University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Sends 11 to Tonight's Finals
2/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
The No. 10 University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team sends 11 swimmers to the tonight's finals in the second day of the Big Ten Championships, held in Ann Arbor, Mich. Minnesota has five going to the finals in the 500 free, two in the 200 individual medley and four in the 50 free.
Minnesota opened the first day of the prelims with the 500 free. Yuen Kobayashi led the Gophers in the event when she finished third overall in the prelims with a time of 4:40.96. Indiana's Nikki White and Amanda Smith were ahead of Kobayashi with impressive times of 4:38.77 and 4:40.77, including White's time, which set a Big Ten record. Christine Jennings was fifth overall (4:42.86), while Ashley Steenvoorden is seventh (4:43.65) to round out Minnesota's participants in the championship final. Marissa Davies and Kristen Steenvoorden will compete in the consolation final when they finished 15th and 16th overall. Davies posted a career-best time of 4:47.89, while Steenvoorden added a 16th-place time of 4:47.92. Megan Braun just missed the B Final when she finished 17th in 4:48.64. Lissa Tommerdahl placed 31st overall in 4:52.73.
After breaking the 200 free Big Ten record last night with the 800 free relay, Jenny Shaughnessy made the 200 IM championship final. During her prelim, Shaughnessy and Indiana's Abby Cooper tied for eighth overall. Shaughnessy then won the swim-off when she posted a school record time of 1:57.67 to make it into the cahmpionship final. Jillian Tyler finished 13th overall in the 200 IM prelims when she posted a time of 2:00.43. Kait Strickland added a time of 2:01.70 for 21st overall, while Cory Miller was 31st (2:04.77), Molly Belk was 36th (2:05.85), Kim Kazika was 42nd (2:06.79) and Andrea Hanson was 49th (2:08.48).
The Gophers sent another two to the 50 free championship final in Stacy Busack and Kaylee Jamison. Busack came close to her school record when she chipped in a time of 22.39, while Jamison finished fourth in the prelims at 22.56, a personal-best swim. Swimming in tonight's 50 free consolation will be Meagan Radecke and Meredith McCarthy. Radecke added a 12th-place personal-best time of 22.84. McCarthy touched the wall in 22.88. Erin Holtmeyer finished 19th overall (23.20), Alison Eggers finished 25th (23.37), Castina Wabeke was 27th (23.42), Maja Pavlovic was 32nd (23.47), Jenna Lennertz was 47th (23.68) and Kelsey Ridder was 84th (24.85).
Along with the individual finals, Minnesota will also compete in tonight's 200 free relay. Minnesota enters the meet with the second-fastest relay time of 1:29.49, which was a provisional qualifying time and a school record. Wisconsin holds the fastest time in the event in 1:29.20.
Players Mentioned
