Big Ten Women’s Championships: Day Three

WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, February 19. ON the biggest stage of the conference season, the Indiana women’s swimming and diving team shone bright tonight, taking three individual Big Ten titles on day three of the Big Ten Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships being held at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center in West Lafayette, Ind.

Indiana has moved back into the top spot with 451 points, 32.5 points ahead of second-place Minnesota (418.5). The Hoosiers have a 133-point lead over third-place Purdue. The meet concludes Saturday with the 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1,650 free, 400 free relay and platform diving.

“The team came in tonight really determined to finish what they started this morning,” said assistant head coach for women’s swimming Pam Swander. “They did everything they possibly could to put themselves in a position to finish this meet tomorrow.”

The evening session began with the 400 medley relay with Kate Fesenko, Ashley Specht, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell taking second with an NCAA B time of 3:36.12. Fesenko got things started with a 52.90 on her opening backstroke leg.

Indiana had the top qualifiers in three of five swimming events with Vavra fastest in the 400 individual medley, Farrell in the 200 freestyle and Fesenko in the 100 backstroke. Smailis was the second-fastest qualifier in the 100 butterfly.

Vavra picked up her first Big Ten title by running away from the field with a time of 4:06.94. That is the second-fastest time in school history and automatically qualifies her for the NCAA meet. Vavra had built a full body length on the field through the backstroke and continued to separate herself from the pack into the breaststroke, one of her top individual events. By her final 100 yards of freestyle here lead was insurmountable. Ashley Jones took second with a career-best time of 4:10.66, while Amilee Smith was sixth in 4:14.99. Vavra and Jones went 1-2 in their prelim heat and finished in the top two qualifying spots overall with Vavra posting a time of 4:09.42, the fifth fastest time in school history. Jones went 4:13.15, with Smith fifth in the heat at 4:16.26. Cassie Luhrsen posted a season best time of 4:29.05 in her heat to finish fourth, 35th overall.

“Usually I come out strong in prelims because it is less pressure, and then swim slower in the evening,” Vavra said. “So I tried to tell myself tonight was like prelims and I think it worked. That was my goal time for the season and I really can’t believe I went that time.”

Racing out of lane five as the second-fastest qualifier in the morning 100 butterfly heats, Smailis made a late surge over the final 10 yards to win her first individual Big Ten title with a time of 52.66. That is the second-fastest time in school history. Her preliminary swim resulted in a time of 53.29. Smailis is the first Hoosier to win the 100 fly at Big Tens since Rosie Wicht in 1984, and just the fourth overall.

“I just put my head down and swam as fast as I could,” Smailis said. “It is great to finally get an individual title.”

Brittany Barwegen finished eighth in the championship final, touching the wall in 54.76. Barwegen went a season best 54.68 to finish third in her heat and eighth overall in the morning session. Kim Tracey went a career best 56.08 to finish second in her heat and 29th overall.

Margaux Farrell kept the IU winning streak alive by taking the 200 freestyle in 1:45.32, a career best for her first Big Ten title. Brittany Strumbel was fourth in 1:46.44, also a career best. Nikki White touched the wall sixth in 1:47.44, with Taylor Wohrley eighth in 1:48.88.

“I don’t know there are really the right words to describe something like this,” Farrell said. “It was a nice way to start championship season.”

Courey Schaefer swam the bonus final where she finished third, 19th overall, with a time of 1:49.25. Farrell had the top qualifying time in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:45.86. Strumbel raced out to a time of 1:46.59 to win her heat and finish fourth overall. White won her heat with a season best and NCAA B time of 1:47.51 and was the seventh fastest qualifier. Wohrley won her heat with a time of 1:47.58 to earn the final championship heat spot, with Schaefer third in 1:49.22, picking up a spot in the bonus final. Both are NCAA B cuts. Justine Jones knocked just over two seconds off her career best with a time of 1:52.93 to finish fifth in her heat and 58th overall. Ashley Kranz won her heat with a time of 1:53.53, just 2/10ths of a second off her career best and finished 61st. Kristen Mitsch was sixth in the same heat, hitting a career best time of 1:55.61, finishing 77th.

Ashley Specht won the bonus final and finished 17th overall with a career best and NCAA provisional time of 1:02.34. Katelyn Ishee took seventh in the bonus final and 23rd overall with a time of 1:04.60. Specht touched the wall in 1:03.02, more than two seconds better than her previous time. Ishee was victorious in her heat with a career time of 1:03.61. Barwegen took sixth in her heat with a season best of 1:03.71. Afton Robertson won the opening heat of the 100 breaststroke with a career best time of 1:05.61.

After taking the 100 fly title, Smailis returned to post a second-place finish in the 100 backstroke with a career best and NCAA automatic qualifying time of 52.55. Fesenko was third in 53.22, with Taylor Wohrley sixth in 53.73. Indiana qualified 1-2-3 in the 100 backstroke with Fesenko leading the way at 53.04. Wohrley was the second-fastest qualifier at 53.21, with Smailis third at 53.37.

Gabby Agostino led IU on the 3-meter springboard with a fourth-place finish (356.00). Competing in her first Big Ten meet, freshman Logan Kline took sixth with a score of 334.60. Rounding out the championship finalists was Christina Kouklakis in eighth (313.75). Amy Cozad just missed out on the consolation final with a score of 255.75. Amy Korthauer was 20th with a score of 249.55, followed by Heidi Mahnken in 22nd (241.70), Nicole Brehm in 24th (241.15) and Cassidy Kahn in 25th (238.75).

The above article is a press release submitted to Swimming World Magazine. It has been posted in its entirety without editing. Swimming World offers all outlets the chance to reach our audience by contacting us at Newsmaster@swimmingworldmagazine.com. However, Swimming World reserves the right to choose what material is posted.

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