Feb. 15, 2007
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. – The Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team will take an 85-point lead into the third day of the 2007 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships in the Nassau County Aquatic Center on Friday. The Fighting Irish won three of five events on Thursday evening. Senior Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) won the 500-yard freestyle and freshman Ashlee Edgell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Madeira) clocked a victory in the 200-yard IM. Notre Dame also took first in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Carroll established a school record in the 500 free with an NCAA consideration time of 4:45.50. She was joined in the top-six by her Irish teammates Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) and Casey Wagner (Glenshaw, Pa./Shady Side Academy). Johnson, a senior, placed fifth in a time of 4:49.69, while Wagner, a sophomore, was sixth in 4:50.39. Both of those marks also were NCAA `B’ cuts.
Edgell took the 200 IM in a time of 2:02.08. Freshman Megan Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton) and senior Julia Quinn (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) placed fourth and sixth, respectively, with marks of 2:03.44 and 2:03.65. All three of their times were NCAA `B’ cuts.
Senior Rebecca Grove (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) copped all-BIG EAST honors in the 50-yard free with an NCAA consideration time of 23.03. Her sophomore teammate Christa Riggins (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunnyslope) also clocked a consideration cut by touching the wall in a career-best time of 23.33 to place ninth overall.
The 200 free relay quartet of junior Caroline Johnson (Springfield, Mo./Glendale), Riggins, Carroll and Grove posted a school record and NCAA `B’ cut time of 1:31.85 to take first.
In diving action, Notre Dame freshman Natalie Stitt (Holland, Mich./West Ottawa) garnered all-conference honors by placing third with a point total of 246.50 during the finals. Her classmate Tiffany Robak (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) finished seventh with 226.55 points and junior Tara Hyer (Tampa, Fla./Academy of the Holy Names) was eighth with 222.65 points.
The Fighting Irish lead West Virginia 286-201. Rutgers (181), Villanova (145.5) and Louisville (142) round out the top-five.
Friday’s action will feature the 400-yard IM, 100-yard fly, 200-yard free, 100-yard breast, 100-yard back, men’s three-meter diving and the 400-yard medley relay. Prelims begin at 10:00 a.m., while finals are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. The meet will conclude with the final two sessions on Saturday.
For more information on the 2007 BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships, including results from each day’s action, log onto und.com and go to the right-hand column of the women’s swimming and diving page and click on `BIG EAST Championship Page’. Live results can be found at sportstiming.com.
Stay up-to-date on the Notre Dame’s men’s swimming and diving team by logging on to und.com or by calling the Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000.
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