NCAA Div. I Women: Big 10 Champs, Day One: Quotes from the Winners

BLOOMINGTON, Indiana, Feb. 15. THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN led in the team scoring and Indiana won its first Big Ten relay title in 16 years to highlight the first day of competition at the 2001 Big 10 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.

Here are the event-by-event highlights:

500 Yard Freestyle
Wisconsin senior Ellen Stonebraker won her fourth-consecutive Big Ten title in a Big Ten Conference meet-record time of 4:44.96. She erased nearly four seconds off the mark she set in 1999.

Stonebraker on winning: "The entire swim felt real good. I felt a lot of pressure but I wanted take upon myself to carry this team with this performance. I know that the race was close all the way, but I knew if I stayed close with 100-meters left that I could win the race."

Indiana freshman Sarah Fiden broke the school record set back in 1981 by Jennifer Hooker to take third place in the 500 free with a time of 4:46.99.

"We are all so close in that heat so I knew it would be tough. Being on an end lane is kind of an advantage. No one else could see me but I could see them and I just kept pushing."

On her record-breaking performance: "I was not expecting to get the 500 this year. Jennifer (Hooker) holds records at my high school and when I came here and saw she went to school here I thought it would be great to beat her records."

200 Yard IM

Senior Katy Christoferson of Minnesota won the 200-yard individual medley in a pool record time of 2:00.22.

"I had a good swim in the preliminaries, so it gave me a lot of confidence heading into the final. This meet has been awesome, the competition has been superior from the other Big Ten schools.

50 Yard Freestyle

Hoosier senior Jenn Cristy won her third straight 50 free Big Ten crown. She set a new pool, school, and Big Ten record with her time of 22.32. This is also the fastest NCAA time this year.

"This is the first meet I haven't been thinking and it has definitely been working. I had no idea how well I was doing until I looked at the board at the end of the race."

"I'm so excited for the team right now. We have the most heart and spirit in the country."

1-Meter Diving

Summer Mitchell of Michigan State won the one-meter diving with a total score of 299.35. The performance by Mitchell saw her rise from sixth place in preliminaries to the top of the podium and first place.

Mitchell on her performance: "It was the will of the Lord Jesus that allowed me to win this, his strength – not mine. Praise the Lord."

200 Yard Freestyle Relay

Indiana won the relay with a time of 1:31.07. This is a new school record. The victory is the first IU Big Ten relay win since 1985. Team members include Jenn Cristy, Susan Woessner, Sarah Bowman, and Anne Williams.

Jenn Cristy: (set a school and pool record of 22.45 for the first leg of the relay) on team performance:
"Before the race we said we want it, we're going to have it and we got it!"

on individual time
"I decided I'm not going to think too much anymore, I'm just going to go!"

400 Yard Medley Relay

The University of Michigan won the medley relay with a time of 3:38.78 which is a new Big Ten Meet and pool record. Michigan also leads the meet with a score of 203 points.

Annie Weilbacher:

on Michigan's lead after one day: "We just want to take it one race at a time. Whatever happens happens. We are just trying to swim fast."

Traci Valasco:

"We are ready to go and are excited about our lead. We can't wait for the rest of the weekend."

Jennifer Crisman:

"We have had trouble coming together this whole year in the relay. We could never put it all together. Today we felt good about this and we knew we could do it."

Samantha Arsenault:

"We were definitely the underdogs in that race but we knew we could do it."

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