March 1, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Eleven University of Notre Dame women’s swimming and diving student-athletes qualified for Friday night’s championship finals during the morning session of day three at the 2013 BIG EAST Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships at the IUPUI Natatorium. Highlighting the morning was a BIG EAST meet record swim by sophomore Emma Reaney in the 100 breast and a top-two sweep by Kim Holden and Kelly Ryan in the 100 back.
The evening session gets underway at 6 p.m. with the consolation finals in the 400 IM.
Reaney was up to her usual ways in the morning session, as she smashed the BIG EAST meet record and her own school record by swimming an NCAA A cut time of 59.20 in the 100 breast. The Lawrence, Kan., native will be joined in the championship finals by junior Christen McDonough (3rd-1:01.63) and junior Lauren Stauder (7th-1:02.27). Freshman Genevieve Bradford finished 14th in 1:04.22 to move on to the consolation finals.
Holden and Ryan went one and two in the 100 back prelims with times of 53.75 and 53.91, respectively. The duo will be joined in the finals by senior Lauren Scott, who took eighth in 55.21. Courtney Whyte qualified first for the consolation finals by taking ninth in 55.41, while junior Sarah Dotzel claimed the last spot by placing 16th in 56.73.
A pair of Irish swimmers qualified for the 400 IM championship finals as Gracie Fredlake (4:20.03) and Bridget Casey (4:20.23) finished sixth and eighth, respectively. Melissa Scott locked up her spot in the consolation finals by taking 12th in 4:22.99.
Holden opened her morning by placing second in the prelims for the 100 fly (54.12). Holden breezed across the finish line in her heat while Louisville Freshman Kelsi Worrell was shattering the meet record in another with an NCAA A cut time of 51.55. Also qualifying for Friday night’s championship finals were L. Scott (5th-54.99) and Whyte (6th-55.18). Louisville and Notre Dame have seven of the eight championship finalists, with all in the top seven.
Locking up their spot in the consolation finals of the 100 fly were Sarah Dotzel (9th-55.43) and Catherine Galletti (12th-55.72).
Only one person qualified in either of the finals of the 200 free, as Suzanne Bessire placed 13th in 1:51.24 to secure her place in the consolation finals.
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