March 22, 2008
Results: Complete 2008 NCAA Championships | Day 3 Finals | Day 3 Prelims 2008 NCAA Championships Website
Columbus, Ohio - Stanford moved up one spot for the second straight day to finish third at the conclusion of the 2008 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday held at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on the campus of The Ohio State University. The Cardinal finish was its highest at the meet since Stanford was also third in 2002. Arizona led the meet wire-to-wire to win its first NCAA title. Auburn (348) was just able to hold off Stanford (343) by five points to finish second, while Texas A&M (315) and California (291) rounded out the top five.
"I am so proud of our girls and the way that the team came together and fought back through adversity," said Stanford head women's swimming and diving coach Lea Maurer. "Coming back after that DQ early in the meet and being in a dogfight for second at the end was exactly where we needed to be. It was a great team effort, every single athlete that made the trip scored for Stanford."
Liz Smith, Elaine Breeden and Meg Hostage all had second place finishes for the Cardinal on Saturday evening.
Smith was clocked in a personal-best time of 2:08.73 in the 200 breast but was unable to seriously challenge USC's Rebecca Soni, who set a new NCAA Meet record with a time of 2:06.32 that was just off the American, NCAA, Pac-10 and Pac-10 Meet mark of 2:06.11 she set to win the 2008 Pac-10 title.
Breeden was unable to defend the 200 fly NCAA title she won as a freshman in 2007, finishing second to Oregon State's Saori Haruguchi (1:52.39) by nearly a full second with a time that fell a full second short of her personal-best.
Hostage (347.20) was second in the platform diving competition to winner Brittany Viola (362.60) of Miami.
Caroline Bruce (200 breast, 2:10.00) and Shana Karp (platform diving, 280.65) both had fifth place showings. Julia Smit, who won Stanford's lone NCAA title with a victory in the 400 IM on Friday, was seventh in the 200 back with a time of 1:54.94 after going 1:54.70 in the prelims.
Stanford broke its school record for the second time on Saturday in the 400 free relay when a team of Kate Dwelley (48.38), Smit (48.45), Breeden (48.78) and Brooke Bishop (48.16) went 3:13.77 in a fifth-place finish. Dwelley's leadoff 100 free leg of 48.38 put her into a second place tie with Bishop on the list of Stanford's all-time fastest performers in the 100 free.
Elizabeth Durot took 11th in the timed finals of the 1650 free with a 16:09.79 effort.
Kerry Kraemer and Laura Wadden swam in consolation finals on Saturday evening with Kraemer taking 13th in the 200 breast (2:12.50) and Wadden finishing 16th in the 200 fly (1:58.30, 1:57.04 prelims). Kraemer's personal-best mark made her the No. 8 all-time performer in the event at Stanford.
Other participants in individual events for Stanford during Saturday's morning prelim session included Bishop (21st, 48.96), Dwelley (22nd, 48.99) and Fiona O'Donnell-McCarthy (40th, 49.70) in the 100 free; and Whitney Spence (32nd, 1:59.84) in the 200 fly.
Michigan's Emily Brunemann (1650 free, 15:53.69), Florida's Gemma Spofforth (200 back, 1:50.70) and Arizona's Lacey Nymeyer (100 free, 47.50) were the other individual winners in the final session of the competition.
Arizona wrapped up the meet by setting new NCAA, NCAA Meet and U.S. Open records in the 400 free relay when a team of Nymeyer (47.50), Anna Turner (48.03), Lara Jackson (47.95) and Taylor Baughman (47.76) checked in with a time of 3:11.34.
Meet honors went to Florida's Caroline Burckle (Swimmer of the Meet), Arizona's Frank Busch (Swimming Coach of the Meet) and Ohio State's Vince Panzano (Diving Coach of the Meet). Diver of the Meet was shared by Ohio State's Chelsea Davis, Hawaii's Emma Friesen and Viola.
Stanford will next compete at the Stanford Grand Prix to be held at the Avery Aquatic Center on the Stanford campus from Thursday-Sunday, April 3-6.