295.5 points and Arizona in third with 282.5.
Earlier in the day in the morning preliminaries, Vollmer clocked an NCAA Championship meet record time of 1:42.63 in the 200-yard freestyle - securing the top spot for the Championship final. That record didn’t last long as she bested that mark with a time of 1:42.01 – a new NCAA Championship meet record. Vollmer simply turned on the jets in the final 50 yards, clocking a time of 25.54 to create separation from second-place finisher Morgan Scroggy (1:42.90). Vollmer already owns the NCAA, American and U.S. Open records with her time of 1:41.53 set at the 2009 Pac-10 Championship in February. The previous NCAA Championship meet record was held by SMU's Martina Maracova (1:43.08) back in 1997.
Already a legend in her own right at Cal, Vollmer also claimed an individual NCAA title in 2007 in the 100 butterfly.
Sara Isakovic also helped the Bears gain valuable points with a sixth place finish in the 200 free with a time of 1:43.30. Cal did not have anyone in the Championship final at last year’s NCAAs.
In the consolation final of the 200 free, freshman Liv Jensen, who has made a name for herself this season, clocked a personal-best time of 1:44.81 for All-America honorable mention honors.
Although she didn’t reach the finals of the 200 free, sophomore Erica Dagg swam a personal-best 1:45.44 in the prelims. Madison Kennedy also swam a personal-best time of 1:45.74 in the 200 free prelims. Lauren Boyle also claimed a personal-best in the 200 free prelims with a time of 1:46.20.
What a difference a year made for Sims in the 100 fly. At last year’s NCAAs, Sims swam a time of 53.49 – good enough for 15th place. On Friday in the morning prelims, Sims got off on the right track by clocking a personal-best and top spot of 51.12. In the Championship final she held a slight lead over Stanford’s Elaine Breeden after the third 50-yard leg by .10 seconds and just had enough left in the tank in the final 50-yard stretch with a dramatic 51.28 over Breeden who touched the wall in 51.34.
Cal also had Wilson and Vollmer in the Championship final of the 100 fly, with Wilson streaking to a third place finish time of 51.47 and Vollmer registering a fourth place showing time of 51.69.
Tara Thomas helped Cal get a few extra points with a 13th place finish in the consolation final with a time of 52.57.
Lauren Rogers claimed a second straight fourth place finish in the 100-yard backstroke with a new lifetime-best time of 51.69.
Alexandra Ellis, who placed 16th in the 100-yard breaststroke prelims with a personal-best time of 1:00.36, also placed 16th in the consolation final with a mark of 1:00.67.
Although she did not advance to the finals, Heather White swam a personal-best 4:12.12 in the 400-yard IM.
In the first event of the evening, Cal’s foursome of Rogers, Ellis, Sims and Kennedy placed sixth in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:37.04.
Cal’s highest finish ever in the NCAA Championships was a third place showing in 2007.
UC Davis: KUCERA COMPETES IN THE 100 BREAST DURING SECOND DAY OF NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
UC Davis junior Heidi Kucera went 1:00.99 during the prelims of the 100-yard breaststroke to finish 24th overall during the second day of the NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M.
"Heidi is going in the right direction," said Aggie head coach Barbara Jahn. "Tomorrow is going to be a great day for her."
It marked the best finish for Kucera at the national meet after placing 54th in the 200 individual medley yesterday morning. Kucera's 24th-place finish came in a field of 49 swimmers. In addition, Kucera's time is the third-fastest time of the season and was just 0.61 seconds off her school-record time.
The championships conclude tomorrow with seven events. Kucera will compete in the 200 breast, which is arguably her strongest event. Live video and results can be found on the championships page, which can be accessed through the swimming and diving page on
UC Santa Barbara: Nicponski Posts Career Best Time on Second Day of NCAA Championships
Sophomore Sara Nicponski swam a personal best time in the 100 breaststroke on Friday, the second day of the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships, which are being hosted by Texas A&M. The Gauchos swam in three events during Friday’s preliminary heats.
Nicponski and teammate senior Katy Freeman both swam in the 100 breaststroke prelims. Nicponski finished 21st overall with her career best time of 1:00.82, shaving .15 seconds off of her previous top time. Freeman finished 30th overall, touching the wall in 1:01.29.
In the 100 backstroke, junior Naomi Javanifard posted a time of 55.23, finishing 58th in the event’s morning prelims.
Before the individual events, the Gauchos swam in the 200 medley relay. The UCSB team made up of Javanifard, Freeman, Erin Yamamoto and Anne Marie May finished 17th in the prelims, failing to secure a place in the event’s finals. The team posted a time of 1:39.54 and will be the first alternate for tonight’s finals.
The Gauchos will conclude action at the 2009 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday. UCSB will have swimmers competing in the 100 freestyle and 200 breaststroke.
Denver: DU’s Michele Lowry Posts Strong Showing at NCAA Championships
University of Denver women’s swimmer Michele Lowry (Hailey, Idaho) finished in 27th place in the 400 IM at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Lowry finished with a time of 4:13.40, behind Arizona’s Alyss Anderson who posted a time of 4:12.41. Stanford’s Julia Smit set a new national record, posting a time of 4:00.56 to win her second consecutive national title in this event.
“Michele moved up from 33rd to 27th in an amazing performance,” said head coach Brian Schrader. “She was only .5 seconds off of her lifetime best and it was her best prelim time ever. It just shows what a great racer she is and we are looking forward to her 1650 tomorrow.”
She will resume competition tomorrow in the 1650 Freestyle event, which is slated to begin on at 7 p.m. (CT).
Duke: Johnston Takes Fifth In Nation On Three-Meter Springboard
Duke freshman Abby Johnston took fifth on the three-meter springboard at the 2009 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships with a score of 361.80 in tonight’s finals at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium.
The showing earned Johnston All-America status.
“It was exciting being here and taking in the great atmosphere,” said Johnston. “There were lots of people in the stands, people cheering you on. I’ve never experienced anything like it, and it helped me because I didn’t have any expectations going in.”
“It was great that I can be in that arena as a freshman and against the top girls, knowing I can only go up from here.”
Indiana senior Christina Loukas won the national title with a score of 437.75. Loukas was a ninth-place finisher on the three-meter board at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing after winning the U.S. Olympic trials.
She was followed by Houston’s Anastasia Podzniakova (386.10), Indiana’s Brittney Feldman (366.90), Texas’ Jessica Livingston (366.60), and Johnston. Texas’ Shelby Cunningham, Purdue’s Ashley Karnes, and Missouri’s Kendra Melnychuk rounded out the eight spots in the finals.
The eight performers advanced to tonight’s finals, while the top 16 finishers in prelims scored and made All-America. Johnston was in seventh after prelims and was able to move up two spots, with a score of 325.85 in the afternoon session.
Johnston became Duke’s first diver to advance to the NCAA Championships, after winning the three-meter at last weekend’s Zone B Championships with a combined score of 659.85. In addition to the zone championship, Johnston collected the ACC title in the event earlier this season.
“Abby dove great all day – each of her dives was better than the one before,” said Duke diving coach Drew Johansen, who also coached Johnston in club competition during high school. “She was actually in the hunt there in the top three spots for a while and got a taste of what it was like to be in that kind of fight in NCAA competition. She responded great.”
The freshman participated in the one-meter yesterday, finishing 37th overall in prelims with a six-dive score of 202.60.
Tomorrow marks the last day of the 2008 NCAA Championships, where sophomore Ashley Twichell will represent the Blue Devils in the 1650 freestyle.
Florida: Spofforth Repeats in 100 Back, Wins UF's 99th National Title; Florida in 8th After Day Two of NCAAs
Gemma Spofforth (West Sussex, England) became the second Gator to win back-to-back national titles in the 100-yard backstroke following her first-place victory (50.55) at the Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station. After also winning the 100-yard back title in 2008, Spofforth repeated Friday, reeling in UF’s 99th national title overall and claiming the fourth individual national crown of her career.
Spofforth, who is also the 200 back NCAA record-holder and reigning champion, joins former Florida swimmer Kristen Linehan as the only two Gators to earn back-to-back titles in the 100 backstroke event. Linehan won in both 1989 and 1990, and the two Gators own UF’s only four national titles in the race.
Under Spofforth’s leadership, the Gators improved from 11th place to eighth place (136) following the second day of NCAA competition. In addition to Spofforth’s national title, a broken UF record in the 400 IM by freshman Teresa Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa.) rallied the No. 5 Gators to finish day two strong.
“We swam pretty well today,” head coach Gregg Troy said. “After a slow start yesterday, we had some very good races today and got better each time. Gemma swam an outstanding race and we had some really great races from some of our freshmen who stepped up, notably Jemma Lowe and Teresa Crippen. Stephanie Proud also had a good IM race.”
Crippen and junior Stephanie Proud (Durham, England) represented the Orange and Blue in the championship final. After both Crippen and Proud swam career-best times in the distance medley race in preliminaries, the duo turned around to place sixth and seventh in the finale. While neither swam a career-best time in finals, their two preliminary marks stand as the first and second-fastest times in UF history in the event.
Freshman Jemma Lowe (Hartlepool, England) swam the championship final of the 100-yard butterfly after qualifying in prelims with a 51.76. The 2009 SEC Champion and UF record-holder in the event clocked a 52.49 finals swim to place seventh overall in the eight-woman championship heat.
Prior to UF’s individual swims, the Gator 200-yard medley relay kicked off the finals session with an eighth-place finish, improving upon their prelims mark to swim the third-fastest time in UF history in the relay. Spofforth swam a 24.16 opening backstroke leg, while freshman Lindsay Rogers (Fishers, Ind.) swam breast, Lowe the fly leg and junior Stephanie Napier (Chattanooga, Tenn.) the anchor freestyle leg.
Likewise, the Gators closed out day two of the championship meet with a 10th-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay. Composed of Crippen, junior Liz Kemp (Potomac, Md.), freshman Melani Costa-Schmid (Palma de Mallona, Spain), and Proud, Florida swam to a 7:06.78, the sixth-fastest time in the UF record books.
Florida State: Stephanie Sarandos Competes In First Career NCAA Swimming And Diving Championships
Freshman Stephanie Sarandos swam a personal best time in the 100 back on the second day of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in College Station, Texas.
The Waukesha, Wis., native placed 53rd with a personal best time of 54.71. Sarandos is the lone qualifier on the women’s side for the Seminoles. She will compete in her best event, the 200 back on Saturday. Sarandos currently holds the school record in the 200 and earned All-ACC honors with her third-place finish at the conference meet.
Indiana: Loukas Wins NCAA Three-Meter Title
After finishing second at the NCAA meet three times in her career, senior Christina Loukas finally got her turn on the top podium with an NCAA title in the three-meter springboard, highlighting day two of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in College Station, Texas.
Loukas becomes the first female NCAA swimming and diving champion for Indiana since Cassandra Cardinell took the platform title in 2005. She is also the first three-meter champion for the Hoosiers, with Kimiko Hirai winning the one-meter title in 1996.
This win was a long-time coming for Loukas, who finished second on the three-meter in 2006, and second on the one-meter in 2007 and 2009. Loukas tallied an NCAA-record 437.75 points, smashing the old record of 420.90 set by Cassidy Krug in 2007. It is the second time this year Loukas has topped the 400-point mark on the three-meter, tallying a then-school record 400.75 points at the Big Ten Championships in February.
“I am really happy I finally put all my dives together in a final,” Loukas said. “I’ve gotten second three times now at this meet so I was happy to finally break through and win.
“I could tell I was on tonight. My nerves were up and I tend to dive better under pressure. I knew I was diving well, but I knew I could have missed any one of those dives at any point. So I tried to stay focused on what I needed to do and kept it rolling.”
“She showed tonight what she is capable of diving,” said head diving coach Dr. Jeff Huber. “That NCAA championship has eluded her and it was nice to see her step up against really good competition and let it all hang out. That is really what we wanted to do tonight. I asked her to not hit her dives in warm-ups and save it all for the meet, and she did that. She showed a lot of experience and a lot of composure. She really did well on her last dive. We’ve really been trying to get her to focus and finish the contest. I thought she did a nice job from start to finish.
It was a Hoosier night in the diving well as junior Brittney Feldman posted a third-place finish with a score of 366.90, beating out Texas’ Jessica Livingston by three-tenths of a point. That is a career best for Feldman.
“Brittney really had a rough one-meter (event) and really responded like a champ,” Huber said. “She came back today and did the things I asked her to do. I am really proud of her. It was a steady list.”
On the swimming side, Kate Zubkova took to the pool in the championship final of the 100 backstroke and picked up her third All-America honor of the meet with an eighth-place finish, coming home in 53.34. In the morning prelims, Zubkova went 52.04 to finish third in her heat and just made the championship final, placing eighth overall. Donna Smailis was 19th with a career best of 53.02.
The 800-yard free relay team of Smailis, Brittany Strumbel, Amanda Smith and Nikki White posted a time of 7:08.32, good for 11th place and All-America recognition.
Allison Kay broke her own school record in the 400 individual medley, finishing third in the consolation final and 11th overall with a time of 4:06.45. That tops her previous time of 4:07.52 set at last month’s Big Ten Championships.
In the 400 individual medley prelims, Amilee Smith, swimming in her first NCAA Championships event, placed second in her heat with a lifetime best of 4:11.51. That is also the sixth-fastest time in school history. Kay and Ashley Jones competed in the next heat, with Kay third in a time of 4:08.05, and Jones fifth in 4:10.88. Kay’s time ranks fourth on the IU all-time list, while Jones’ time ranks fifth and is a personal best.
Indiana took 14th in the 200 medley relay as Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Smailis and Margaux Farrell combined for a time of 1:38.69 in the consolation final. In the morning prelim session, Zubkova, Stockwell, Smailis and Farrell took sixth in their heat and 14th overall with a time of 1:38.77.
Stockwell picked up her second All-America honor of the night with a 12th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. She touched the wall in 1:00.23 in the consolation final.
Stockwell was sixth in her heat of the 100 breaststroke, touching the wall in 1:00.15, the fifth-fastest time in school history. Abby Cooper was also sixth in her heat, clocking in at 1:00.40. Stockwell’s time was 13th best on the morning, putting her into the consolation final.
In the 200 freestyle, Strumbel was third in her heat with a time of 1:46.69, while Farrell was seventh in the same heat in 1:47.58. Nikki White took seventh in her heat with a time of 1:47.06.
Loukas was third in the three-meter diving prelims with a score of 350.60. Feldman finished fifth with a total of 330.40 points, joining Loukas in tonight’s championship final. Freshman Gabby Agostino was 31st with a score of 247.10.
Kansas: Mayrovich and Kuzhil Break School-Records on the Second Day of the NCAA Championships
Kansas' Maria Mayrovich and Iuliia Kuzhil each placed 21st in the preliminaries of their respective events Friday afternoon at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in College Station, Texas. All-American diver Erin Mertz placed 17th in the three-meter diving competition.
Mayrovich touched the wall in a time of 1:46.19 for the 200 yard freestyle. Mayrovich broke the 200 yard freestyle school-record by 0.82 seconds. The previous record was set by Amy Gruber in 2005. Mayrovich, however, barely missed qualifying for a finals berth by 0.78 seconds.
Kuzhil finished in a time of 53.06 seconds in the 100 yard backstroke. That time was 0.39 seconds faster than the school-record time that she set at the Big 12 Championships. Kuzhil, like Mayrovich narrowly missed qualifying for a finals berth by 0.21 seconds.
Mertz, an all-american on the one-meter board, continued her strong diving with a 17th place finish on the three-meter board. Mertz scored 306.05 points, which was just 15.70 points shy of making a return trip to the finals.
Mayrovich will participate in the 100 yard freestyle and Mertz will dive on the platform on Saturday, the final day of the NCAA Championships. Kuzhil has participated in her final event of the season.
LSU women's medley relay captures fifth overall at NCAA's
Entering the 2009 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships seeded 12th in a stacked 200-yard medley relay field, few envisioned the LSU women walking away with a top-eight finish and First-team All-America honors.
But the Lady Tigers’ foursome of Monica McJunkin, Jane Trepp, Katie Gilmore and Katherine Noland came through with arguably the biggest relay performance in head coach Adam Schmitt’s tenure, swimming past perennial powerhouse programs Florida, California and Texas A&M to capture fifth-place in the event and earn First-team All-America recognition.
After securing the eighth-fastest time in the preliminaries with a then-school record mark of 1 minute, 37.73 seconds, the group turned it on in the evening finals with a blistering time of 1:36.88 to shatter the program mark and become one of four Southeastern Conference squads to place in the top-five.
Only six one-hundredths of a second separated the Lady Tigers from a top-three finish. Georgia emerged victorious with a time of 1:36.45.
The Lady Tigers also had some impressive efforts in individual racing with McJunkin leading the way in the 100 backstroke. The senior tied her school-record mark of 53.07 to take 22nd. Noland was the team’s highest finisher in the 100 fly, finishing in 34th with a personal best of 53.36. Gilmore and Trepp swam times of 54.00 and 54.39, respectively.
Noland also competed in the 200 freestyle and recorded a mark of 1:49.35, while Trepp also raced in the 100 breast, registering a time of 1:01.83.
The women’s squad will go after an All-America finish in the 400 freestyle relay in Saturday’s final session, and Noland and Gilmore will take part in the 100 free.
Miami: Jenna Dreyer Second in 3-meter Consolation Finals at NCAA’s
Jenna Dreyer, a fifth-year senior diver for the University of Miami, concluded her UM career Friday afternoon with a second place finish in the consolation finals of the 3-meter springboard at the NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships in College Station, Texas. This year’s event is hosted by Texas A&M University inside the Student Recreation Natatorium.
After collecting her third career All-American award yesterday in the 1-meter event, Dreyer stepped onto the 3-meter board this afternoon for her last 12 dives as a Miami Hurricane. She has battled a nagging back injury throughout the season, and one that kept her away from the pool throughout the 2007-08 season with a medical hardship—earning her a fifth year.
The top eight finishers from the afternoon's prelims advance to the evening's finals. Student-athletes who finish among the top eight are named All-American. Those who place anywhere from ninth to 16th place are designated Honorable Mention All-American.
Dreyer, a native of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, finished the preliminary round with a score of 314.05, allowing her to finish in 13th place. Though not advancing to the finals, she did earn a trip to the consolation finals—as did teammate Brittany Viola yesterday in the 1-meter event.
Advancing to the consolation finals, Dreyer stood tied with Kate Hynes (Drexel) after the first three dives, but Hynes then picked up a near-perfect mark to move ahead of her. After she moved to third place behind Kathrine Giarra on the fourth dive, Dreyer performed two of her best dives of the day to collect a final round score of 319.35.
That would allow the three-time All-American to collect her second Honorable Mention All-American mark on the 3-meter springboard throughout her career, finishing in second place for the consolation finals—10th place overall for the event.
Hynes finished as the top performer of the consolation finals with a score of 329.75, while Giarra placed third (313.05).
The diving action concludes tomorrow for the Hurricanes as Brittany Viola looks to repeat as NCAA Champion on the platform.
NC State: Davies Begins Action at NCAA Championships
NC State women's senior diver Kristin Davies began her stay at the NCAA Championships on Friday, March 20, partaking in the 3-meter dive. Davies hit a 232.10 for 34th-place in the prelim round.
Davies will continue tomorrow, Saturday, March 21, performing in her signature event - the platform dive, on the final day of the NCAA Championships.
Pacific: Jenny Lewis Closes Out NCAA Championship Meet With 100 Back
In the second day of the NCAA Championship Meet and final day of her collegiate swimming career, senior Jenny Lewis (Hesperia, Calif.) finished with a 61st place finish in the 100 Back on Friday, March 20.
Lewis's final time in the preliminary heat was a speed of 55.51. She qualified for the event with a seed time of 54.91 during the Big West Championship Meet in February.
In the 100 Back, universities from around the country sent 64 competitors to race in the heat. Lewis was .19 seconds off a tie for a 60th-place finish. Jordan McHorney from Virginia Tech finished in 60th with a 55.30 race.
The NCAA Championships continue through the weekend, but Pacific does not have any more competitors left to compete in the meet.
USC OLYMPIAN REBECCA SONI WINS 5TH CAREER NCAA TITLE
Senior Rebecca Soni reaffirmed her status as the top breaststroker in America by successfully defending her NCAA championship in the 100 breast while Katinka Hosszu continued writing a growing first chapter as an All-American freshman, the pair highlighting USC’s second day of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday (March 20) at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium in College Station, Texas.
USC, under third-year head coach Dave Salo, is in ninth with 116 points. Cal took over first with 302 points and is followed by Georgia (295.5), Arizona (282.5), Stanford (213.5), Auburn (195), Texas (169), Texas A&M (144), Florida (136), USC and Indiana (114).
Soni, the NCAA record holder in the 100 breast, won her fifth career NCAA championship by winning the race Friday in 58.36, 0.17 ahead of second-place Jillian Tyler of Minnesota. After going 58.60 in prelims, Soni, the only Trojan ever to win the 100 breast, opened her final with a 27.81 first 50, second behind Arizona’s Annie Chandler (27.75). But she powered home without challenge to claim the NCAA crown. Saturday, she will try to become the first NCAA woman to win the NCAA title in the 200 breast four times.
Hosszu created her own history in her second-place finish in the 400 IM, USC’s best result in the event since Kaitlin Sandeno won the race in 2004. She smashed her own school record of 4:03.60 with a second-place effort of 4:01.49, behind only Stanford winner Julia Smit (4:00.56). Hosszu actually trailed by 2.59 seconds with 100 yards to go and made up more than a second and a half during the freestyle leg.
Senior Katy Houston made her first appearance in an NCAA consolation final, taking 14th in 1:00.40. In prelims, she swam a personal best 1:00.07 to qualify for a second swim. She was 11th overall in prelims and was only 0.32 from making the final.
Senior Kristen Lahey also swam in her first career NCAA consolation final, finishing 10th in the 100 back in 52.28. She qualified for it with a 10th-place swim in prelims (52.57).
In the 200 medley relay, USC broke a school record in prelims as the quartet of Lahey, Soni, Hosszu and senior Rachael Waller just missed finals in 1:38.33. The same quartet finished 13th overall after going 1:38.59.
USC swam to 15th in the timed final of the 800 free relay. The unit of Hosszu, Waller and sophomores Krissy Forelli and Ellie Doran finished in 7:10.60.
Freshman Tanya Krisman was 33rd in the 100 fly (53.17) while freshman Victoria Ishimatsu was 25th in the 3-meter springboard (272.25).
Stanford TWO DAYS, TWO TITLES AND TWO RECORDS FOR JULIA SMIT – STANFORD SENSATION WINS 400 IM
For the second consecutive day, Stanford junior Julia Smit set an American, U.S. Open and NCAA record, doing so tonight with a swim of 4:00.56 to win the 2009 NCAA championship in the 400 IM. A night after lowering her own record in the 200 IM, Smit was .06-second faster than the previous American and U.S. Open standard of 4:00.62 set by Dagny Knutson at last December’s U.S. Open Short Course Nationals. Smit also lowered her own NCAA record, which she set with a time of 4:01.56 at the Pac-10 Championships.
With her electrifying effort tonight, Smit became the first Stanford female to sweep the two IM events at the same NCAA Championships since Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders did so in both 1991 and 1992. Smit also successfully defended her 2008 NCAA title in the 400 IM, becoming the event’s first repeat winner since Auburn’s Maggie Bowen won three straight from 2001-03.
“For Julia to set another American record under these circumstances is a Herculean task,” said Stanford head coach Lea Maurer. “It’s a tight field and a star-studded group; just to win is a phenomenal achievement in and of itself, but to do so while setting an American record is a tribute to her will.”
Stanford remained in fourth place after day two of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships, with a total of 213.5 points. California has moved in front with 302 points through 14 events, while second-place Georgia (295.5 points), third-place Arizona (282.5) and fifth-place Auburn (195) round out the top five. The meet is being held at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M University.
“Tomorrow will be another tough day, as this meet is unforgiving,” commented Maurer. “We’ll come out tomorrow morning with a lot of passion and a lot of energy, and we’ll do everything we can to put ourselves in a position to come home with some hardware.”
Sophomore Kate Dwelley had a stellar effort of her own tonight, setting the Stanford record in the 200 free with a time of 1:43.14 to finish fourth. Her swim tonight lowered the school standard by .48-second, as she bettered the time of 1:43.61 posted by Olympic gold medalist Jenny Thompson in 1992.
“Kate swam a great race, and swam with all her heart,” said Maurer. “She also led off the 800 free relay, since the 200 is her baby, and she truly did a great job in a phenomenally tough field.”
Stanford also had a successful showing in the 100 fly, taking two of the top six spots. Junior Elaine Breeden finished a close second with a time of 51.34 – just .06-second out of first. Making her first career appearance at the NCAA Championships, junior Kelley Hug became an All-American when she finished sixth with a time of 52.32. In addition, Hug’s preliminary swim of 52.09 moves her up to fifth on the list of Stanford’s all-time best performers. Even more impressive, she entered the preliminaries as the 22nd seed in the event.
Right behind Hug in the preliminaries was fellow NCAA Championships rookie Stefanie Sutton, and the junior narrowly missed the finals with a 17th-place time of 52.64 that lifts her into eighth on Stanford’s all-time list.
Senior Laura Wadden collected her third All-America honor, and first in the backstroke, when she placed 15th in the 100 back with a time of 53.22. She went from the 35th seed to the consolation finals on the strength of a 52.70 swim in the preliminaries that ranks her second in Stanford history.
“The efforts of Kelley, Stefanie and Laura were a huge energy boost for the entire team, and two great emotional events for us,” offered Maurer. “It’s a sign that hard work pays off, as all three have put forth tremendous effort. It also shows that if you swim at Stanford, and you make the NCAAs, you are expected to swim well, and you will.”
Stanford also competed in a pair of relays, while its 800 free relay set a school record in the final event of the evening to finish fourth. The foursome of Dwelley, freshman Sam Woodward, junior Whitney Spence and sophomore Liz Smith touched the wall in 6:58.64 to lower the school mark by .64-second. Dwelley’s time of 1:43.27 in the leadoff leg was just .13-second off her 200 free earlier in the night, and was also better than Thompson’s 17-year-old school record.
The Cardinal 200 medley relay netted Stanford 12 points with an 11th-place finish, as Wadden, Smith, Breeden and Woodward posted a time of 1:38.34.
Tennessee: Lady Vols Snag Highest NCAA Relay Finish In School History
Freshman Jenny Connolly, sophomore Tricia Weaner and juniors Michele King and Jamie Saffer made UT history on Friday night at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium, earning Tennessee its highest relay finish ever at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
The quartet combined to bring home the national meet bronze in the 200 medley relay with a UT record time of 1:36.82. The Lady Vols had earlier lowered the record down to 1:37.17 during Friday’s earlier prelims. Georgia won the event with a time of 1:36.45.
The Lady Vols’ previous best relay finish at NCAAs was fourth in 1989. That season, UT finished fourth in the 400 free relay and both medley relays at the national championships.
Seeded fifth in the race, Connolly blazed through the 50 back portion of the relay to put UT in the lead. Strong performances from Saffer in the breast and Weaner in the butterfly put King in position to bring home the top relay finish in school history on the freestyle anchor leg.
“That was a phenomenal relay,” Lady Vol head coach Matt Kredich said. “A few tenths of a second separated first from eighth, and our girls did a great job of fighting. Jenny Connolly did a great job leading us off and Michele King had a great finish. Getting third-place on a relay at the NCAA Championships is a first for the program and something the whole team can be proud of.”
Through 12 events, Tennessee is in 11th place with 93 points. California is first with 262 points, with Georgia (258.5) and Arizona (258.5) right behind in a tie for second.
Connolly and Saffer also scored points for the Lady Vols by competing in the consolation finals of the 100 back and 100 breast, respectively.
Connolly won the consolation final heat and finished ninth overall in the 100 back with a time of 52.06, while Saffer placed 11th in the 100 breast in 1:00.22.
This was the second straight Honorable Mention All-America finish for Saffer in the 100 breast as she was 13th in the event last season.
Overall, King collected her fourth All-America award of the meet, and 14th of her career, on Friday night, while Saffer picked up the third and fourth A-A honors of her career, Connolly her second and third, and Weaner her second.
“We competed in three events tonight and all three improved their times,” Kredich said. “That was the best session we’ve had in the meet so far.”
Texas adds four top-five finishes, remains in sixth place at NCAA Championships
Texas landed four top-five finishes and remained in sixth place after day two of the 2009 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Friday evening at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium.
The Longhorns piled up 94 points on the second day of competition and head into Saturday’s final day of competition with 169 points. California took the lead from day-one leader Arizona and holds a narrow lead with 302 points. Georgia is in second with 295.5 points, and Arizona is in third with 282.5 points. Stanford sits in fourth with 213.5 points, and Auburn stands in fifth with 195 points.
Freshman Kathleen Hersey was one of three finalists to eclipse the NCAA 400-yard individual medley meet record of 4:02.28 set by Stanford’s Summer Sanders at the 1992 NCAA Championships. Hersey took third in 4:01.91 to break her school record in the event for a third time. Stanford’s Julia Smit claimed the event in a new American record time of 4:00.56. USC’s Katinka Hosszu placed second at 4:01.49.
Freshman Karlee Bispo followed by breaking her 200 freestyle school record for a third time, as she took fifth in the event at 1:43.21. California’s Dana Vollmer won the event in a new NCAA meet record of 1:42.01.
Texas picked up a bundle of points from divers Jessica Livingston and Shelby Cullinan in the three-meter event. Livingston, who will close out her UT career Saturday evening in the platform event, took fourth in the three-meter event with 366.60 points. The freshman Cullinan secured her first All-America finish and took sixth with 358.90 points.
Texas wrapped up the evening by taking third in a thrilling 800 freestyle relay. The quartet of Bispo, Gingrich, freshman Katie Riefenstahl and Hersey edged Stanford for third in 6:58.43. Bispo opened in 1:44.32, and freshman Leah Gingrich followed in 1:45.12. Riefenstahl picked up the third leg in 1:45.13, and Hersey anchored in 1:43.86.
Texas opened the day two finals by taking seventh in the 200-yard medley relay consolation final. Hersey led off in 24.88 before junior Alexi Spann split 28.33 on the breaststroke leg. Gingrich picked up the butterfly in 24.19 before senior Hee-Jin Chang anchored in 21.48, as the relay finished in 1:38.88.
Texas A&M: Aggies Remain Seventh Heading Into Final Day of NCAA Championships
The Texas A&M women’s swimming & diving team remains in seventh-place heading into the final day of action at the NCAA Championships at the Student Rec Center Natatorium.
A&M has earned a two-day total of 144 points, eight points ahead of Florida. California holds a 6.5-point lead over Georgia for the top spot while defending champion Arizona is third with 282.5 points. Stanford is fourth (213.5), followed by Auburn (195).
“(On being ranked seventh) That’s not bad at all,” A&M head coach Steve Bultman. “We’ve got to be ready to perform tomorrow. I don’t know what the other teams are doing. We just need to take care of ourselves and let the chips fall where they may. We can’t control what the other teams do. We’ve got some good events tomorrow but a lot of the other teams do as well. We just have to get up and race. Everybody’s going to be tired on the last day so you have to be tough and take care of business in the morning.”
The Aggies were once again bolstered by two impressive relay performances. A&M finished sixth in the 800-yard freestyle relay ahead of defending champion Arizona and national leader Auburn. The group of Christine Marshall (Newport News, Va.), Melissa Hain (Kingwood), Codie Hansen (Arlington), and Marissa Jasek (San Antonio) finished sixth in 7:01.06, the third-fastest time in school history.
A&M’s 200-yard medley relay was also in fine form, racking up the two fastest performances in school history. The group of Megan Latone (Austin), Alia Atkinson (Pembroke Pines, Calif.), Triin Aljand (Tallin, Estonia), and Maria Sommer (Brenham) recorded a time of 1:37.67 during prelims, then improved to 1:37.27 during the championship final to finish in seventh-place.
Junior Alia Atkinson continued her impressive meet by taking home fifth-place in the 100-yard breaststroke. Atkinson went under one minute for the second and third time in her life, setting a new A&M school record each time. Atkinson qualified for the final after clocking a time of 59.69, then improved to 59.43 for the best NCAA 100 breast finish of her career.
“Everyone that I have spoken with says that I was somewhat with the leaders after the last pull-out so something happened in that last 12.5 into the wall but I’m glad with finishing fifth,” Atkinson said. “That’s an improvement over last year and it was a better time but I am looking forward to next year.”
U.S. Olympian Christine Marshall ended her 200-yard freestyle career with the Aggies by speeding to the fastest time of her collegiate career. Marshall won the consolation final of the 200-yard freestyle in 1:43.85, cutting nearly a full second off her prior career best time. Marshall, along with Alia Atkinson, has scored points in both of her individual events so far at the national meet.
“It’s well known that we lost Julia (Wilkinson) and Kristen (Heiss) so our motto all year long has been step up,” Atkinson said. “These girls have been giving their all and we’re having a great meet.”
The Aggies will get one final chance to step up on Saturday when their overall finish will be determined. Preliminaries will start at 11 a.m. with finals slated for 6 p.m.
Towson: MEREDITH BUDNER PLACES 38TH IN 400-YARD IM AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Sophomore Meredith Budner (Walter Johnson H.S./Rockville, Md.) of Towson University finished in 38th place in the preliminaries of the 400-yard individual medley at the 2009 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at Texas A&M University on Friday morning.
Competing in her second event in two days, Budner turned in a time of 4:15.96.
Junior Ali Aemisegger of Princeton University earned the top time in the event during Friday’s preliminaries with a mark of 4:03.19, less than a second off the NCAA Championship record.
It was the second event of the weekend for Budner. On Thursday, she finished in 35th place and won her heat during the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle.
A two-time Colonial Athletic Association champion in the 500-yard freestyle, Budner eclipsed her own school and CAA record in the event with a time of 4:44.87.
Budner, who helped the Tigers win their second straight CAA Championship in late February, will complete her event schedule at the NCAA Championships on Saturday with the 1650-yard freestyle where she is seeded 29th in the field.
Utah: Lopus Earns All-America Status in the 100 Butterfly
Freshman Whitney Lopus (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had a career day at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium. Lopus broke the current University of Utah school record in the 100 fly on her way to the finals in the event.
“Like I said before, coming into this meet as a freshman is hard. Whitney’s 500 free wasn’t as good as we would have liked it,” said Utah head coach Greg Winslow. “Our race strategy in the event needs more work. Whitney bounced back from the setback and performed great today.”
In the preliminaries, Lopus finished in a time of 52.41, ending in 13th place overall. The time beat the old record of 52.44, previously set by Lopus at the Mountain West Conference Championships. This is the third time this season that Lopus has broken the previous record in the event.
In the finals, Lopus finished in a time of 52.91, putting her in a tie with Alana Dillette from Auburn for 15th place overall.
“[Lopus] really did a nice job bringing it home in the second 50 meters,” said Winslow. “We set up a really solid race plan and finished strong. I’m very proud of her.”
Lopus’ finish earns her All-American honors in the event as one of the top 16 finishers in the event. Lopus is now one of only three Utah women swimmers to ever be named to the NCAA All-American team. The last student-athlete to receive the honor was Allison McInturff in 2007 in the 200 free.
Lopus will continue competition tomorrow in the 200 fly.
“We are expecting even better from Whitney tomorrow,” said Winslow. “The 200 fly is her best event and she should be able to do something special.”
Preliminaries for the event begin at 11 am and the finals start at 7 pm. All times are central standard time.
Washington State: Ahlin Breaks WSU Record at NCAA Championships
Junior Michaela Ahlin set a school record in her prelim swim in the 100 butterfly Friday at the NCAA Championships. Ahlin’s time of 53.40 earned her a 36th overall finish, missing the B Final qualifying time of 52.58 by less than a second. The cut time for the A Final was 52.09. Amanda Sims of California has earned the top spot after prelims today.
Senior Elyse Peterson finished 31st overall in her first swim at the championships, the 100 breaststroke. Peterson finished with a time of 1:01.31, 39 hundredths of a second off of her WSU record time of 1:00.92. The cut for the B Final was 1:00.36 while the qualifying time for the A Final was 59.75. After today’s preliminary rounds, USC’s Rebecca Soni is currently sitting in first-place.
Sophomore Rugile Mileisyte finished 55th overall in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.93, five hundredths of a second off of her lifetime best. The cut time for the B Final was 52.85 with a 52.04 cut time for the A Final. Florida’s Gemm Spofforth leads after preliminaries with a time of 51.45
