Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
NU Invitational
Swim Teams Each Place First at NU Invite
11/24/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Nov. 24, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's women's swimming and diving left little doubt throughout the course of the NU Invitational at to who would win the team title. The Wildcats ran away with first place, compiling 1,002 team points. Illinois finished second with 866.50, while Southern Illinois was third with 695.50. SMU's divers collected 67 points.
Three Wildcats earned NCAA "B" Cut times with their first-place finishes Sunday. Katie Paglini (Chicago, Ill./Latin School) earned her second qualifying time of the invite by opening the afternoon session with a win in the 200 backstroke (2:00.12). Paglini qualified in the 200 IM Friday.
Erica Rose (Cleveland, Ohio/Hawken School) qualified for NCAAs by winning the 1650 freestyle in a time of 16:56.07. Brielle Bovee (Winter Park, Fla./Lake Highland Prep) reached the mark by posting a time of 2:17.31 in the 200 breaststroke to stay undefeated in the event this season.
Carmen Cosgrove (Perth, Austrailia) added a first-place finish for the Wildcats in the 200 butterfly (2:02.99). NU's 400 free relay team of Paglini, Cosgrove, Petric and Erin Swenson (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) captured the title in a winning time of 3:28.09.
The 'Cats got second-place finishes Sunday from Sara Petric (Mequon, Wis./Homestead) in the 100 free (52.82) and Lesley Meade (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline) in the 200 fly (2:05.10).
It took some late heroics by the 200 butterfly group, but the Northwestern men managed to pull off a first-place finish in the final day of competition. Kellan O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Preparatory), Mark Hamming (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and Mike Shue (Fort Myers, Fla./For Myers) finished 1-2-3 in the next to last event to propel the Wildcats to the victory.
Northwestern accumulated 920 team points to edge out Southern Illinois (904) and Southern Methodist (900).
O'Connor's victory in the 200 fly (1:47.33) was his third of the invite after previously winning the 200 individual medley and the 100 fly. He edged out Hamming by 27-hundredths of a second in the 200 fly. Both swimmers earned NCAA "B" Cut times with their finishes.
The Wildcats also got a first-place finish Sunday from Louis Torres (Morton Grove, Ill./Niles West) in the 200 breaststroke (2:02.82).
Tony Swanson (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) finished second for the 'Cats in the 200 backstroke (1:48.06). Northwestern also got runner-up finishes from Brian Davis (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah) in the 1650 free (16:01.28) and the 400 free relay squad of Swanson, Hamming, Ben Dexter (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli) and Dan Williams (Hinsdale, Ill./Central) (3:02.28).
