Virginia Women's Swimming And Diving Team Stands Third After Two Days Of ACC Championship
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Feb. 16, 2006
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Virginia women’s swimming and diving team is in third place Thursday (Feb. 16) after two days and seven events of the 2006 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Swimming and Diving Championship. North Carolina holds a slim lead over UVa and Florida State at the four-day conference championship, which is being held at Maryland’s Campus Recreation Center Natatorium.
North Carolina leads the ACC Championship with 198 points, while Florida State is second with 196.5 points and UVa stands third with 191. Virginia Tech is fourth with 174 points, while Clemson is fifth with 160. Maryland (149), Miami (100), NC State (99.5), Duke (73), Georgia Tech (69) and Boston College (38) round out the field.
The Cavaliers had the same three championship finalists in the 500 freestyle for the second consecutive year. Fourth-year Rachael Burke (Bethesda, Md./Good Counsel) led the Cavaliers with a third-place finish with a time of 4:46.57 to earn All-ACC accolades. Third-year Rory Schmidt (Phoenix, Ariz./Arcadia) claimed sixth place with a time of 4:52.23. Fourth-year Katie Gordon (Winter Park, Fla./Trinity Prep), who was the top qualifier from the prelims, finished seventh with a time of 4:53.48. Gordon’s time of 4:46.41 in the prelims is a career-best. All three swimmers bettered the NCAA “B” qualifying standard.
UVa also had three swimmers compete in the bonus consolation final of the 200 I.M. Third-year Erin Corgan (Marietta, Ga./Marist) won the bonus final (17th place) with a time of 2:04.02 (NCAA B), while fourth-years Laura Mumper (Richmond, Va./Mills Godwin) and Corey Berg (Hyde Park, N.Y./F.D. Roosevelt) were 23rd and 24th with a times of 2:07.27 and 2:07.64, respectively.
In the 200 individual medley, second-year Anna Steenrod (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin) captured All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season with her third-place finish with a time of 2:01.61. Third-year Katy Bland (Raleigh, N.C./Leesville) was also a finalist in the 200 I.M. and placed seventh with a time of 2:03.72. Steenrod and Bland bettered the NCAA “B” qualifying time. First-year Megan Evo (Beverly Hills, Mich./Groves) swam in the consolation finals of the 200 I.M. and took 14th place in 2:05.68.
Second-year Jess Lewis (Allentown, Pa./Parkland) was the Cavaliers’ lone competitor in the 50 free and she took sixth place with a time of 23.41 (NCAA B). Lewis also swam a leg on UVa’s third-place 200 free relay that posted a time of 1:32.46 (NCAA B), just four hundredths of a second behind runner-up Virginia Tech. Fourth-year Brielle White (Philadelphia, Pa./Springside School), Bland and second-year Stephanie Glover (Raleigh, N.C./Athens Drive) joined Lewis on the relay. 3.81 21st prelims
For the first time, the diving portion of the ACC Men’s Swimming and Diving Championships, is taking place during the women’s meet. The men’s three-meter competition was held Thursday evening and fourth-year Eric Kelley (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Christian School) tallied 281.15 points to finish 11th, while fourth-year Andrew Barber (Vienna, Va./Marshall) was 14th with 263.25 points.
The Women’s ACC Swimming and Diving Championship resumes Friday (Feb. 17) with preliminaries beginning at 11:00 a.m. and finals commencing at 7:00 p.m.