Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Picks Up a Win at Kentucky Quad Dual
11/8/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
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NU 257, Southern Illinois 96 Kentucky 206, NU 147 Missouri 222, NU 131 Lancaster Aquatic Center • Lexington, Ky. Friday Results |
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LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Northwestern earned one victory Saturday morning following the completion of a two-day quad dual meet hosted by Kentucky at the Lancaster Aquatic Center.
NU picked up a very healthy victory against fellow Land of Lincoln school Southern Illinois, 257-96. Missouri, first out of the most recent CSCAA coaches top-25 poll, swept the quad dual and defeated Northwestern by a score of 222-131 while the host Wildcats topped the visiting Wildcats, 206-147.
The women dove right back into the pool Saturday morning following the short overnight layoff with the 200 medley relay. Northwestern's team of Lacey Locke (Carmel, Ind./Carmel), Julianne Kurke (Atlanta, Ga./Parkview), Aja Malone (Acworth, Ga./Allatoona) and Mary Warren (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) swam a season-best time of 1:43.84 to finish third overall.
Northwestern seriously asserted its distance prowess in the first individual event of Saturday morning with Lauren Abruzzo (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver), Sydney Modeas (East Amherst, N.Y./Clarence) and Megan Purdy (Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City) going 1-2-4 overall. Abruzzo won in 10:04.00 while the freshman Modeas was right on the NCAA qualifier's heels with a season-best 10:08.23. Purdy did Modeas one better with a career -best effort of 10:14.36 to touch in fourth.
Warren made it two individual wins in a row for the Wildcats when she cut three tenths of a second off her collegiate-best in the 50 free to touch in 23.35, two one-hundredths of a second ahead of Missouri's top swimmer. Annika Winsnes (Singapore/United World College) placed fourth overall to give the Wildcats 1-3 finishes over both Mizzou and Kentucky.
In the 100 back, Locke dropped a full half second off her season-best to finish third overall among a top-three pack featuring one swimmer each from Missouri, Kentucky and NU. Locke's time of 55.65 was a full 1.5 seconds ahead of the fourth-place finisher in the event.
Kurke was Northwestern's top finisher in the 200 breast with a season-best 2:20.07, then Malone and Maddy Sims (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove) went 3-4 overall behind one Missouri entry and one Kentucky swimmer in the 100 fly with times of 56.68 and 57.43, respectively.
Winsnes and Megan Purdy (Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City) repeated the 3-4 feat behind two Kentucky entries in the 200 free, touching in times of 1:52.28 and 1:52.37.
In the final individual event, the 400 IM, Ellen Stello (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood) had a strong showing with a second-place overall time of 4:22.28. Abruzzo captured fifth overall and Locke was seventh to give NU a 1-3-4 finish over Kentucky in the event.
In the final 400 free relay, Northwestern's team of Warren, Valerie Nubbe (Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville), Sims and Winsnes continued the Wildcats strong sprint freestyling in the meet with an overall victory, achieved in a time of 3:27.53 in a tight battle with Kentucky.
Northwestern returns to action in a combined Big Ten dual meet at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, at Wisconsin.
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