Feb. 17, 2007
EAST MEADOW, N.Y.- The Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving team will enter the final day of competition of the 2007 BIG EAST Swimming and Diving Championships in first place. The Irish who entered the third day as the leader increased the margin to 171 points (529-358) on West Virginia and the rest of the 11-team field. Notre Dame is seeking its 11th consecutive BIG EAST title. The meet’s final two sessions will take place on Saturday, Feb. 17.
Katie Carroll (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) started the day by winning the 400-yard IM in her time of 4:16.25. Freshman Ashlee Edgell (Cincinnati, Ohio/Madeira) was third in the same event (4:20.74), to take home all-BIG EAST honors.
The 100-yard butterfly group was next and were lead by senior Ann Barton’s (Scottsdale, Ariz./Desert Mountain) sixth place finish (55.41), which was a season-best.
Sophomore Christa Riggins (Phoenix, Ariz./Sunnyslope) placed second in the 200-yard freestyle in a school-record time of 1:47.82. Senior Ellen Johnson (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) was fifth with an NCCA `B’ qualifying time of 1:49.14. Mary Grace Godfrey (South Bend, Ind./St. Joseph) was eighth (1:49.76), while Casey Wagner (Glenshaw, Pa./Shady Side Academy) was 12th (1:51.23).
Julia Quinn (Evanston, Ill./Evanston) won the 100-yard butterfly in a season-best time of 1:02.55. The other breaststrokers that placed for Notre Dame includes Jessica Stephens (Bloomsburg, Pa./Bloomsburg) (sixth), Vivian Healey (New York, N.Y./Stuyvesant) (eighth), Katie Hopkins (Ellicot City, Md./Notre Dame Prep) (16th).
Notre Dame’s 400-yard medley relay team wrapped up the days events by finishing third with a time of 3:43.20.. The Irish team consisted of Caroline Johnson (Springfield, Mo./Glendale), Quinn, Barton and Carroll.
The meet will conclude on Saturday with the 1,650-free, 200-yard back, 100-free, 200-breast, 200-fly, the women’s three-meter diving competition and the men’s and women’s 400-free relay. Prelims begin at 10:00 a.m., while finals are scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.
For more information on the 2007 BIG EAST Swimming and 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 women’s swimming and diving team by logging on to und.com or by calling the Notre Dame athletics hotline at (574) 631-3000. –ND–