Julia Smit Named Stanford/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week
Junior Julia Smit has been selected as the Stanford/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for March 16-22, 2009
March 24, 2009
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Junior Julia Smit of the Stanford women's swimming and diving team was selected as the Stanford/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week for March 16-22, 2009.
Competing at the 2009 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, Smit swept the IM events in record-breaking fashion, earned seven All-America honors and set seven school records. Smit won the NCAA title in the 200 IM with a time of 1:52.79 - a swim that lowered her own American, U.S. Open and NCAA record by .32-second. The junior sensation again set an American, U.S. Open and NCAA record the very next night, capturing the NCAA 400 IM crown with a swim of 4:00.56.
With her two electrifying efforts, Smit became the first Stanford female to sweep the two IM events at the same NCAA Championships since Olympic gold medalist Summer Sanders did so in both 1991 and 92. Smit also successfully defended her 2008 NCAA title in the 400 IM, becoming the event's first repeat winner since 2001-03.
Smit earned her seventh All-America honor of the meet (19th of her career) and set her seventh school record in dramatic fashion, as she swam the anchor leg on Stanford's 400 free relay that broke an American record and finished second to secure a fourth-place finish overall for the Cardinal. As the fourth-place team, Stanford brought home NCAA Championships hardware for the third consecutive season.
In addition to the two IM events and the 400 free relay, Smit also earned All-America status in the 100 free, 200 free relay, 800 free relay and the 400 medley relay. Her 19 career All-American swims ties her for 11th in school history, nine shy of the Stanford record.
During the course of the three-day NCAA Championships meet, Smit set Stanford records in the 50 free (21.91 - relay), 100 free (47.44) and the two IM events, while helping Cardinal relay to school standards in the 200 free (1:27.62), 400 free (3:11.14) and 800 free (6:58.64).
This is Smit's fourth Stanford/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week honor of the 2008-09 season. She also won the honor the weeks of Nov. 3-9, 2008; Nov. 24-30, 2008 and Jan. 19-25, 2009.
Also nominated: Jeremy Green (Men's Basketball), Jayne Appel (Women's Basketball), Kellen Kiilsgaard (Baseball), Lucas Janson (Fencing), Carly Janiga (Women's Gymnastics), Ashley Hansen (Softball), Lauren Silver (Women's Water Polo) and Nick Amuchastegui (Wrestling).