INDIANAPOLIS – The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team used another huge scoring day to surge into third place in the team standings after three days of action at the 2017 NCAA Championships on Friday at the IU Natatorium.
The Aggies will go into the final day of the NCAA Championships with a chance to post their highest finish in school history. Texas A&M has finished a program-best fourth at the NCAA meet five times, including in each of the last four years.
Texas A&M has 209 points and trail only Pacific 12 Conference powers Stanford (374.5) and California (255) in the team standings. Looking up at the Cardinal, Bears and Aggies were Georgia (170), Texas (168), Louisville (141.5), Minnesota (134), Indiana (125), USC (117), NC State (117) to round out the top 10.
"We've been fourth five times and obviously we would like to go higher," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "So the fact that we are third going into the final day by 39 points puts us in good shape. We need to finish it."
The Aggies scored 101 points on Friday and the huge day included multiple milestone swims, two school records and a NCAA runner-up relay finish for a second straight night.
"We had a lot of great swims," Bultman said. "The girls did a super job this morning and had a bunch of faster times tonight. Both Sydney (Pickrem) and Bethany (Galat) crushed the school record in the 400 IM and to get under four minutes for Sydney is a big-time swim. So that was pretty neat. Jorie (Caneta) getting under 59 seconds is a big deal for a breaststroker. You want to break a minute and when you do then you want to break 59, which is doing something. And then to finish it off with another school record in the 200 medley relay and get under 1:35 is another big milestone."
Pickrem, a sophomore from Dunedin, Fla., who swims internationally for Canada, joined an elite group of swimmers that have broken the four-minute barrier in the 400 IM at the short course yards length. When Pickrem touched the wall in 3:59.36, she became the ninth swimmer in history to go under four minutes and the eighth-fastest ever according to USA Swimming. Additionally, Pickrem broke the old school record of 4:01.56 set by two-time U.S. Olympian Cammile Adams in 2012. Pickrem finished second in the race to produce her highest individual finish at the national meet and it took an American record of 3:57.57 by Stanford's Ella Eastin to deny her of the gold medal.
"Getting under four minutes just shows that the hard work is paying off," Pickrem said. "To go a best time is always a pretty awesome thing, but to break a barrier like four minutes is definitely more rewarding. To finally get that school record and get under four minutes, I was pretty excited."
Galat, a junior from Mishawaka, Ind., also produced a lifetime best and was under the old school standard. Galat, who won five state high school championships in the IU Natatorium before coming to Texas A&M, placed fourth in a time of 4:01.06. Also contributing points in the 400 IM for the Aggies was sophomore Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo with a 15th place finish in 4:08.67.
Also producing points with appearances in "A" finals were senior Sarah Gibson and sophomore Claire Rasmus. Gibson placed fourth in the 100 butterfly with a season-best time of 50.63, while Rasmus took eighth in the 200 free with a time of 1:44.32.
Caneta joined two-time NCAA Champion Breeja Larson as the only Aggies to break the 59-second barrier in the 100 breaststroke. Caneta placed second in the consolation final (10th place overall) of the 100 breast in a time of 58.85.
The Aggies closed out the night with a runner-up finish in the relay for a second straight night, which matches the school's highest relay finish at the national meet. Texas A&M's 200 medley relay of junior Beryl Gastaldello, Caneta, Gibson and junior Kristin Malone destroyed the school record with a time of 1:34.85 while placing second to California, which won with an NCAA record of 1:34.10. The Aggies broke the old school standard of 1:35.33 set by Gastaldello, Caneta, Gibson and sophomore Lexie Lupton at the 2017 SEC Championships.
The Aggies will go into the final day of the NCAA Championships with a chance to post their highest finish in school history. Texas A&M has finished a program-best fourth at the NCAA meet five times, including in each of the last four years.
Texas A&M has 209 points and trail only Pacific 12 Conference powers Stanford (374.5) and California (255) in the team standings. Looking up at the Cardinal, Bears and Aggies were Georgia (170), Texas (168), Louisville (141.5), Minnesota (134), Indiana (125), USC (117), NC State (117) to round out the top 10.
"We've been fourth five times and obviously we would like to go higher," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "So the fact that we are third going into the final day by 39 points puts us in good shape. We need to finish it."
The Aggies scored 101 points on Friday and the huge day included multiple milestone swims, two school records and a NCAA runner-up relay finish for a second straight night.
"We had a lot of great swims," Bultman said. "The girls did a super job this morning and had a bunch of faster times tonight. Both Sydney (Pickrem) and Bethany (Galat) crushed the school record in the 400 IM and to get under four minutes for Sydney is a big-time swim. So that was pretty neat. Jorie (Caneta) getting under 59 seconds is a big deal for a breaststroker. You want to break a minute and when you do then you want to break 59, which is doing something. And then to finish it off with another school record in the 200 medley relay and get under 1:35 is another big milestone."
Pickrem, a sophomore from Dunedin, Fla., who swims internationally for Canada, joined an elite group of swimmers that have broken the four-minute barrier in the 400 IM at the short course yards length. When Pickrem touched the wall in 3:59.36, she became the ninth swimmer in history to go under four minutes and the eighth-fastest ever according to USA Swimming. Additionally, Pickrem broke the old school record of 4:01.56 set by two-time U.S. Olympian Cammile Adams in 2012. Pickrem finished second in the race to produce her highest individual finish at the national meet and it took an American record of 3:57.57 by Stanford's Ella Eastin to deny her of the gold medal.
"Getting under four minutes just shows that the hard work is paying off," Pickrem said. "To go a best time is always a pretty awesome thing, but to break a barrier like four minutes is definitely more rewarding. To finally get that school record and get under four minutes, I was pretty excited."
Galat, a junior from Mishawaka, Ind., also produced a lifetime best and was under the old school standard. Galat, who won five state high school championships in the IU Natatorium before coming to Texas A&M, placed fourth in a time of 4:01.06. Also contributing points in the 400 IM for the Aggies was sophomore Monika Gonzalez-Hermosillo with a 15th place finish in 4:08.67.
Also producing points with appearances in "A" finals were senior Sarah Gibson and sophomore Claire Rasmus. Gibson placed fourth in the 100 butterfly with a season-best time of 50.63, while Rasmus took eighth in the 200 free with a time of 1:44.32.
Caneta joined two-time NCAA Champion Breeja Larson as the only Aggies to break the 59-second barrier in the 100 breaststroke. Caneta placed second in the consolation final (10th place overall) of the 100 breast in a time of 58.85.
The Aggies closed out the night with a runner-up finish in the relay for a second straight night, which matches the school's highest relay finish at the national meet. Texas A&M's 200 medley relay of junior Beryl Gastaldello, Caneta, Gibson and junior Kristin Malone destroyed the school record with a time of 1:34.85 while placing second to California, which won with an NCAA record of 1:34.10. The Aggies broke the old school standard of 1:35.33 set by Gastaldello, Caneta, Gibson and sophomore Lexie Lupton at the 2017 SEC Championships.