NCAA Division I Women’s Champs: Day Three Prelims

COLUMBUS, Ohio, March 22. BARRING an awe-inspiring 1650 free effort from Auburn and a lot of disqualifications from Arizona, the Wildcats clinched their first NCAA title during the third-and-final day of swimming at the NCAA Division I Women's Championships.

200 back
Texas A&M's Kristen Heiss moved up to 13th from 14th-fastest all time in the 200 back when she clocked a lifetime-best effort of 1:53.37 to lead qualifying in the event with a pool record. Her previous personal best had been a 1:53.49 set last November.

Defending champ Gemma Spofforth of Florida qualified second as she cruised in with a 1:53.51, well off her best effort of a 1:50.56 set at the SEC Championships last month. Her career-best swim put her third all time in the event behind only Natalie Coughlin (1:49.52) and Kirsty Coventry (1:50.39).

Indiana's Kate Zubkova, who is the 15th-best in the event all time with a 1:53.68 that used to be the pool record heading into today, qualified third with a time of 1:54.43.

The rest of the top eight will be made up of Florida's Stephanie Proud (1:54.55), Florida's Leah Retrum (1:54.63), Stanford's Julia Smit (1:54.70), Auburn's Erica Meissner (1:54.87) and Arizona's Caitlin Iversen (1:54.93).

In the team battle, Arizona and Auburn matched each other with one up and two down.

Event Results

100 free
Auburn's Kara Denby jumped Melanie Schlanger (47.94) into 11th all time in the event with a swift time of 47.92 to lead qualifying in the event. Her time improved upon her 48.04 personal best set at last year's NCAA Championships.

Arizona's Lacey Nymeyer, already the fourth-fastest swimmer ever with a 47.34 from 2007 NCAAs, qualified second with a time of 48.09, while Texas A&M's Julia Wilkinson clocked a third-place time of 48.19. She still has room to improve as her personal best of 47.80 from last month puts her eighth all time.

Other championship finalists will be Florida's Caroline Burckle (48.27), Tennessee's Christine Magnuson (48.28), Arizona's Anna Turner (48.52) and California's Emily Silver (48.50). Tennessee's Michele King and Auburn's Emily Kukors assured a swimoff as the duo posted matching 48.54s for eighth place.

Arizona will gain some points in the event as the Wildcats went two up and three down, while Auburn guaranteed one up and may have two up or one up and one down depending on the swimoff.

Event Results

200 breast
Southern California's Rebecca Soni is the class of the breaststroke at this meet thus far. Soni, who stood on pace for the American and NCAA records at the 100-yard mark, wound up clocking the eighth-fastest time ever with a 2:07.53. Soni now owns three of the top 10 times in the event with her NCAA record 2:06.11 from Pac 10s in February and her 2:07.08 from 2007. Soni finished just outside of Tara Kirk's NCAA meet record of 2:07.36 set in 2002.

Should Soni win tonight, she will tie Kirk, Georgia's Kristy Kowal and fellow Trojan Kristine Quance as the only three-time winners in the event as Soni claimed the title in 2006 with a 2:09.37 and last year with a 2:08.23.

Stanford's Elizabeth Smith posted a quick time of her own with a second-place effort of 2:08.80. That swim moved her into 10th all time in the event, ahead of Elizabeth Tinnon and Penny Heyns, who have matching 2:08.90s to their credit.

Texas A&M's Alia Atkinson finished third with a time of 2:10.05, while Minnesota newcomer Jillian Tyler clocked a 2:10.46 for fourth.

Washington's Ariana Kukors (2:10.87), Arizona's Annie Chandler (2:11.20), Virginia Tech's Jessica Botzum (2:11.31) and Stanford's Caroline Bruce (2:11.67) comprise the rest of the championship eight.

Arizona went one up, two down, while Auburn qualified one down as the Wildcats should build their lead after the event.

Event Results

200 fly
Oregon State's Saori Haruguchi posted a near-personal-best time of 1:53.91 to claim lane four in the event. She was just off her best time of 1:53.88 set at Pac 10s last month.

Stanford's Elaine Breeden might have kept some in the tank for this evening as the defending champ is already the second-fastest ever in the event with a 1:52.27 from the Pac 10 Championships. Today, she cruised into second with a time of 1:54.14.

Virginia's Elizabeth Shaw popped a time of 1:55.34 to qualify third, while California's Dana Vollmer placed third in 1:55.39.

The rest of the big final will be made up by Auburn's Ava Ohlgren (1:55.70), Penn State's Kelly Nelson (1:56.19), Georgia's Elizabeth Hill (1:56.21) and Georgia's Annie Broome (1:56.33).

Auburn will make up some ground on Arizona in the event as the Wildcats did not qualify a swimmer this evening.

Event Results

400 free relay
Texas A&M's team of Julia Wilkinson, Codie Hansen, Sarah Woods and Triin Aljand claimed the top seed with a time of 3:14.54, just ahead of California's Tara Thomas, Hannah Wilson, Emily Silver and Dana Vollmer, who finished second in 3:14.55. Auburn's squad of Emily Kukors, Caitlin Geary, Melissa Marik and Kara Denby rounded out the top three in 3:14.76.

Stanford (3:14.85), Tennessee (3:15.07), SMU (3:15.45), Georgia (3:16.44) and Arizona (3:16.56) will also vie for the national title this evening.

In a sub-plot, Tennessee and Auburn elected to use the leadoff swims from UT's Michele King and Kukors to settle the 100 free eighth-place swimoff. King claimed the final transfer spot with a 48.30 against Kukors' 48.64.

Event Results

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