Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Swimmers Fifth After Two Days at Big Tens
2/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 18, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - After winning the first event Friday night -- the 200 medley relay -- the Northwestern University women's swimming and diving team slipped to fifth place after the second day at the Big Ten Championships being held in Indianapolis, Ind.
The Wildcats have 312 points, but are easily within striking distance of second place. Defending champion Minnesota holds a commanding lead with 410.5 points, while Michigan is second (337 points). Wisconsin (317.5) and Penn State (314) squeezed past NU during the day's events.
The Wildcats got off to a great start Friday night, setting a Big Ten Conference record in the 200 MR with a winning time of 1:40.76 which was also an NCAA `A' standard. The winning quartet for NU was seniors Dominique Diezi, Amy Balcerzak and Courtney Allen along with sophomore Merritt Adams.
Later in the evening, Balcerzak defended her crown in the 100 breaststroke, clocking a Big Ten record time of 1:00.54 -- also an NCAA 'A' standard -- to win by nearly two seconds over Minnesota's Kelsey Hegener.
Northwestern also had a pair of second-place finishes Friday night. In the 400 individual medley, Rachel Johnson clocked an NCAA `B' standard of 4:19.84 to finish second behind Minnesota's Katy Christoferson. Tashy Bohm, meanwhile, finished second in the 100 backstroke to Michigan's Jennifer Crisman. Bohm's time of 55.49 was an NCAA `B' standard. Diezi (8th, 56.61) and Susannah Sample (second in consolation final, NCAA `B' standard 56.19) also placed in the backstroke.
In the 100 butterfly, Adams placed sixth overall in an NCAA `B' standard time of 55.51 seconds, and the Wildcats got extra help from freestyle ace Allen who won the consolation final in an NCAA `B' standard of 55.05. NU also scored points in the 800 freestyle relay, placing eighth in 7:28.87.
The Big Ten championships will conclude Saturday in Indianapolis.
*MEET RESULTS*
Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships
Day Two (February 18, 2000)
COURSE: Short-course yards
** = NCAA 'A' standard, * = NCAA 'B' standard
TEAM SCORES
1. Minnesota, 410.50, 2. Michigan, 337, 3. Wisconsin, 317.50, 4. Penn State 314, 5. Northwestern, 312, 6. Indiana, 237, 7. Ohio State, 182.50, 8. Illinois, 152.50, 9. Purdue, 151, 10. Iowa, 148, 11. Michigan State.
EVENT 7 - 200 MEDLEY RELAY
1. NORTHWESTERN (Dominique Diezi, Amy Balcerzak, Merritt Adams, Courtney Allen), 1:40.76** (Big Ten Record), 2. Michigan, 1:42.00, 3. Penn State, 1:42.38, 4. Minnesota, 1:43.24, 5. Indiana, 1:43.52, 6. Purdue, 1:44.44, 7. Iowa, 1:44.76, 8. Illinois, 1:44.99, 9. Wisconsin, 1:45.03, 10. Ohio State, 1:45.15, 11. Michigan State, 1:46.06.
EVENT 8 - 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
1. Cristoferson (Minn.), 4:19.50, 2. Rachel Johnson (NU), 4:19.84*, Smedstad (Minn.), 4:20.62, 4. Christiansen (Ill.), 4:20.99, 5. Gretlund (Ind.), 4:22.24, 6. Deppe (Minn.), 4:23.44, 7. Lopano (PSU), 4:23.66, 8. Kurrle (Mich.), 4:30.62.
EVENT 9 - 100 BUTTERFLY
1. Panighetti (Wis.), 54.58, 2. Jashinsky (Minn.), 54.59, 3. Wanezek (Wis.), 54.70, 4. Crisman (Mich.), 54.97, 5. Hennen (Minn.), 55.17, 6. Merritt Adams (NU), 55.51*, 7. Hazen (OSU), 55.58, 8. Simakova (Minn.), 56.27.
9. Courtney Allen (NU), 55.05*.
EVENT 10 - 200 FREESTYLE
No Northwestern athletes scored in this event.
EVENT 11 - 100 BREASTSTROKE
1. Amy Balcerzak (NU), 1:00.54** (Big Ten Record), 2. Hegener (Minn.), 1:02.25, 3. Lange (Purdue), 1:02.71, 4-TIE. Adler (Ill.) and Staley (OSU), 1:03.93, 6. Wilson (PSU), 1:03.94, 7. Pennington (Iowa), 1:04.51, 8. Cocks (Mich.), 1:04.64.
EVENT 12 - 100 BACKSTROKE
1. Crisman (Mich.), 54.21 (Big Ten Record), 2. Tashy Bohm (NU), 55.49*, 3. Bruzda (PSU), 55.79, 4. Woessner (Ind.), 55.80, 5. Carlberg (Mich.), 55.85, 6. Stocki (PSU) 56.17, 7. White (PSU), 56.32, 8. Dominique Diezi (NU), 56.61.
10. Susannah Sample (NU), 56.19*.
EVENT 13 - 3-METER DIVING
No Northwestern athletes scored in this event.
EVENT 14 - 800 FREESTYLE RELAY
1. Wisconsin, 7:17.53, 2. Minnesota, 7:19.11, 3. Indiana, 7:24.05, 4. Penn State, 7:26.95, 5. Iowa, 7:27.95, 6. Illinois, 7:27.99, 7. Michigan, 7:28.20, 8. NORTHWESTERN (Hyun Soo Suh, Brianne Fowles, Kelly Igoe, Rachel Johnson), 7:28.87, 9. Purdue, 7:29.80, 10. Ohio State, 7:37.19, 11. Michigan State, 7:37.73.
