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Photo by: Steve Apps
NCAAs Start Wednesday for Gopher Women
3/15/2022 10:26:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
MINNEAPOLIS – Nine members of the Minnesota women's swimming and diving programs are set to compete at the 2022 NCAA Championships this week in Atlanta, Ga.
With Georgia Tech serving as host, competition starts Wednesday night at McAuley Aquatic Center with two relay races. The rest of the championships will have prelims each day at 9 a.m. CT with the finals scheduled for 5 p.m. ESPN will have streaming coverage of each finals session. A complete schedule with heat sheets and more can be found at the NCAA Championships Homepage.
Seniors Sarah Bacon, Olivia Bloomer and Joy Zhu, juniors Grace Bennin, Emma Lezer, Jordan McGinty and Maggie Summit, sophomore Megan Van Berkom, and freshman Hannah Cornish are all scheduled to compete for the Golden Gophers. The nine competitors are the most for Minnesota at the NCAAs since 10 went in 2019.
Van Berkom qualified for the 400 IM for the second straight year as she won the Big Ten title last month in an automatic qualifying time of 4:03.45. It's currently the seventh fastest time in the country this year. The Chatham, Ill., native is also set to compete in the 200 IM and the 200 fly, both events that saw her finish second at the Big Ten Championships and break school records in the process.
Along with Van Berkom, Cornish and Lezer are both scheduled to compete in individual swimming events.
Cornish qualified in the 100 free, hitting the provisional mark in the event six times this year, highlighted by a 48.21 in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships. She will also compete in the other sprint freestyle events, the 50 free and 200 free. Her top time in the 50 is 22.19, while in the 200 free it's 1:46.09.
Lezer is set to compete in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. She earned her spot in the 100 breast by going under 1:00 at Big Tens, touching in a personal best 59.33 at the Big Tens. She also lowered her personal record in the 200 breast at the Big Tens, coming in at 2:10.90.
The other four Gopher swimmers all qualified as part of relay teams, and Minnesota will be able to swim all five relay events at the NCAA Championships.
Highlighting the relays this year, Cornish, Bloomer, Bennin and Summit posted an 'A' cut at the Big Ten Championships in the 200 free relay. Placing third in the event, the relay team touched in a school record of 1:27.92.
Bacon and Zhu both qualified after their performances at last week's NCAA Zone Diving Championships.
The defending NCAA champion on the 3-meter and the three-time champion on the 1-meter, Bacon swept both events at Zones. Zhu, meanwhile, qualified on both the 1- and 3-meter springboards, as well as the platform.
Below is a full breakdown of the dates of Minnesota's events and the respective student-athletes competing in them, along with their seeding and qualifying time/scoring in each event.
Wednesday – March 16
200 Medley Relay: 19th (1:36.41)
800 Free Relay: 20th (7:04.66)
Thursday – March 17
1-Meter Diving: Sarah Bacon (1st at Zone D, 688.25), Joy Zhu (7th at Zone D, 600.50)
200 IM: Megan Van Berkom (8th, 1:54.92)
50 Free: Hannah Cornish (43rd, 22.19)
200 Free Relay: 12th (1:27.92)
Friday – March 18
3-Meter Diving: Sarah Bacon (1st at Zone D, 749.50), Joy Zhu (6th at Zone D, 668.10)
400 IM: Megan Van Berkom (7th, 4:03.45)
200 Free: Hannah Cornish (47th, 1:46.09)
100 Breast: Emma Lezer (23rd, 59.33)
400 Medley Relay: 24th (3:33:34)
Saturday – March 19
Platform Diving: Joy Zhu (11th at Zone D, 503.20)
100 Free: Hannah Cornish (25th, 48.21)
200 Breast: Emma Lezer (48th, 2:10.90)
200 Fly: Megan Van Berkom (10th, 1:53.89)
400 Free Relay: 23rd (3:15.75)
With Georgia Tech serving as host, competition starts Wednesday night at McAuley Aquatic Center with two relay races. The rest of the championships will have prelims each day at 9 a.m. CT with the finals scheduled for 5 p.m. ESPN will have streaming coverage of each finals session. A complete schedule with heat sheets and more can be found at the NCAA Championships Homepage.
Seniors Sarah Bacon, Olivia Bloomer and Joy Zhu, juniors Grace Bennin, Emma Lezer, Jordan McGinty and Maggie Summit, sophomore Megan Van Berkom, and freshman Hannah Cornish are all scheduled to compete for the Golden Gophers. The nine competitors are the most for Minnesota at the NCAAs since 10 went in 2019.
Van Berkom qualified for the 400 IM for the second straight year as she won the Big Ten title last month in an automatic qualifying time of 4:03.45. It's currently the seventh fastest time in the country this year. The Chatham, Ill., native is also set to compete in the 200 IM and the 200 fly, both events that saw her finish second at the Big Ten Championships and break school records in the process.
Along with Van Berkom, Cornish and Lezer are both scheduled to compete in individual swimming events.
Cornish qualified in the 100 free, hitting the provisional mark in the event six times this year, highlighted by a 48.21 in the prelims of the Big Ten Championships. She will also compete in the other sprint freestyle events, the 50 free and 200 free. Her top time in the 50 is 22.19, while in the 200 free it's 1:46.09.
Lezer is set to compete in both the 100 and 200 breaststrokes. She earned her spot in the 100 breast by going under 1:00 at Big Tens, touching in a personal best 59.33 at the Big Tens. She also lowered her personal record in the 200 breast at the Big Tens, coming in at 2:10.90.
The other four Gopher swimmers all qualified as part of relay teams, and Minnesota will be able to swim all five relay events at the NCAA Championships.
Highlighting the relays this year, Cornish, Bloomer, Bennin and Summit posted an 'A' cut at the Big Ten Championships in the 200 free relay. Placing third in the event, the relay team touched in a school record of 1:27.92.
Bacon and Zhu both qualified after their performances at last week's NCAA Zone Diving Championships.
The defending NCAA champion on the 3-meter and the three-time champion on the 1-meter, Bacon swept both events at Zones. Zhu, meanwhile, qualified on both the 1- and 3-meter springboards, as well as the platform.
Below is a full breakdown of the dates of Minnesota's events and the respective student-athletes competing in them, along with their seeding and qualifying time/scoring in each event.
Wednesday – March 16
200 Medley Relay: 19th (1:36.41)
800 Free Relay: 20th (7:04.66)
Thursday – March 17
1-Meter Diving: Sarah Bacon (1st at Zone D, 688.25), Joy Zhu (7th at Zone D, 600.50)
200 IM: Megan Van Berkom (8th, 1:54.92)
50 Free: Hannah Cornish (43rd, 22.19)
200 Free Relay: 12th (1:27.92)
Friday – March 18
3-Meter Diving: Sarah Bacon (1st at Zone D, 749.50), Joy Zhu (6th at Zone D, 668.10)
400 IM: Megan Van Berkom (7th, 4:03.45)
200 Free: Hannah Cornish (47th, 1:46.09)
100 Breast: Emma Lezer (23rd, 59.33)
400 Medley Relay: 24th (3:33:34)
Saturday – March 19
Platform Diving: Joy Zhu (11th at Zone D, 503.20)
100 Free: Hannah Cornish (25th, 48.21)
200 Breast: Emma Lezer (48th, 2:10.90)
200 Fly: Megan Van Berkom (10th, 1:53.89)
400 Free Relay: 23rd (3:15.75)
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