The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
Women's Swimming and Diving earns three All-America finishes on day one of NCAA Championships
03.21.2013 | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 21, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS - Three top-seven finishes highlighted day one for Texas Thursday evening at the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
Through the first of the meet's three days, Texas sits in ninth place with 65 points. Georgia leads the event with 163 points, while Tennessee sits in second with 150.5 points. Arizona holds third place with 127 points. California and Stanford round out the top-five.
Texas led off the evening by taking seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay, as juniors Ellen Lobb and Sarah Denninghoff and seniors Bethany Adams and Kelsey Amundsen finished in 1 minute, 28.91 seconds.
Lobb returned later in the evening to earn honorable mention All-America honors by taking fourth place in the 50 freestyle consolation final in 22.35. The Houston native qualified ninth in the preliminary round at 22.22.
Redshirt junior diver Maren Taylor made a triumphant return to the NCAA Championships and took seventh place in the one-meter diving event with 308.95 points. Taylor has earned honorable mention All-America honors or better in all seven events at her three NCAA Championship meets.
Taylor's one-meter finish on Thursday marked her top finish on that board in three attempts at the national meet. Taylor placed 11th in the one-meter as a freshman and 14th as a sophomore at the NCAA Championships. Taylor took a medical redshirt last season after suffering a dislocated right elbow during the platform event at the 2011 NCAA Championships.
Texas capped the night by taking seventh place in the 400 medley relay in 3:32.35. Denninghoff led off the relay with a 51.90 backstroke split, just a fraction off of Kathleen Hersey's 100 backstroke school mark of 51.78. Laura Sogar split 59.12 on the breaststroke leg before Gretchen Jaques split 52.67 on the butterfly leg. Amundsen anchored the relay in 48.66.
The day two preliminary session begins Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern (10 a.m. Central)
POST-MEET COMMENTS
Texas head coach Carol Capitani
On the two relays qualifying for the championship finals
We have a team goal to have all of our relays in the top eight (championship finals). One of the most difficult things is making all of that happen in the morning. Once you're swimming at night, there's nothing you can do to change your place in our out of a championship final. They did a really nice job of focusing in on this morning and putting us in a position to be in those finals. We were two-for-two on that team goal today. I'm really proud of them considering we came here seeded 12th in the 200 free relay, and to move up to seventh place is fantastic. We lost a great sprinter in Karlee (Bispo), and we miss her, but we managed to fill in the gaps. I'm proud of them all.
On Ellen Lobb earning points in the 50 freestyle
She did nothing less than that (give her all) tonight. She has been rock solid. We've counted on her everywhere, individually and on relays. I think it's a formidable task to lead off a relay. She didn't get a relay start or the advantage of having that speed going in that relay. When she has had the pressure of her teammates expecting a great leadoff…she has come through every time. I'm really proud of the way she has grown up. I can't wait to see her on the 400 freestyle relay.
On diver Maren Taylor demonstrating the team's fighting spirit
Tonight, we fought and we were scrappy. Maren had a little hiccup in her prelim round and she fought back and got eighth in prelims to make the finals. Then she moved up to seventh place in the finals, and that's what it's all about. We've got to put ourselves in position in the morning, and then at night, we've got to move up. I think this team is still learning. I'm really proud of them. We're right where we need to be. There are people who didn't get a second swim tonight. They're hungry for more and they understand what it's like to be in this meet. It's not for the weak-minded; you've got to be on your game.
NCAA Championships - Day 1 Finals Results
200 Freestyle Relay - Championship Final
7 Texas (Lobb 22.43, Denninghoff 22.20, Adams 22.14, Amundsen 22.10) - 1:28.87
50 Freestyle - Consolation Final
4. Ellen Lobb - 22.35
One-Meter Diving - Championship Final
7. Maren Taylor - 308.95
400 Medley Relay - Championship Final
7 Texas (Denninghoff 51.90, Sogar 59.12, Jaques 52.67, Amundsen 48.66) - 3:32.35
NCAA Championships - Day 1 Prelims Results
200 Freestyle Relay
8 Texas (Lobb 22.30, Denninghoff 22.13, Adams 22.45, Amundsen 22.03) - 1:28.91
500 Freestyle
30. Kelsey LeNeave - 4:44.26
53. Kaitlin Pawlowicz - 4:48.67
200 IM
30. Laura Sogar - 1:58.82
40. Skylar Smith - 1:59.47
50 Freestyle
9. Ellen Lobb - 22.22
21. Kelsey Amundsen - 22.46
400 Medley Relay
7 Texas (Denninghoff 52.12, Sogar 58.69, Jaques 53.18, Tucker 48.97) - 3:32.96
One-Meter Diving
8. Maren Taylor - 302.00
30. Shelby Cullinan - 259.05
