Photo Courtesy: Washington State Athletics<\/p>\n
LINCOLN – The Washington State swimming and diving team established a slim two-point lead over Nebraska, 75-73, as the two teams completed day one of their two-day dual meet at the Devaney Sports Center Natatorium on Friday night.<\/p>\n
In the first day of a two-day dual with the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Washington State swim team maintained a two-point lead over its midwestern hosts. The Cougars competed in eight events Friday evening at the Bob Devaney Sports Center Natatorium and hold a 75-73 advantage over the Cornhuskers.<\/p>\n
After a rough start that saw WSU\u2019s top 400 medley relay team disqualified, the Cougars rebounded with a sweep in the 1650 free. Sophomore Kendra Griffin led the way, grabbing the victory in a time of 17:16.08. Freshman Rachel Thompson followed, touching the wall in 17:30.41. Sophomore Emma Elhoff (formerly Ronczkowski) rounded out the WSU sweep with a time of 17:36.25.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team swam great tonight,\u201d WSU head coach Tom Jager said. \u201cThe disqualification put us behind the eight ball a little bit, but this team fought back. We have a minimal lead going in to tomorrow so we\u2019ll see how tough we are in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Cougars also garnered the top time in the 200 fly. Sophomore Elise Locke clocked a time of 2:03.56, followed closely by Griffin in second place (2:04.85). Griffin contributed 13 points to the Washington State total in the evening, matching Presley Wetterstrom for top contributor.<\/p>\n
Wetterstrom grabbed a first-place finish in the 200 breast with a time of 2:15.73. The junior finished six seconds ahead of teammate Frederikke Hall in third place (2:21.73). In the 200 IM, Wetterstrom clocked a second-place time of 2:07.80, followed by fellow juniors Shaya Schaedler in third (2:08.34) and Loree Olson in fifth (2:08.51). Olson and Schaedler added third- and fifth-place finishes, respectively, in the 200 breast.<\/p>\n
Washington State\u2019s 400 free relay team of seniors Nicole Proulx and Alison Mand, along with freshman Hannah Bruggman and sophomore Haley Rose Love closed the evening with a first-place finish, clocking a time of 3:26.80.<\/p>\n
Competition with the Cornhuskers continues Saturday at 8 a.m. PT as the Cougars look to finish the season above .500 for the first time since the 2010-11 season. Full results and recap can be found at wsucougars.com following the conclusion of Saturday\u2019s events.<\/p>\n
The Nebraska swimming and diving team captured four victories in Friday’s session of a dual-meet against Washington State. After the first session, Washington State holds a slight advantage over Nebraska, leading 75-73.<\/p>\n
Nebraska started off the meet by capturing a victory in the 400-yard medley relay. The team of Jacqueline Juffer, Jordan Ehly, Bria Deveaux and Taryn Collura raced to a first-place time of 3:49.17<\/p>\n
Alex Bilunas secured the Huskers’ second victory of the evening in the 50-yard freestyle, posting a time of 23.76. Collura finished .01 seconds behind Bilunas on her way to a second-place finish for the Huskers.<\/p>\n
Ehly captured a victory in the 200-yard individual medley, swimming to a time of 2:06.98. Julia Roller was Nebraska’s next best performer in the event, earning a fourth-place finish. Roller raced to a time of 2:08.42.<\/p>\n
Nebraska’s final victory of the evening came from Erin Oeltjen. The sophomore swam her way to a victory in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:02.79. Rebekah Land finished shortly after Oeltjen, posting a second-place time of 2:04.47. Cassie Brassard also captured a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke (2:05.41).<\/p>\n
In the final individual event of the evening, Nebraska captured two top-four finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke. Ehly posted a second-place finish with a time of 2:17.77, while Sam Hardewig earned a fourth-place finish with a time of 2:26.60.<\/p>\n
Roller, Natalie Morris and Katt Sickle also turned in strong individual performances for the Huskers. Roller captured a fourth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly (2:07.76). Morris finished just ahead of Roller, racing to a third-place finish in the 200-yard buttefly (2:05.10). Katt Sickle swam to a fourth-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle (17:38.70).<\/p>\n
Nebraska captured a second-place finish in the final event of the evening. The team of Deveaux, Sickle, Kelly Dunn and Collura raced to a time of 3:29.44 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.<\/p>\n
\u200bNebraska will be back in action Saturday morning at 10 a.m. for the final session of their dual-meet against Washington State. Saturday will be Senior Day with seniors Kelly Dunn, Ciara Jenkins, Rebekah Land and Natalie Morris being honored before competition begins. Following Saturday’s meet, Nebraska will have nearly three weeks off before competing at the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 18-21. Check back in to Huskers.com for any and all updates regarding the Nebraska swimming and diving team.<\/p>\n