March 20, 2004
NCAA Championships Website All NCAA Championships Results (Days 1-3/Prelims and Finals) Postseason Media GuideTaraKirk Audio Clip (After Friday's 100 Meter Breast World Record)
College Station, Tex. - Stanford's Tara Kirk was named the NCAA Swimmer of the Year in her final college meet and the Cardinal finished fifth overall after the conclusion of action Saturday at the 2004 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, which will be broadcast on a tape-delayed basis next Thursday, March 25 (11:30 am, PT), on ESPN2. Kirk capped a tremendous collegiate career by winning her 11th NCAA title and breaking an American record in the 200 meter breast with a personal-best time of 2:20.70 to win the event for the 19th consecutive time in collegiate competition. The 2004 Olympic hopeful had already notched her first world record in the 100 meter breaststroke on Friday with a time of 1:04.79 to finish her collegiate career unbeaten at a perfect 35-0 in the event. She also set a new American standard for the 50 meter breaststroke during Friday's 100 breast by swimming the leadoff 50 meters in 30.29.
"I wanted to win this honor, especially in my senior year," said Kirk, who became just the fourth Stanford women's swimmer to win the honor, joining Janet Evans (1990), Summer Sanders (1991, '92) and Misty Hyman (1998).
Kirk picked up two additional All-American honors at the meet to finish her collegiate career with 16 by swimming the breaststroke leg to lead the Cardinal to second and third-place finishes in the 400 (3:58.00) and 200 (1:49.80) medley relays, respectively.
Janet Evans earned the award in 1990, followed by Summer Sanders in back-to-back seasons in 1991 and 1992. Misty Hyman was the most recent Cardinal recipient in 1998.
Auburn won the team championship for third consecutive year with 569 points. Georgia placed second (431), followed by Arizona (369), Florida (253), Stanford (237), California (235.5), UCLA (195), Texas (169), USC (160) and Wisconsin (135). The 2004 event was hosted by Texas A&M at the Student Recreation Center Natatorium.
USC's Kaitlin Sandeno won the individual high-point honor for the meet with a total of 57 points, just edging California's Natalie Coughlin (56), as well as Auburn's Margaret Hoelzer and Kirsty Coventry with 54 each. Coughlin suffered her first career collegiate loss in an individual event when she finished third in the 200 back with a time of 2:06.54 but recovered to set new American, U.S. Open and NCAA records with her 52.81 split over the first 100 meters of the Golden Bears' 400 free relay in the final event of the meet.
Lacey Boutwell earned the highest NCAA individual finish of her collegiate career for the Cardinal by finishing third in the 100 free with a personal-best time of 54.49.
"I just wanted to go out tonight and give it the best that I had, and I had a really good race," said Boutwell. "It's pretty satisfying that my performance helped us finish just 1.5 points ahead of California in the overall standings."
Dana Kirk also had the best time of her career in the 100 fly (2:06.54) for a fourth-place finish.
Sara Bowling earned her first collegiate All-American honor by placing seventh in the platform diving competition with 413.60 points.
Lauren Costella also scored for the Cardinal with a ninth-place finish in the 1500 meter free, covering the distance in a personal-best time of 16:09.27.
In addition, Stanford's 400 free relay scored with a 13th-place finish in a time of 3:43.10, using a team of Boutwell (54.92), Ransom (56.06), Ashley Daly (56.60) and Dana Kirk (55.52).Morgan Hentzen added a 17th-place showing with a time of 16:18.89 in the 1500 meter free, which was swam over five heats.
Boutwell's two All-American honors runs her team-high total to 17 in her first three years as she finished the 2004 NCAA's with six. Dana Kirk now has 11 All-American awards in her career after earning six in the meet. Two by Sarah Jones ran her career total to six, while Megan Baumgartner finished her collegiate career with four after earning two this season. Ransom earned two this season to move her career total to three. Hentzen picked up the first two of her career in 2004, while Bowling, Costella, Davis and Stahley each earned their initial All-American honor.
Stanford had no participants in Saturday's finals session in the 200 back.
Stanford's other swimmers in Friday's preliminary action included Kirsten Gilbert (100 breast, 22nd, 1:09.80), Ashley Daly (100 fly, 38th, personal-best 4:50.63), Lauren Costella (400 IM, 42nd, personal-best time 4:50.63), Tami Ransom (400 IM, 45th, 4:52.75), Desiree Stahley (200 free, 48thT, 2:02.40) and Boutwell (200 free, 58th, 2:03.11).
USC's Kalyn Keller set new American and NCAA records to win the 1500 free in 15:49.14. Coventry was the 200 back winner in an NCAA Meet record time of 2:03.86, while Georgia's Kara Lynn Joyce set new U.S. Open and NCAA records to win the 100 free in 53.15. Georgia's Mary DeScenza set a new NCAA record in the 200 fly (2:06.02) to round out the individual swimming champions, while Nicole Pohorenec of Texas captured the platform diving crown with 482.20 points.
Georgia won the only relay event of a day with a victory in the meet-ending 400 free relay, breaking American, U.S. Open and NCAA marks with a time of 3:35.14. Joyce (53.46), Neka Mabry (53.52), Andrea Georoff (54.69) and DeScenza (53.47) swam the event for the Bulldogs.