{"id":359783,"date":"2019-03-22T15:23:14","date_gmt":"2019-03-22T22:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=359783"},"modified":"2020-02-12T20:40:40","modified_gmt":"2020-02-13T03:40:40","slug":"ella-eastin-becomes-first-woman-to-win-400-im-ncaa-title-four-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/ella-eastin-becomes-first-woman-to-win-400-im-ncaa-title-four-times\/","title":{"rendered":"Ella Eastin Becomes First Woman to Win 400 IM NCAA Title Four Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stanford senior\u00a0Ella Eastin\u00a0<\/strong>won the 400 IM for the fourth consecutive year on Friday night at the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships in Austin, Texas. Eastin swam a 3:57.03 as she led after all four strokes of the race. Eastin is also the first woman to ever win this event four times at NCAAs for Division I. Eastin was off her record swim of 3:54.60 from last year but she still finished first.<\/p>\n

Texas A&M senior\u00a0Sydney Pickrem\u00a0<\/strong>(3:58.23) finished in the runner-up spot as she swam a best time, moving up to sixth all-time in a tie with\u00a0Julia Smit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Stanford picked up 48 points in the final with sophomore\u00a0Brooke Forde\u00a0<\/strong>(3:59.26) placing third and freshman\u00a0Allie Raab\u00a0<\/strong>(4:06.11) placing seventh. The Cardinal are looking for the third straight team title this year. They took advantage of zero Cal swimmers in either final in the 400 IM.<\/p>\n

Northwestern’s\u00a0Calypso Sheridan\u00a0<\/strong>was up with Eastin at the 200 but was caught by Pickrem and Forde, who both specialize in the back-half. Sheridan was fourth at 4:01.35.<\/p>\n

South Carolina’s Emma Barksdale\u00a0<\/strong>(4:03.51), Indiana’s Bailey Andison\u00a0<\/strong>(4:03.87) and Florida’s\u00a0Kelly Fertel\u00a0<\/strong>(4:09.92) also swam in the A-Final.<\/p>\n

Stanford now has 12 NCAA titles in the 400 IM. Eastin joins\u00a0Michelle Griglione\u00a0<\/strong>(1989),\u00a0Janet Evans\u00a0<\/strong>(1990),\u00a0Summer Sanders\u00a0<\/strong>(1991, 92),\u00a0Julia Smit\u00a0<\/strong>(2008-10),\u00a0Maya DiRado\u00a0<\/strong>(2014) and herself (2016-19) as winners for the Cardinal in the event.<\/p>\n

Eastin is also the first woman to ever win the 400 IM four times at NCAAs. Four women have won it three times in Auburn’s\u00a0Maggie Bowen<\/strong>, Florida’s Tracy Caulkins<\/strong>, USC’s\u00a0Kristine Quance\u00a0<\/strong>and Stanford’s Smit.<\/p>\n

All-Time List:<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. Ella Eastin<\/strong>, Stanford, 3:54.60 (2018)<\/li>\n
  2. Katie Ledecky<\/strong>, Stanford, 3:56.53 (2018)<\/li>\n
  3. Katinka Hosszu<\/strong>, USC, 3:56.54 (2012)<\/li>\n
  4. Caitlin Leverenz<\/strong>, Cal, 3:57.89 (2012)<\/li>\n
  5. Maya DiRado<\/strong>, Stanford, 3:58.12 (2014)<\/li>\n
  6. Sydney Pickrem<\/strong>, Texas A&M, 3:58.23 (2019)<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n
  7. Julia Smit<\/strong>, Stanford, 3:58.23 (2010)<\/li>\n
  8. Elizabeth Beisel<\/strong>, Florida, 3:58.35 (2012)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n