March 19, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Three members of the University of Notre Dame women’s swimming team are set to begin action at the 2008 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships held March 20-22 at McCorkle Aquatics Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.
Junior Christa Riggins and freshmen Samantha Maxwell and Amywren Miller will represent the Irish at the national meet.
Riggins represented Notre Dame in last season’s championships, competing in the 50 Free, 100 Free, 200 Free, 200 Free Relay, 400 Free Relay, 800 Free Relay, and 400 Medley Relay. Her highest finish was a 13th setting in the 800 Free Relay (7:14.91), as she teamed with Katie Carroll, Megan Farrell, and Ellen Johnson. She earned automatic bids into this year’s final meet with a 22.89 in the 50 Free, 49.39 in the 100 Free, and the fifth-seed in the 200 Free with a mark of 1:44.39.
With an A-cut time of 22.39 in the 50 Free, Miller registered the nation’s 17th-fastest time of the season in that event. She was invited to compete in the 100 Fly with a provisional time of 54.88. The first-year member of the Irish squad turned in one of the top-20 times in the nation in the 100 Free (49.10) to join the final field.
Maxwell’s 1:01.68 in the 100 Breast gave the freshman an automatic bid, and her 2:12.76 in the 200 Breast ranked 14th among collegiate swimmers this season.
“This is going to be a really fast event this year, and the girls that earned spots in the meet are seeded very well,” said Irish head coach Carrie Nixon. “The key at the NCAAs is to swim fast in the morning in order to advance into finals. Then, turning around and getting the job done in the evening session is very important. All three of our swimmers are in a position to score individual points and certainly have the potential to finish in the top-8 of their respective events. These past two weeks of training have been great for them. They’re poised for some great swims.”
Since the inception of the women’s program at Notre Dame, 21 individuals representing the Irish have earned All-American honors at the NCAAs, with Carroll being the most recent with a seventh-place finish in 2007 with a time of 4:12.37 in the 400 IM. At least one Irish swimmer has garnered All-American recognition in every season since 1996, with Nixon leading the pack by becoming a 12-time honoree from 1999-2002. She posted the highest finish of any Irish swimmer to compete in the NCAAs by placing fourth in the 50 Free in 2000.
Jeanine Blatt and Betsy Shadley were the program’s first All-Americans, claiming the honor in 1979 when the Irish competed at the Division III level.
Live stats and additional meet information will be provided through the Women’s Swimming and Diving schedule page at und.com. ESPN2 will provide 90 minutes of tape delayed coverage of the championships Friday, March 28 at 2 p.m. (ET). Tickets may be purchased in advanced by calling the Ohio State Ticket Office at 1-800-462-8257.
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