Nov. 22, 2009
Preliminary Results
The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team swept every swimming event in a dominating team victory at the Cougar Classic Fall Invitational last weekend at the University of Houston's Campus Recreation and Wellness Center Natatorium.
The eighth-ranked Aggies lived up to their billing as they won every swimming race at the three-day championship-style event, and posted at least one NCAA qualifier in every event except the platform dive, in which the Aggies didn't enter anyone. The Aggies scored 1,523 points to far outdistance runner-up SMU (666 points), LSU (621) and host Houston (465).
In Sunday's finals, the Aggies tallied 10 individual NCAA qualifiers and had a pair of relays post "B" cuts in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
In an impressive show of depth, the Aggies finished 1-2 in the 400 free relay with the all-senior foursome of Julia Wilkinson, Kristen Heiss, Sarah Woods and Melissa Hain grabbing gold in 3:16.21, and the quartet of senior Alia Atkinson, senior Ella Doerge, junior Maria Sommer and freshman Allyson Sweeney taking runner-up honors in 3:21.93.
Atkinson logged the Aggies' lone NCAA "A" cut with a five-second plus victory in the 200 breaststroke in 2:10.04. Atkinson, the NCAA runner-up at this distance last year, also posted an auto qualifier in the 100 breast on Saturday.
The Aggies' distance freestylers were dominant with a 1-2-3-4 finish in the 1,650, including three NCAA consideration times. Leading the way were a pair of freshmen, Casey Hurrell-Zitelman was fourth in 17:02.55.
Seniors Heiss and Emily Neal took the top two spots in the 200 backstroke and logged "B" cut times in the race. Heiss placed first in 1:53.50 and Neal was second in 1:57.17.
The Aggies went 1-2-3 in the 100 freestyle with Wilkinson taking first in 48.24 and Woods placing second in 49.84, both NCAA "B" cuts. Hain grabbed third with a time of 50.46.
Sophomore Rita Medrano and freshman Kendra Chernoff finished 1-2 with a pair of "B" cuts in the 200 butterfly. Medrano touched first in 1:56.31 and Chernoff was second in 1:58.77.