March 22, 2009

Davies Wins National Championship in Platform Dive
Kristin Davies used a 339.65 in the platform dive to collect NC State’s first ever national championship in diving on Saturday, March 21, during the final day of the NCAA Championships.

Davies, a senior native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, becomes the first national champion in the history of the Wolfpack women’s program. Six national championships have come from the men’s side.

Davies got things started earlier in the day with a 272.55 for eighth-place in the prelims, securing her spot in the evenings final round and cementing her status as a full-fledged All-America. A year ago Davies took 13th at the NCAA Championships, grabbing honorable mention All-America status. 

Whitney Sprague Takes Second Place NCAA Finish In 1650 Freestyle
In her last swim as a Tar Heel, Senior Whitney Sprague placed second in the nation in the 1650-yard freestyle and posted the eighth fastest performance in NCAA history in the event with a time of 16:46.57 on the final evening of the 2009 Division I NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Sprague demolished her own ACC and UNC records in the event by dropping more than four seconds off of her previous best of 15:51.02, set in 2007. Her swim was the third successive Top 3 finish in the event at the NCAA Championships. She also placed second last year.

Katura Harvey became the second All-American of the meet for the Tar Heels with a seventh place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle. Harvey swam a career best time of 15:56.77, dropping more than two seconds off of her previous best of 15:59.07 set a month ago at ACCs. Her time is the second fastest all-time at Carolina in the event behind Sprague. Freshman Katelyn Martin also competed in the mile, finishing 38th in the event with a time of 16:32.16.

Virginia Finishes 12th at NCAA Championships
The Virginia women’s swimming team finished in 12th place with 117 points at the 2009 NCAA Championships, which wrapped up Saturday. The three-day event was held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on Texas A&M’s campus.

Virginia’s 12th-place finish is the highest since 2002 when the Cavaliers also placed 12th overall.

Junior Mei Christensen was UVa’s top finisher on Saturday, placing sixth in the 200 backstroke. She earned her second All-America award of the championships, finishing in a time of 1:52.82. She also earned a fifth-place finish in the 100 backstroke earlier in the meet. 

Clemson Women's Swimming Completes NCAA Championships
The Clemson women's swimming team completed competition at the NCAA Championships on Saturday having racked up four points en route to a top-40 overall finish. The meet was held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium at Texas A&M.

Michelle Parkhurst and Rachel Regone competed in individual events for the Tigers, the 200 backstroke and the 100 freestyle. Parkhurst, the school record-holder in the event placed 32nd witha 1:55.88. Regone swam a 49.50 in the 100 free, the seond-best time of her career.

The two then teamed up with Alex Allen and Lauren Sindall for the 400 free relay, with the group placing 21st in the nation.

Twichell Battles To 23rd Place In 1650 At NCAA Championships
Duke sophomore Ashley Twichell turned in a courageous performance Saturday night at the 2009 NCAA Championships at Texas A&M’s Student Rec Center Natatorium, swimming 16:12 to take 23rd overall in the 1650 free.

Twichell improved her time in the swim four seconds from last year when she swam 16:16 at this meet. After two consecutive appearances at the NCAA Championships, Twichell is the first Duke swimmer to make it to that stage since 2004.

Twichell elected not to participate in Thursday’s 500 freestyle after experiencing symptoms of a stomach virus upon arrival in College Station. She rested up for today’s 1650 – her strongest event – but was still not at full strength at race time.

Sarandos Caps Season With Top 25 Finish In The 200 Back At NCAA Championships
Freshman Stephanie Sarandos capped her rookie season with a 25th-place performance in the 200 back at the 2009 Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in College Station, Texas.

The school record holder in the event, Sarandos swam a 1:55.35, which is the second best time of her career. On Friday Sarandos swam a personal best time in the 100 back.

The Florida State swimming and diving team will conclude its season with the 2009 Men's Swimming and Diving Championships from March 26-28 in College Station, Texas. A record 12 Seminoles will compete at the meet.

H2Okie women conclude final day at the NCAA Championships
The Virginia Tech women’s swim team took the pool for the final day of the events at the NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas. The H2Okies competed in the 100 and 1650 free events in individual action, while the relay team raced in the 400 free relay. The H2Okies closed out the meet in 34th place and scored 13.5 points. California won the championships with a score of 411.5.

Freshman Erika Hajnal posted four team points for the H2Okies in the 1650 free. The freshman posted a time of 16:07.76 for a 13th-place finish in the event.

In the 400 free relay event, the Tech team of sophomore Steffi Drechsel and seniors Megan Newell, Jordan McHorney and Sara Smith tallied and 11th-place showing in the preliminary round. The squad posted a time of 3:16.21 for a new H2Okie record. The Tech team placed 15th in the finals with a time of 3:17.21 for an additional four team points.