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By Phillip Whitten Women's NCAA Division I Championships: Dawg and Cat Fight
The Top 10
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.--The first NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships of the new millennium, held March 16-18, shaped up as a doozy. Everyone knew it would be an exciting battle, fought event-by-event, between defending champion Georgia and fast-rising Arizona. Not to be counted out were perennial champions Stanford and up-and-coming California. Making things even more interesting was the format: for the first time ever, the meet would be contested in a 25-meter course. The change meant that world records could be broken and international comparisons made. As if to hammer the point home, the Short Course World Championships were being held simultaneously in Athens, Greece. The meet did not disappoint. The team battle went down to the final event before Coach Jack Bauerle's Lady Bulldogs, winners of nine events, could claim their second straight NCAA title with 490.5 points. The Pac-10 champion Arizona Wildcats gave it their all, finishing a scant 18.5 points behind the Dawgs. Pac-10 schools occupied five of the top eight spots, with Stanford finishing third, Cal fourth, USC seventh and UCLA eighth. Auburn swam well to finish fifth, while Northwestern, ranked 11th coming into the championship, was sixth. Texas and Virginia tied for ninth. Two world records (50 back and 400 medley relay) and one world best (200 medley relay) bit the dust during the three days of competition. American records were bettered 12 times, and there was even a Chinese national record (Nevada's Limin Liu in the 200 fly)! Swimmers from Georgia, Arizona and Cal accounted for all of the world and American marks. DAY ONE: March 16
Columbia's Cristina Teuscher was picked to win the 400 free, and she quickly proved why she was favored. Leading from start to finish, Teuscher split ahead of Cynthia Woodhead's 21-year-old American record pace for the first 300 meters before touching home in 4:04.09, second fastest time in the world this year. Stanford's Jessica Foschi was second (4:06.17), overtaking Virginia's Cara Lane (4:07.31). The 200 individual medley went down to the final stroke, as Georgia's Kristy Kowal outreached Cal's Eli Overton, 2:10.69 to 2:10.74. Overton, looking ahead to the Australian Olympic Trials, was swimming unshaved. Kowal's win vaulted the Dawgs into the lead in the team race, a lead that would be challenged repeatedly but never relinquished. The 50 free featured Stanford's Catherine Fox going for her fourth straight NCAA title, a feat previously achieved by only six women. But it was not to be. Georgia senior Courtney Shealy rocketed to the lead and held off Northwestern's Courtney Allen, 24.80 to 24.87, to win her first NCAA title. Fox was a close third at 24.97, while Notre Dame's Carrie Nixon, the top qualifier, was fourth. LSU flexed its diving muscles with a 1-3 finish in the one-meter springboard. Jamie Watkins edged Miami's Jenny Keim for the gold (439.70 to 434.00), while teammate Ashley Culpepper took the bronze. Only 11 points separated the top five finishers. The Bulldogs ended the evening on a high note, winning the 400 medley relay for their third win in six events, and doing so in world record time. After prelims, it looked like Stanford might have the inside track to victory as Shelly Ripple, Gabrielle Rose, Misty Hyman and Catherine Fox combined for a top qualifying time of 4:01.78, a U.S. Open record. But Georgia's team of Shealy (back, 58.75), Kowal (breast, 1:06.09), Keegan Walkley (fly, 59.28) and Maritza Correia (free, 53.34) blazed 3:57.46 in the finals to take down the record of 3:57.62 set by Japan's national team at last year's Short Course World Championships. Arizona was a strong second (3:58.47) with Cal third (3:58.62), both under the former American record (3:58.94). Shealy, Kowal and Correia had the fastest backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle splits, while Stanford's Hyman was the fastest flyer (57.48). Georgia's overpowering showing left the Dawgs with 152 first-day points. Surprisingly close were Arizona (121) and Stanford (118). DAY TWO: March 17
Just as she had in the 400 free the night before, Cristina Teuscher left no doubt as to who was the fastest collegiate woman in the 400 IM. Biding her time on the opening fly leg, Teuscher took over the lead in the backstroke and extended it with every lap. Teuscher's 4:33.81 was, again, the world's second fastest time this year. USC junior Corrie Murphy swam the race of her life to finish second in 4:37.77. Auburn frosh Maggie Bowen was third (4:38.94). Last year, Stanford's Misty Hyman and Nevada's Limin Liu, a silver medalist for China at the 1996 Atlanta Games, waged epic battles in the butterfly events, with Liu winning the 200 and Hyman the shorter race. Now it was rematch time in the 100 butterfly. But...surprise! The top qualifier was Cal's Joscelin Yeo in 58.85. In the finals, Yeo and Liu surprised Hyman by jumping out ahead of her, with Liu taking over the lead at the first turn. By the 50, Liu had a quarter-second lead, and she just kept extending it from there, finishing in 57.97. Hyman overtook Yeo in the final ten meters to finish second (58.60), as the top six women cracked one minute. At the end of the fly, a surging California team had moved into second place, just 19 points behind Georgia. Stanford was 23 points further in arrears with Arizona a point behind the Cardinal. The Wildcats had two swimmers in the final of the 200 free, with sophomore Sarah Tolar, last year's runner-up, the top qualifier. And for 175 meters, it looked as though Tolar would notch her first individual NCAA title. But Georgia's freshman sensation, Maritza Correia, came roaring from behind with a 29.08 final lap to nip Tolar, 1:57.33 to 1:57.59. Nebraska's Helene Muller, a South African, was third (1:57.87). The Dawgs were howlin', and set to howl some more was Kristy Kowal in the 100 breaststroke. In prelims, Kowal had broken Amanda Beard's American record with a swift 1:06.37. Now she had her sights set on Penny Heyns' world mark of 1:05.40. But it was Cal's Stacianna Stitts who turned first at the halfway mark, her 31.24 an American record for the 50 meter breast. Kowal was a scant four-hundredths back, but not for long. Using her patented long, smooth stroke, Kowal forged ahead and touched in 1:05.74, a new American record. Northwestern's Amy Balcerzak, fourth at the 50, uncorked a strong final lap to tie Stitts for second at 1:06.79. Georgia was in a groove. With two straight wins, it was sweet Georgia time, and Courtney Shealy had every intention of making the Bulldogs' prospects even peachier. Though she qualified in a tie for fourth in the 100 backstroke, Shealy took the race out hard, turning in second behind Stanford's Catherine Fox. By the final turn it was all Shealy, and she won in 58.66, just missing Angel Martino's world mark of 58.50. Cal's Haley Cope (59.17) and Arizona's Beth Botsford (59.34) came from back in the pack to finish second and third, as six women broke the one-minute barrier. LSU's Ashley Culpepper took the 3-meter springboard with 538.25 points, a healthy 13 points ahead of Indiana's Sara Reiling. Stanford's Erin Sones was third, as the Cardinal was the only team among the top four to score in this event. Day Two ended with Arizona's depth proving more than any other team could handle in the 800 free relay. The team of Trina Jackson (1:59.46), Tolar (1:57.29), Jenny Vanker (2:00.77) and Emily Mastin (1:57.99) lit up the scoreboard at 7:55.51, a U.S. Open mark. Wisconsin was a surprising second (7:58.87) with Auburn third (7:59.53). Georgia's anchor, Correia, had the fastest split (1:57.22). With one day to go, Georgia led Arizona by almost 40 points. But the Cats were far from skinned. DAY THREE: March 18
Arizona freshman Beth Botsford, the 1996 Olympic champion in the 100 back, had something to prove. She had planned on winning the 100 back and wound up third. Now, she wanted to take the 200 back. She wanted it bad! So she took the race to her competition, jumping out to a lead at the start and daring the other finalists to stay with her. They couldn't. Leading from start to finish, Botsford touched in 2:06.70, breaking her own American record (2:07.36), but falling just shy of the world mark held by China's He Cihong (2:06.09). Stanford's Shelly Ripple was second (2:08.01), followed by Georgia's Keegan Walkley (2:08.63). The Wildcats had some Mo', but the Bulldogs brought that Mo' to a screeching halt, saying "no mo'" when Courtney Shealy came from behind to win the 100 free in 53.99, with UCLA's Keiko Price in second (54.68) and Texas' Colleen Lanne, the early leader, third (54.80). Kristy Kowal, the other half of the Dawgs' one-two punch, followed with another win and, ho-hum, another American record, taking the 200 breast in 2:22.05. Actually, she set two ARs in the event, going 2:22.39 in the prelims to better her previous mark of 2:25.27, set last December. But it wasn't easy. Amanda Beard, the Arizona freshman and 1996 Olympic silver medalist, swam an incredible final 50 meters (35.67), but she ran out of room and finished second in 2:22.84. Stitts, who led early in the race, was third (2:25.02). After 18 events, Georgia had a 60-point lead over Arizona, 142 over Stanford, and seemingly had the team title wrapped up. And as event 19, the 200 fly, was called to the blocks, Georgia had eight victories, Arizona just two, while, incredibly, Stanford was still looking for its first. Misty Hyman was fixing to change that, but first she had to get by defending champ Limin Liu. In the prelims, Hyman had qualified first, coming from behind to edge Liu. But the Cardinal junior reverted to her usual strategy in the final and took the race out hard, playing right into Liu's hands. Hyman touched first at the 50 (28.30) and the 100 (1:00.28) with Liu 63-hundredths back. The Chinese ace made up all but two of those 63-hundredths on the third 50, then pulled away to win in 2:06.04, a Chinese national record. Hyman swam a lifetime best 2:06.55 for second, while teammate Shelly Ripple took third (2:10.21). In the team race, Arizona picked up 24 points on Georgia to cut the lead to 36.5 points. Miami's Jenny Keim finally won the NCAA diving title that eluded her during the first two days. And she won it with a vengeance. Scoring 8.5s and 9s on her final two dives, Keim, a junior, ran away with the 10-meter platform event, scoring 538.80 points. Arizona quietly added another 24 points to zilch for Georgia. All of a sudden--with one event left--it was a Dawg and Cat fight, with Georgia hanging on by just 12-1/2 points. Still, it would take a combination of fast swimming and lots of luck for the Wildcats to pull this one out. The Cats (who qualified sixth) needed to win the 400 freestyle relay, and the Dawgs (who qualified first) would have to falter and finish no higher than sixth. It was possible...but unlikely. Courtney Shealy made it more unlikely when she led off for the Bulldogs in 53.70--faster than her winning time in the 100. Emily Mastin's 55.44 put Arizona in third. Sarah Tolar (54.41) and Jenny Vanker (54.88) took the Cats to second, less than 6-tenths behind their rivals, as Georgia's Stefanie Williams split a 55.00, followed by Jennifer Mihalik's 55.45. Arizona's Denali Knapp came through with a 54.16 anchor leg, but Georgia's Maritza Correia responded with a 53.52. As the crowd erupted, Georgia touched home in 3:37.67. Arizona followed in 3:38.89, both schools destroying the American record (3:40.40) set by the U.S. national team in 1993. For the second straight year, the Dawgs were top dogs! How 'bout them Dawgs! ...To make things sweeter still, Kristy Kowal and Courtney Shealy shared "Swimmer of the Year" honors, while Bulldog head coach Jack Bauerle was named "Coach of the Year" for the second year in a row. LSU's Ashley Culpepper was named "Diver of the Year," while Tiger coach, Scott Wright, walked off with "Diving Coach of the Year" honors. |
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