March 20, 2008
The Texas A&M women?â„¢s swimming & diving team was led by school record performances by junior Kristen Heiss (Casper, Wyo.) and the Aggies?â„¢ 200-yard freestyle relay during the first of six sessions at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Thursday morning.
A&M?â„¢s 200-yard freestyle relay team, consisting of three swimmers competing at NCAA?â„¢s for the first time, took down the school record in the second of three preliminary heats. Triin Aljand (Tallinn, Estonia) got the Aggies out to a small edge ahead of the field, along with Arizona, while the three national meet newcomers ?- sophomore Sarah Woods (Birmingham, Ala.), freshman Maria Sommer (Brenham) and junior Marissa Jasek (San Antonio) ?- came through in a big way, getting the Aggies to the championship final ahead of perennial powers Florida and Georgia. A&M ranks sixth in the championship final field, the exact spot they finished in a year ago.
Kristen Heiss, whose signature collegiate meet came at last year?â„¢s NCAA Championships, is well on her way to another even better showing after smashing her lifetime best in the 500-yard freestyle. Heiss, who set a career best of 4:43.53 three weeks ago in Austin, zipped past that mark in Ohio with a time of 4:40.42, breaking the all-time Big 12 record set two heats earlier by Susana Escobar of Texas (4:40.63). Heiss ranks fourth entering tonight?â„¢s final after finishing 14th a year ago.
Julia Wilkinson (Stratford, Ont.) paced her way through the ninth of nine heats in the 200-yard individual medley to earn the fourth-fastest time among the 69 competitors. Wilkinson?â„¢s time of 1:56.41 is the second-fastest of her career behind only her Big 12 title winning time of 1:56.12.
After leading the 200 free relay into the championship final, junior Triin Aljand earned herself a spot in the championship final of the 50-yard freestyle. Aljand?â„¢s heat winning time of 22.11 equals the second fastest in school history and ranks sixth entering tonight?â„¢s final.
The Aggies closed the first session with an 11th-place seeding in the 400-yard medley relay. The group of Julia Wilkinson, Alia Atkinson (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Triin Aljand, and Christine Marshall (Newport News, Va.) swam a time of 3:36.62, the third-fastest time in school history and the fastest time the Aggies have ever swam at the NCAA meet in the race.
Thursday?â„¢s finals are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
200 Freestyle Relay ?- Prelims
6. (Aljand, Woods, Sommer, Jasek), 1:29.60*
500 Freestyle ?- Prelims
4. Kristen Heiss, 4:40.42*#
22. Jenni Stratton, 4:45.21
29. Codie Hansen, 4:45.99
46. Melissa Hain, 4:51.07
200 Individual Medley ?- Prelims
4. Julia Wilkinson, 1:56.41
39. Christine Marshall, 2:00.98
40. Erin Mahoney, 2:01.42
50 Freestyle -- Prelims
6. Triin Aljand, 22.11
45. Sarah Woods, 23.04
47. Alia Atkinson, 23.11
53. Marissa Jasek, 23.21
400 Medley Relay ?- Prelims
11. (Wilkinson, Atkinson, Aljand, Marshall), 3:36.62
* - Texas A&M school record
# - All-time Big 12 record