UW Wraps Up Weekend at Big Ten Championships
February 23, 2008 | Women's Swimming & Diving
The University of Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team wrapped up the final day of the 2008 Big Ten Championships with four NCAA 'A' times and eight 'B' times on Saturday at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The Badgers finished the three-day event in sixth place with 377 points. In total, the Badgers picked up eight 'A' times and 20 'B' times over the weekend.
Head coach Eric Hansen was happy with his team's performance and thinks his team is setting themselves up for the NCAA Championships.
'We had an incredible third day and we're at the right preparation for the NCAAs,' he said.
'We had our best day as a team and I'm proud of them,' he added. 'We proved our resiliency.'
Sophomore Candice Peak (Andover, Mass.) got things started by earning an NCAA 'A' time with her fifth place finish in the 200-yard backstroke. Peak completed the event in a time of 1:57.21, besting her own previous best by over two seconds.
Freshman Maggie Meyer (North Oaks, Minn.) and sophomore Kasey Carpenter (Cincinnati, Ohio) also earned an NCAA qualifying time in the event. Meyer earned a 'B ' time with her finish of 1:57.51, while Carpenter earned her's with a time of 1:59.43.
Wisconsin earned two more 'A' times with a second place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Meyer, senior Jackie Vavrek (West Chicago, Ill.), junior Jen Illescas (East Elmhurst, N.Y.) and senior Hannah McClurg (San Diego, Calif.) set a school record by completing the event in a time of 3:17.98. The time also was better than the Big Ten record, but Michigan finished .5 seconds ahead of that.
Meyer picked up another "A" cut for the Badgers in the event when she led off with a time of 49.36, good for a qualifying time in the 100-yard freestyle.
Sophomore Gabby Maddalena (The Woodlands, Texas) notched the sixth "A" time of the night for the Badgers when she finished second in the 1650-yard freestyle. Maddalena finished the event in a time of 16:16.34.
The Badgers earned three more NCAA 'B' times in the 100-yard freestyle. McClurg earned her qualifying mark by finishing in sixth place with a time of 50.04, while Vavrek was ninth with a time of 50.34. Freshman Kelsey Gergen (Hastings, Minn.) earned her 'B' time by swimming in a time of 50.67 in a bonus final heat.
Wisconsin picked up two NCAA 'B' times in the 200-yard butterfly. Illescas finished 11th with a time of 2:00.60, while senior Katie Imhoff-Smith (Waukesha, Wis.) was 13th with a time of 2:01.63.
Sophomore Libby Brooks (Oregon City, Ore.) picked up an NCAA 'B' time in the 200-yard breaststroke. She finished the event in a time of 2:18.20, good for 14th place.
The lone diving event of the night came on the platform. Sophomore Jenny Hawkins (Eden Prairie, Minn.) led the Badgers with a 12th place finish and a score of 210.40.
'I feel really good with what we'll be able to do at the NCAAs, ' Hansen said.
The Badgers return to action next Saturday, March 1, when they travel to Minneapolis for the Go-Pher It Invite.
