February 29, 2008
The Texas A&M women?â„¢s swimming and diving team continued to extend its first place lead in record-breaking fashion on Friday night at the 2008 Big 12 Championships at the Texas Swimming Center.
The Aggies extended their first-place lead over Texas to a 687-516 spread with one day remaining in the championships. Missouri leads Kansas by a scant 338.5-332.5 margin while Iowa State is successfully fighting off Nebraska for fifth place at the moment, 235-221.
From a performance standpoint, the Aggies are on a roll the likes the Big 12 meet has never seen before and are leaving the Big 12 meet and all-time conference record books in shambles. A&M broke two more all-time conference records in addition to a third meet record on Friday night. The Aggies also have yet to lose a single swimming event in the first three days of the Big 12 meet.
Junior all-everythings Triin Aljand (Tallinn, Estonia) and Julia Wilkinson (Stratford, Ont.) are leading the record-breaking charge, adding their second all-time Big 12 records each in as many days. Neither Aggie has yet to taste defeat, be it individually or in a relay, all week.
Aljand won the second Big 12 100-yard butterfly title of her career, and her fifth individual title in three years, with a meet record-destroying swim of 52.31. Aljand broke the meet record of 52.88 set by Texas?â„¢ Sarah Wanezek in 2003 as well as Wanezek?â„¢s all-time Big 12 record of 52.39. Aljand also anchored the winning Big 12 200-yard freestyle relay with a split of 21.96. Aljand teamed with Marissa Jasek (San Antonio), Wilkinson, Sarah Woods (Birmingham, Ala.) to break the Big 12 meet record of 1:29.87 set by Texas 10 years ago. The Aggies hit the wall first in 1:29.74 to make themselves a perfect four-for-four in relays for the week.
Wilkinson was equally as impressive as Aljand, laying waste to the all-time Big 12 record in the 100-yard backstroke. After setting a new school record leading off the 400 medley relay on Thursday, Wilkinson broke every Big 12 record across the board in the event Friday with a time of 52.70. The old Big 12 meet and all-time record of 53.46 was set by Texas?â„¢ Wanezek in 53.46. Wilkinson also turned in a swift split of 22.08 on the Big 12 champion 200 free relay.
Wilkinson led a 1-2-3-4 A&M sweep in the final of the 100 backstroke. Sophomore Emily Neal (Plano) was second in a season-best time 55.22. Fellow sophomore Sarah Woods, who entered the meet with a lifetime best of 57.97 destroyed that by going 55.26 for the bronze medal. Freshman transfer Lindsey King (Beaverton, Ore.) was fourth in a lifetime-best swim of 55.37.
Defending Big 12 Swimmer of the Meet Christine Marshall (Newport News, Va.) broke the A&M school record in the 200-yard freestyle for the second and third times this week, eventually resting the mark at 1:45.48 in winning the fourth individual conference title of her career. Marshall led a 1-2-3 A&M finish in the event as Kristen Heiss (Casper, Wyo.) was second in a season-best and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 1:46.61. Junior Codie Hansen (Arlington) was third in 1:47.28 while fellow junior Marissa Jasek was seventh in 1:49.21. Senior Erin Mahoney (Wichita, Kan.) cranked out an impressive win in the non-scoring heat with a near-NCAA automatic qualifying and lifetime best time of 1:47.20.
Sophomore Melissa Hain (Kingwood) successfully defended her 400 individual medley title as the Aggies rolled to a 1-2-3-5 finish. Hain finished ina timeof 4:11.74, the second-fastest of her career. Emily Neal was second in a lifetime-best time of 4:13.61 while senior Jenni Stratton (Portland) was third in 4:13.78. All three Aggies earned NCAA automatic qualifying performances. Freshman Melanie Dodds (Maple Ridge, B.C.) was fifth in a career-best of 4:16.73 while fellow frosh Casey Hurrell-Zitelman (San Antonio) was seventh in 4:22.31, both NCAA consideration performances.
Sophomore Alia Atkinson (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) successfully defended her 100-yard breaststroke title from a year ago with an NCAA automatic qualifying and season-best effort of 1:00.68. Atkinson also finished third in the 100-yard fly despite not swimming the event at the Big 12 meet last season. Atkinson recorded a career-best time of 54.13 for the bronze medal.
Sophomore Ella Doerge (Clive, Iowa) had the best day of her swimming life on Friday despite not being on A&M?â„¢s scoring squad. Doerge annihilated her previous lifetime bests in both the 100 fly and 100 back, swimming so fast that she would have earned bronze and silver medals in the two events, respectively. Doerge entered the meet with a career best of 56.04 in the 100 fly, which was easily blown up after a ?'C?â„¢ final win in 54.11. Doerge was just as strong in the 100 back, lowering her lifetime best from 57.22 to 55.04 with a ?'C?â„¢ final win at the end of the night.
The fourth and final day of action at the Big 12 Championships will commence on Saturday at 10 a.m. with prelims while finals are scheduled to start at 6 p.m.
Three-Meter Diving
10. Alex Tipple, 238.75
13. Emily Watson, 229.30
200 Freestyle Relay
1. Marissa Jasek, Julia Wilkinson, Sarah Woods, Triin Aljand, 1:29.74$%
400 Individual Medley - Finals
1. Melissa Hain, 4:11.74$
2. Emily Neal, 4:13.61$
3. Jenni Stratton, 4:13.78$
5. Melanie Dodds, 4:16.73*
7. Casey Hurrell-Zitelman, 4:22.31*
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17. Caroline Maxvill, 4:22.88*
18. Sarah Froehlich, 4:27.82
400 Individual Medley ?- Prelims
1. Emily Neal, 4:16.47*
2. Melissa Hain, 4:17.50*
3. Jenni Stratton, 4:19.02
4. Casey Hurrell-Zitelman, 4:20.98*
7. Melanie Dodds, 4:23.14*
10. Sarah Froehlich, 4:25.79
12. Caroline Maxvill, 4:26.40
Exh. Sally Ranzau, 4:30.31
100 Butterfly ?- Finals
1. Triin Aljand, 52.26$!#
3. Alia Atkinson, 54.13*
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17. Ella Doerge, 54.11*
18. Megan Rains, 54.42*
100 Butterfly ?- Prelims
1. Triin Aljand, 52.31$#!
4. Alia Atkinson, 54.18*
5. Megan Rains, 54.41*
6. Ella Doerge, 54.45*
200 Freestyle ?- Finals
1. Christine Marshall, 1:45.48$#
2. Kristen Heiss, 1:46.61$
3. Codie Hansen, 1:47.28*
7. Marissa Jasek, 1:49.21*
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9. Hannah Kinder, 1:48.10*
12. Beth McCullough, 1:49.25*
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17. Erin Mahoney, 1:47.20*
200 Freestyle ?- Prelims
1. Christine Marshall, 1:45.63$#
2. Codie Hansen, 1:47.33*
3. Kristen Heiss, 1:47.36*
8. Marissa Jasek, 1:48.66*
10. Beth McCullough, 1:49.10*
11. Hannah Kinder, 1:49.18*
13. Erin Mahoney, 1:50.22*
100 Breaststroke ?- Finals
1. Alia Atkinson, 1:00.68$
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9. Chelsea Helgason, 1:03.69*
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17. Caroline Maxvill, 1:04.09
18. Brittany Lentz-Raiford, 1:04.36
19. Rebekah Love, 1:04.81
21. Renee Iserman, 1:05.78
100 Breaststroke ?- Prelims
2. Alia Atkinson, 1:02.29*
8. Renee Iserman, 1:03.78
9. Brittany-Lentz Raiford, 1:03.98
12. Caroline Maxvill, 1:04.56
13. Chelsea Helgason, 1:04.86
14. Rebekah Love, 1:05.15
100 Backstroke ?- Finals
1. Julia Wilkinson, 52.70$#!
2. Emily Neal, 55.22*
3. Sarah Woods, 55.26*
4. Lindsey King, 55.37*
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17. Ella Doerge, 55.04*
18. Maria Sommer, 57.48
100 Backstroke ?- Prelims
1. Julia Wilkinson, 53.98$
2. Ella Doerge, 55.05*
4. Emily Neal, 55.65*
5. Lindsey King, 55.71*
7. Sarah Woods, 55.97*
16. Maria Sommer, 58.06
! ?- Big 12 All-Time Record
% - Big 12 Meet Record
# - Texas A&M Record
$ - NCAA Automatic Qualifier
* - NCAA Provisional Time