Northwestern
NCAA Championships
NU Finishes 26th at NCAA Championships
3/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
March 29, 2003
AUSTIN, Texas - Kellan O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz./Brophy Preparatory) closed out his successful swimming career at Northwestern with a seventh-place finish in the 200 butterfly Saturday night, as the Wildcats finished in 26th place at the NCAA Championships with 19.5 points. Auburn ran away with the team title, accumulating 609.5 points. Minnesota was the highest Big Ten finisher, placing seventh with 228.
O'Connor's finish in the 200 fly was a fitting end to his collegiate career. The senior recorded the highest place finish of any senior in the event. He posted a time of 1:44.47 in the championship final.
O'Connor reached the final by posting the sixth-fastest time in the preliminary round. His time of 1:44.06 in the prelims broke his own school record of 1:44.35, a mark he set last season.
It is the seventh All-America honor of O'Connor's career and second of the weekend. He also placed 15th in the 200 individual medley Thursday night. It is his second-highest finish ever at the NCAA meet. O'Connor placed fifth in the 200 fly as a sophomore in 2001.
Mark Hamming (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) added his first All-America honor in the 200 fly Saturday. The junior finished in a tie for third in the consolation final to place tied for 11th overall. He posted a career-best time of 1:45.16 in the finals after qualifying 14th in the preliminary round in a time of 1:45.52.
Northwestern's only other competitor of the evening, junior Tony Swanson (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids), failed to reach the finals in the 200 backstroke, finishing 32nd in a time of 1:48.16.
