March 15, 2005 | Women's Swimming & Diving
The University of Wisconsin women's swimming team makes its 24th consecutive appearance at the NCAA championships this week, held March 17- 19 in West Lafayette, Ind. The Badgers enter the championships ranked eighth in the country and are looking to place in the top 10 for the second straight year.
Wisconsin will be represented with 10 swimmers this year, the most in school history and second most in the Big Ten behind Penn State's 14.
Returning to the NCAA championships are Sarah Hernandez (50 and 100 free, 100 fly, 200 and 400 free relays, 200 and 400 medley relays), Susan Johnson (100 fly, 100 and 200 back, 200 and 400 medley relays, 400 and 800 free relays), Carly Piper (200, 500 and 1650 free, 400 and 800 free relays), Amalia Sarnecki (200 IM, 100 and 200 breast, 200 and 400 medley relay) and Anna Trinidad (200 and 400 IM, 200 back, 200, 400 and 800 free relays).
Newcomers this year are Jenny Gelden (200 and 400 medley relays), Liz Klanderman (200 free, 800 free relay), Hannah McClurg (100 and 200 free, 200 free relay), Jackie Vavrek (50 free, 200 free relay) and Andrea Wiesner (200 and 400 IM, 200 back).
'Our goal is and always will be to be the best Big Ten School at the NCAA championships,' said head coach Eric Hansen. 'Assuming we swim up to our capabilities, this could be a very special meet.'
Auburn is the favorite this year after winning the NCAA team title the last three years. They enter 17 swimmers into the competition and boast top five times in 13 of the 18 events and three overall top times.
Georgia has taken second the last three years, and has 18 swimmers competing, more than any other school. They hold the top time in the nation in nine of the 18 events, four individual and five relays and are expected to battle with Auburn for the top spot once again.
UW boasts top-10 times in nine of the 18 swimming events. Wisconsin holds the Purdue pool records in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:30.36, 2003), the 800-yard freestyle relay (7:07.30, 2003) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:18.42, 2003). On the individual side, Carly Piper owns the pool records in the 500-yard freestyle (4:41.58, 2003), the 200-yard freestyle (1:46.05, 2005), the 1650-yard freestyle (16:02.61, 2003), while former UW swimmers hold it in the 50-yard freestyle (Jenny Lyman'22.80, 2003), the 200-yard backstroke (Sarah McCauley' 1:58.06, 2003) and the 100-yard freestyle (Jenny Lyman'49.64, 2003).
The women haven't had an NCAA Champion since Peggy (Anderson) Meyer won the 3-meter diving board in 1977. The only other UW woman to win a title was D'Lynn Damron who also won the 3-meter board in 1973.
Last year the Badgers placed 10th with 135 points, the highest finish in school history. The women took home eight All-America honors and were led by Carly Piper, who took 12th in the 800-meter freestyle relay, seventh in the 400-meter relay, sixth in the 400-meter freestyle, seventh in the 200-meter freestyle and 11th in the 1500-meter freestyle.
Below is the Official Psyche Sheet of the events for the Championships.
