GREENSBORO, N.C. - More dominant performances filled day two for Stanford, including a five swimmer sweep of the 200 free. Along with Taylor Ruck's individual win in the event, Torri Huske won the 100 fly, and Claire Curzan earned the individual title in the 100 back.
"We really rebounded tonight after being a little flat this morning," said The Paul A. Violich Director of Women's Swimming and Diving Greg Meehan. "While we had some good swims this morning, we recognized quite a few areas where we could be better tonight and it was an awesome performance."
The Cardinal started and ended the finals session with dominant performances in the relays. In the 200 medley relay Torri Huske, Sam Tadder, Claire Curzan, and Taylor Ruck combined for a 1:35.94, an NCAA A Standard cut for second place.. Lucie Nordmann, Allie Raab, Emma Wheal, and Amy Tang swam in the B relay, earning sixth overall.
To close out the day, Stanford's A and B relays went 1-2 in the 800 free relay. Torri Huske, Claire Curzan, Taylor Ruck, and Kayla Wilson combined for a 6:56.45, a new meet record time, and an NCAA A Standard cut by nearly four seconds.
The second place team of Natalie Mannion, Aurora Roghair, Morgan Tankersley, and Lillie Nordmann clocked a 7:03.39, good for their own NCAA B Standard cut.
"Some people raced four or three times tonight, and to finish with two 800 free relays to be 6:56 and 7:03 is awesome," said Meehan. "We had some of the best times in the country and I am just really proud of how tough they were through a heavy day of racing."
In the 400 IM, Lucy Bell led the way for Stanford, earning another silver medal. Her time of 4:08.37 dropped nearly seven seconds from her prelims time and secured her an NCAA B Standard cut.
Sam Tadder was the next-highest finisher for the Card, taking fourth while Sophie Duncan also placed in the A final with eighth overall. Tadder's 4:11.83 in the event also gave her an NCAA B Standard mark.
Stanford's dynamic duo of Torri Huske and Claire Curzan flexed their collective muscle in the 100 fly. The pair finished in first and second, and were the only two swimmers to get under 50 seconds in the event.
Huske's time of 49.25 was just eight one-hundredths of a second shy of her program record time from last season, while Curzan's mark of 49.93 makes her the third-fastest swimmer in the event in Stanford history. Both times earned the swimmers NCAA A Standard cuts as well.
Emma Wheal joined the pair in the A final, finishing eighth overall.
In the next event, Stanford put on one of the most dominant displays of the season, sweeping the top-five spots in the 200 free. Taylor Ruck led the way with a 1:43.11, followed by Kayla Wilson, Lillie Nordmann, Morgan Tankersley, and Natalie Mannion, who each swam NCAA B Standard cuts.
Sam Tadder was the top performer for Stanford in the 100 breast, finishing in the top spot of the B final, and ninth overall. Her mark of 1:01.43 earned her an NCAA B Standard cut.
In the 100 back, Claire Curzan earned her event win and snagged an NCAA A Standard cut while doing it. Her 50.12 was more than a second faster than the second place swimmer.
Lucie Nordmann joined Curzan in the A final taking sixth overall with a 53.10 and an NCAA B Standard cut.
In the Texas Diving Invite, Maria Papworth finished sixth overall on the 1-meter with a 292.30. Her teammates Lauren Burch, Emilie Moore, and Julia Wortman finished in 10th, 20th, and 22nd respectively.
"We're excited about the opportunity that's out there for us tomorrow to come in and have a really good prelims session. That's really important because at these and the Pac-12 and NCAAs, you're tired, it's hard, and you're not feeling great and you have to work through it," added Meehan. "So that's what we're gonna shift our focus to tomorrow."
The Cardinal returns to action for the final day of its midseason meets tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. PT with prelims before finals begin at 2:30 p.m. PT.