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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. The Virginia women’s swimming team, fresh off its second consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference championship, is set to compete at the 2009 NCAA Championships in College Station, Texas. The event, which begins Thursday, is being held at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on the Texas A&M campus.
Fans can watch the all three days of the NCAA Championships online by clicking here.
The Cavalier women have qualified 12 swimmers, the most in school history, and will be represented by at least one student-athlete in every swimming event, including all five relays. Representing Virginia at the national meet are seniors Megan Evo and Kristen Wallace; juniors Mei Christensen, Jenna Harris, Katherine McDonnell and Jen Narum; sophomores Claire Crippen, Hannah Davis, Ellie Freeman, Kristen Moores and Liz Shaw; and freshman Lauren Smart. It will be the first NCAA appearance for Freeman, McDonnell, Moores and Smart.
The 2009 event marks the 28th year Virginia has been represented at the NCAA Championships, all under head coach Mark Bernardino. Members of the Cavalier squad have scored points every year expect the 1996 championship. UVa’s highest finish at NCAAs was a seventh-place showing in 1998.
Cara Lane is the only Cavalier to win an individual national championship, doing so in the 1500-yard freestyle in 2000 and again in the 1650 freestyle in 2001.
A year ago, Virginia placed 20th overall for its 14th top-20 finish in program history at the NCAA Championships. Shaw placed fourth in the 200 butterfly to earn All-America status, and Christensen (100 back), Evo (200 fly), Crippen (400 IM) as well as Shaw (400 IM) also picked up honorable mention All-America honors. The 800 freestyle relay team of Evo, Harris and former Cavaliers Stephanie Glover and Jessica Lewis claimed honorable mention All-America accolades for a second consecutive year.
2009 NCAA Championships
March 19-21
College Station, Texas
Schedule of Events
Thursday, March 19
200 Freestyle Relay
500 Freestyle
200 Individual Medley
50 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
One-meter Diving
Friday, March 20
200 Medley Relay
400 Individual Medley
100 Butterfly
200 Freestyle
100 Breaststroke
100 Backstroke
800 Freestyle Relay
Three-meter Diving
Saturday, March 21
200 Backstroke
100 Freestyle
200 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
400 Freestyle Relay
Platform Diving
1650 Freestyle