University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 23 Gophers Gear Up For Big Ten Championships
2/15/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
The No. 23 University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team heads to the Big Ten Championships this weekend in Bloomington, Ind. The events begin Wednesday., Feb. 16 and continue until Saturday, Feb. 19. The first day will begin at 7 p.m., with the 200 medley relay and the 800 free relay. Preliminaries for the following days will be at 11 a.m., with finals beginning at 7 p.m. The All-Big Ten teams as well as special awards, will be presented Saturday night after handing the Big Ten trophy to the championship team.
MINNESOTA RANKED NO. 23 IN CSCAA POLL
For the second time this season, the Golden Gopher women's swimming and diving team has been ranked in the top 25 by the College Swim Coaches Association of America. After an impressive finish at the Quad Duals Jan. 28- 29, the Gophers are ranked 23rd in the nation. Although the Gophers fell to Wisconsin, they defeated No. 21 Purdue and Illinois. Minnesota entered the polls at No. 25 earlier this year.
Minnesota is one of eight teams in the Big Ten to earn a spot in the poll. Wisconsin is ranked eighth, followed by No. 14 Penn State, No. 17 Michigan, No. 18 Indiana and Northwestern and Purdue, who are both ranked No. 24.
CHAMPIONSHIPS TELEVISED ON CSTV
College Sports Television, the first 24-hour college sports network, will air the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on a tape-delay basis on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 9:30 p.m. EST. Overall, the Conference championship package will be broadcast on eight occasions. Jason Knapp and Mike O'Brien will call the action. CSTV is available nationally on DirecTV 610 and through multiple cable systems with the top six national distributors: Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and Adelphia.
ON THE PYSCH SHEETS
Minnesota's highest ranking on the Big Ten psych sheets is second place in the 200 freestyle relay. The relay of Katy Coombe, Sarah Perrott, Jennifer Hasling and Sara Vine posted a provisional qualifying time of 1:32.41, ranking second to Purdue's relay clocking of 1:31.85. Coombe enters the Big Ten Championship with the fourth-fastest time in the 50 free at 23.24. Sarah Perrott is in the top 10, ranking eighth with a time of 23.41. Coombe is also ranked seventh in the 100 free. Valerie Tukey and Kate Hardt enter the Big Ten Championships with a fourth and sixth-place in the 500 free. Tukey holds a 4:50.16 time, while Hardt is 4:53.57. Hardt is also ranked seventh in the 200 free (1:49.47). The Gophers are well represented in the breaststroke events. Bridget McCoy has the fifth-fastest time in the 200 breaststroke (2:17.49), while posting a seventh-place showing in the 100 breast (1:03.93). Julia Quinn follows McCoy with a seventh-place posting in the 200 (2:18.19) and 11th in the 100 (1:04.42). Both the 200 and 400 medley relays have the fourth-fastest times.
WHERE THEY RANK
Minnesota's 200 free relay has the seventh-fastest time in the nation at 1:32.41. Minnesota's 400 free relay is also ranked in the top 20, posting a time of 3:24.21. Katy Coombe's relay leadoff time of 23.24 ranks 30th nationally. Coombe is also ranked in the 100 free at No. 35, again coming off a relay leadoff. Valerie Tukey's time of 4:50.16 ranks 38th nationally.
COMPETITION AGAINST BIG TEN OPPONENTS
The Golden Gophers enter the Big Ten Championship with a 5-1 record against league opponents. The Maroon and Gold started the Big Ten season with a 171-129 win over Iowa, Nov. 6. The Gophers' next conference action was not until Jan. 22 when Minnesota faced Ohio State and Michigan State in a triple dual. The Gophers swept the competition, defeating the Buckeyes by a score of 156-143 and the Spartans, 217.5-81.5. The Gopher entered the Quad Duals with a 3-0 record the following week. Minnesota went 2-1 on the weekend, defeating No. 21 Purdue, 192-161 and Illinois, 210-143. Minnesota, however, fell for the first time in head-to-head competition against No. 8 Wisconsin, 207-146.
TWO GOPHERS EARN WEEKLY HONORS
The Golden Gophers had two members of the swimming and diving team earn Big Ten Conference weekly honors this season. The first came on Dec. 7 when freshman diver Jessica Livingston earned Big Ten Diver of the Week honors for her performance at the Georgia Invitational in December. Livingston, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, had two first-place finishes, along with a third-place showing to earn the accolade. Livingston started the invite with a first-place finish over 12 divers in the 3-meter event (500.80). She followed with a third-place showing in the 1-meter event (248.40) and concluded the meet with her second event win, this time in the platform. She had the top score of 419.15, beating out eight divers.
The second honor of the season came when Kate Hardt was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for her performance in the Minnesota Challenge, two weeks ago. Hardt competed in five events for Minnesota during her home event. In her final competition before the Big Ten Championships, the Carson City, Nev., native touched the wall first in the 50-yard freestyle in 24.62 and was part of the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:38.28) and 200-yard medley relay (1:50.56) that finished second and third, respectively. Hardt, a freestyle and individual medley specialist, showed her versatility by also finishing first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:21.42) and fifth in the 100-yard butterfly (59.59). The award was Hardt's first career weekly accolade and the first for a Minnesota swimmer since former Gopher Megan Moore earned the award on Jan. 15, 2002.
LAST YEAR AT BIG TENS
The Golden Gophers took fifth place at the 2004 Big Ten Championships, hosted at Minnesota's University Aquatic Center. With a score of 412.50, it was the team's best finish in four years. In addition, junior Katy Coombe earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. The 200 free relay team of Jennifer Hasling, Sara Vine, Coombe, and Sarah Perrott added a fifth place finish with a time of 1:32.01. The mark set a new school record for the Gophers. Former Gopher Juleen Rodakowski earned a fifth-place finish in the 200 butterfly, clocking a B-cut time of 2:00.36 and a seventh-place showing in the 100 fly (55.61). In the 200 breaststroke, former Gopher Melissa Schold won her heat of the consolation finals in a time of 2:17.57 and placed fourth overall in the 100 breaststroke. Kate Hardt captured a fifth place finish in a B-cut time of 1:48.42. Former Gopher Sarah Bohlsen captured a lifetime best time and finished sixth in the 100 butterfly with a B-cut time of 55.35.
COOMBE BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD LAST YEAR
Katy Coombe broke the school record in the 50-yard freestyle event last year at the 2004 Big Ten Championships. Coombe set a time of 22.96 to place second at the Big Ten Championships. However, Coombe's actual record- breaking time came in the split during the 200 free relay. Coombe, along with Sarah Perrott, Sara Vine and Jennifer Hasling, clocked a time of 1:32.01. Minnesota's time also improved to the new school record of 1:31.96, later set at the Gopher-It Invite. The previous record of 1:32.09 was set in 1999. Prior to Coombe's time in the 200 free relay, the Minnesota record was 22.97, set in 1997 held by former Gopher Diane Wallner.
ON THE STARTING BLOCKS
Minnesota will host the Go-PHER Invitaitional, Feb. 27 at the University Aquatic Center. Sessions begin at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Following the invite, Minnesota will also host the Speedo Section Meet, March 10-13. Star times will be at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day. GOPHERS HEAD TO BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The No. 23 University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team heads to the Big Ten Championships this weekend in Bloomington, Ind. The events begin Wednesday., Feb. 16 and continue until Saturday, Feb. 19. The first day will begin at 7 p.m., with the 200 medley relay and the 800 free relay. Preliminaries for the following days will be at 11 a.m., with finals beginning at 7 p.m. The All-Big Ten teams as well as special awards, will be presented Saturday night after handing the Big Ten trophy to the championship team.
MINNESOTA RANKED NO. 23 IN CSCAA POLL
For the second time this season, the Golden Gopher women's swimming and diving team has been ranked in the top 25 by the College Swim Coaches Association of America. After an impressive finish at the Quad Duals Jan. 28- 29, the Gophers are ranked 23rd in the nation. Although the Gophers fell to Wisconsin, they defeated No. 21 Purdue and Illinois. Minnesota entered the polls at No. 25 earlier this year.
Minnesota is one of eight teams in the Big Ten to earn a spot in the poll. Wisconsin is ranked eighth, followed by No. 14 Penn State, No. 17 Michigan, No. 18 Indiana and Northwestern and Purdue, who are both ranked No. 24.
CHAMPIONSHIPS TELEVISED ON CSTV
College Sports Television, the first 24-hour college sports network, will air the Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on a tape-delay basis on Tuesday, Feb. 22 at 9:30 p.m. EST. Overall, the Conference championship package will be broadcast on eight occasions. Jason Knapp and Mike O'Brien will call the action. CSTV is available nationally on DirecTV 610 and through multiple cable systems with the top six national distributors: Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner, Charter, Cox and Adelphia.
ON THE PYSCH SHEETS
Minnesota's highest ranking on the Big Ten psych sheets is second place in the 200 freestyle relay. The relay of Katy Coombe, Sarah Perrott, Jennifer Hasling and Sara Vine posted a provisional qualifying time of 1:32.41, ranking second to Purdue's relay clocking of 1:31.85. Coombe enters the Big Ten Championship with the fourth-fastest time in the 50 free at 23.24. Sarah Perrott is in the top 10, ranking eighth with a time of 23.41. Coombe is also ranked seventh in the 100 free. Valerie Tukey and Kate Hardt enter the Big Ten Championships with a fourth and sixth-place in the 500 free. Tukey holds a 4:50.16 time, while Hardt is 4:53.57. Hardt is also ranked seventh in the 200 free (1:49.47). The Gophers are well represented in the breaststroke events. Bridget McCoy has the fifth-fastest time in the 200 breaststroke (2:17.49), while posting a seventh-place showing in the 100 breast (1:03.93). Julia Quinn follows McCoy with a seventh-place posting in the 200 (2:18.19) and 11th in the 100 (1:04.42). Both the 200 and 400 medley relays have the fourth-fastest times.
WHERE THEY RANK
Minnesota's 200 free relay has the seventh-fastest time in the nation at 1:32.41. Minnesota's 400 free relay is also ranked in the top 20, posting a time of 3:24.21. Katy Coombe's relay leadoff time of 23.24 ranks 30th nationally. Coombe is also ranked in the 100 free at No. 35, again coming off a relay leadoff. Valerie Tukey's time of 4:50.16 ranks 38th nationally.
COMPETITION AGAINST BIG TEN OPPONENTS
The Golden Gophers enter the Big Ten Championship with a 5-1 record against league opponents. The Maroon and Gold started the Big Ten season with a 171-129 win over Iowa, Nov. 6. The Gophers' next conference action was not until Jan. 22 when Minnesota faced Ohio State and Michigan State in a triple dual. The Gophers swept the competition, defeating the Buckeyes by a score of 156-143 and the Spartans, 217.5-81.5. The Gopher entered the Quad Duals with a 3-0 record the following week. Minnesota went 2-1 on the weekend, defeating No. 21 Purdue, 192-161 and Illinois, 210-143. Minnesota, however, fell for the first time in head-to-head competition against No. 8 Wisconsin, 207-146.
TWO GOPHERS EARN WEEKLY HONORS
The Golden Gophers had two members of the swimming and diving team earn Big Ten Conference weekly honors this season. The first came on Dec. 7 when freshman diver Jessica Livingston earned Big Ten Diver of the Week honors for her performance at the Georgia Invitational in December. Livingston, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, had two first-place finishes, along with a third-place showing to earn the accolade. Livingston started the invite with a first-place finish over 12 divers in the 3-meter event (500.80). She followed with a third-place showing in the 1-meter event (248.40) and concluded the meet with her second event win, this time in the platform. She had the top score of 419.15, beating out eight divers.
The second honor of the season came when Kate Hardt was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week for her performance in the Minnesota Challenge, two weeks ago. Hardt competed in five events for Minnesota during her home event. In her final competition before the Big Ten Championships, the Carson City, Nev., native touched the wall first in the 50-yard freestyle in 24.62 and was part of the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:38.28) and 200-yard medley relay (1:50.56) that finished second and third, respectively. Hardt, a freestyle and individual medley specialist, showed her versatility by also finishing first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:21.42) and fifth in the 100-yard butterfly (59.59). The award was Hardt's first career weekly accolade and the first for a Minnesota swimmer since former Gopher Megan Moore earned the award on Jan. 15, 2002.
LAST YEAR AT BIG TENS
The Golden Gophers took fifth place at the 2004 Big Ten Championships, hosted at Minnesota's University Aquatic Center. With a score of 412.50, it was the team's best finish in four years. In addition, junior Katy Coombe earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. The 200 free relay team of Jennifer Hasling, Sara Vine, Coombe, and Sarah Perrott added a fifth place finish with a time of 1:32.01. The mark set a new school record for the Gophers. Former Gopher Juleen Rodakowski earned a fifth-place finish in the 200 butterfly, clocking a B-cut time of 2:00.36 and a seventh-place showing in the 100 fly (55.61). In the 200 breaststroke, former Gopher Melissa Schold won her heat of the consolation finals in a time of 2:17.57 and placed fourth overall in the 100 breaststroke. Kate Hardt captured a fifth place finish in a B-cut time of 1:48.42. Former Gopher Sarah Bohlsen captured a lifetime best time and finished sixth in the 100 butterfly with a B-cut time of 55.35.
COOMBE BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD LAST YEAR
Katy Coombe broke the school record in the 50-yard freestyle event last year at the 2004 Big Ten Championships. Coombe set a time of 22.96 to place second at the Big Ten Championships. However, Coombe's actual record- breaking time came in the split during the 200 free relay. Coombe, along with Sarah Perrott, Sara Vine and Jennifer Hasling, clocked a time of 1:32.01. Minnesota's time also improved to the new school record of 1:31.96, later set at the Gopher-It Invite. The previous record of 1:32.09 was set in 1999. Prior to Coombe's time in the 200 free relay, the Minnesota record was 22.97, set in 1997 held by former Gopher Diane Wallner.
ON THE STARTING BLOCKS
Minnesota will host the Go-PHER Invitaitional, Feb. 27 at the University Aquatic Center. Sessions begin at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. Following the invite, Minnesota will also host the Speedo Section Meet, March 10-13. Star times will be at 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day.
Players Mentioned
