Stanford Women Breeze To Second Straight Pac-10 Title

FEDERAL WAY, WA, February 27. STANFORD breezed to its second straight conference title by winning three more events on the fourth and final day of the 2005 Pac-10 Women's Swimming and Diving Championships on Saturday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, per Cardinal accounts.

Stanford, who has won the meet 16 times in its 19 years of existence, finished with 1499 points to easily outdistance second-place Arizona (1237). Caroline Bruce was named the Swimmer of the Meet after winning three individual events and contributing to a pair of victorious relay teams during the four-day event.

"We had a really good night tonight and a great meet," said Stanford head coach Richard Quick, who captured his 14th Pac-10 title in 17 seasons as the team's head coach. "It was a great team effort, and I'm just really proud of our entire squad."

Bruce captured the 200 breast on Saturday by turning in the nation's fastest non-converted time of the season by with a personal-best and NCAA "A" mark of 2:09.76 that ranks her as the No. 2 all-time performer at Stanford. She defeated her closest competitor (2000 Olympic champion Agnes Kovacs of Arizona State) by 2.15 seconds.

Lacey Boutwell also swam a personal-best and NCAA "A" time of 48.85 to win her first Pac-10 100 free title. She is now Stanford's No. 4 all-time performer in the event.

Dana Kirk added her first 200 fly win at the Pac-10 Championships in an NCAA "A" time of 1:54.89, edging UCLA's Kim Vandenberg by one-tenth of a second.

Stanford picked up another NCAA "A" time in the 400 free relay when a team
of Brooke Bishop, Boutwell, Erica Liu and Bruce finished second in 3:18.77.

Stanford had three swimmers finish in the top eight of the 1650 free, led by the second-place performance of Lauren Costella in an NCAA "A" time of 16:15.05. Desiree Stahley also picked up an NCAA "A" mark of 16:21.56 for a third-place showing.

Kristen Caverly supported Bruce in the 200 breast with a third-place finish in an NCAA "A" time of 2:13.01 that was just .05 seconds off her personal-best. Durot added an NCAA "A" time of 16:12.97 in a 1650 free exhibition swim that ranks her as the No. 8 all-time performer at Stanford.

Non-Stanford winners Saturday, all swims below the NCAA “A” standard, were USC's Kalyn Keller (1650 free, 16:12.80) and Jo Fargus (200 back, 1:55.87), Arizona State's Trisha Tumlinson (platform diving, 443.50 points), and an Arizona 400 free relay team of Ryann Hackett, Courtney Cashion, Jenna Gresdal and Lacey Nymeyer (3:18.01).

Further non-Stanford “A” cut swims came from Arizona’s Jessica Hayes (1:56.01), UCLA’s Katie Arnold (1:57.16) and Marshi Smith of UofA (1:57.72) in the 200 back, Emily Silver of Cal (:49.75), Arizona’s Jenna Gresdal (:49.56) and Arizona freshman Courtney Cashion (:49.62) in the 100 free, ASU’s Agnes Kovacs in the 200 breast (:2.11.91) and a couple of Arizona 200 flyers in Emily Mason (1:56.36) and Whitney Myers (1:57.70).
Stanford's divers will next be in action at the 2005 NCAA Zone E Meet from March 10-12 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, while the swimmers begin preparing for the 2005 NCAA Championships to be held March 17-19 in West Lafayette, Indiana.

"It has to give us a little confidence for the NCAA Championships," said Quick of his team's Pac-10 title. "The team members feel they did well at this meet, but they know they can improve. We're on an improvement curve as a team that bodes well for the NCAA's. I'm pleased with were we are, and I know we're going to get better."

ADDITIONAL NOTES

• A total of 16 Stanford swimmers and divers now have 118 victories (includes four winners in each relay) this season

• Ten Stanford swimmers now account for 30 NCAA "A" spots

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