Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
NCAA Championship
Women's Swimmers Finish Best-Ever Sixth at NCAAs
3/19/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 18, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - A long and arduous weekend ended with tears of happiness for the Northwestern women's swimmers, as the Wildcats finished a best-ever sixth at the NCAA Championships and one of their team members left Indianapolis with more than just a few trophies.
Amy Balcerzak, a senior competing in her final meet as a Northwestern Wildcat, climbed out of the pool after her sixth-place finish in the 200-meter breaststroke (in a time of 2:28.16) and was almost immediately ushered to the media conference room. She was met there by longtime boyfriend Chris Field, who got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and proposed marriage. Needless to say, Balcerzak said yes.
In the pool, meanwhile, Northwestern got a little help from its Big Ten friends in the event's final relay to catapult the University of Southern California for sixth place. In the consolation final of the 400-meter free relay, USC placed sixth -- behind, among others, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. That allowed Northwestern, who timed 3:44.96 in the championship final, to make up the 14.5-point difference and defeat the Ladies of Troy. The Wildcats finished the NCAA meet with 186.5 points, while USC finished with 185.
Georgia successfully defending its crown, scoring 490.5 points to down second-place Arizona by 18.5 points. Stanford was third with 397, while California was the other team to surpass 300 point with 311.5. Among other Big Ten schools, Wisconsin placed 11th with 133 points, while Michigan was the only other school in the Top 20 at 14th (102.5 points).
Northwestern's night started in the 200-meter backstroke, where Susannah Sample broke the school record and placed 10th overall (2:11.54) and Tashy Bohm placed 14th (2:12.22). In the 100-meter freestyle, Courtney Allen -- like Balcerzak, swimming in her final meet for the Wildcats -- took seventh place in 55.25 seconds.
Below are Northwestern's results from the day:
FINAL TEAM SCORES
1. Georgia, 490.5 points
2. Arizona, 472
3. Stanford, 397
4. California, 311.5
5. Auburn, 207
6. Northwestern, 186.5
7. Southern California, 185
8. UCLA, 163
t9. Texas and Virginia, 155
NORTHWESTERN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
COURSE: short-course meters
200 Backstroke -- Susannah Sample 10th (2:11.54, SCHOOL RECORD), Tashy Bohm 14th (2:12.22...2:12.13 in morning trials).
100 Freestyle -- Courtney Allen 7th (55.25).
200 Breaststroke -- Amy Balcerzak 6th (2:28.16).
200 Butterfly -- Merritt Adams 22nd (2:14.24, DID NOT QUALIFY FOR FINALS).
400 Free Relay -- Northwestern 8th (3:44.96)
RELAY TEAM: Courtney Allen, Susannah Sample, Brianne Fowles, Dominique Diezi
