Virginia Swimmers Turn In Impressive Performances In First Day Preliminaries Of Women's NCAA Championships
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March 21, 2002
AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Virginia women’s swimming team got off to an excellent start at the 2002 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships Thursday (March 21) at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at the University of Texas. During the morning preliminaries, Cavalier swimmers qualified for championship finals in three events. UVa also has three swimmers competing in two consolation finals.
Third-year All-Americans Cara Lane (Charlotte, N.C./Providence) and Mirjana Bosevska (Skopje, Macedonia/Trinity Prep) qualified for the championship final in the 500 freestyle and 200 individual medley, respectively. Lane was sixth in the 500 free in the morning prelims with a time of 4:42.68, while Bosevska was eighth in the 200 I.M. in 1:59.64. UVa was seeded 10th in the 200 free relay and qualified for the championship final with a sixth-place time of 1:30.98, which set a new school record. The previous Virginia record in the 200 free relay was 1:31.50 in 1998. First-year Andrea Georoff (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep) swam the leadoff leg in the 400 free relay in a personal-best time of 22.87. First-year Carrie Ellis (Valrico, Fla./Durant), third-year Lindsey Crane (Fairport, N.Y./Fairport) and fourth-year Megan Roesch (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) swam the other legs on the relay.
Roesch and Georoff will also compete in the consolation final of the 50 free. Roesch was 11th in the prelims with a personal-best time of 22.83 seconds. Georoff was 15th in the prelims in a time of 22.99 seconds. Roesch was seeded 17th in the 50 free entering the NCAAs, while Georoff was the 25th seed. Second-year Amy Baly (Atlanta, Ga./Marist School) is the third Virginia swimmer competing in the consolation finals Thursday night. Baly clocked a time of 4:46.20 in finishing 16th in the preliminaries of the 500 freestyle.
In addition to Lane and Baly, the Cavaliers had three other swimmers compete in the prelims of the 500 free. Second-year Carlie Dykehouse (Gainesville, Fla./Trinity Prep) was 28th in the 500 free in a time of 4:48.31. First-years Laura Lipskis (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) and Katie McWilliams (Stratford, Conn./Bunnell) were 47th and 48th in the 500 with a times of 4:52.77 and 4:53.18, respectively.
The first of three final sessions for the 2002 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships begins tonight at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. Friday’s preliminary events begin at 11:00 a.m. Central Time.