Wisconsin Badgers
Texas Invitational
Meyer's nation-best time helps Badgers claim third
December 05, 2009 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Dec. 5, 2009
Complete Results | Complete Results 
MADISON, Wis. -- After being beaten out for the first time this season on Thursday, Wisconsin junior Maggie Meyer returned to the top spot Friday and then helped the Badgers finish out a third-place finish Saturday at the Texas Invitational.
Meyer, who was knocked off by former American record-holder Lara Jackson in the 50-yard freestyle on the opening night of the meet, tied for the win in the 100-yard backstroke on Friday at the Lee and Joel Jamail Texas Swimming Center in Austin, Texas.
Her time of 52.64 seconds – which improved her own nation-leading mark – matched Arizona’s Ana Agy for the top spot in the race. The performance also improved Meyer’s automatic NCAA championships qualifying mark in the process.
Meyer’s performance – along with a fourth-place finish for the Badgers in the 400-yard freestyle relay on Saturday – helped the Badgers score an impressive third-place showing in the team standings. UW compiled 406.5 points as a team, trailing only meet-winner Arizona (1,084.5) and host and runner-up Texas (1,011).
Perennial power Auburn finished behind the Badgers in fourth with 386 points.
The Badgers had no championship finalist on the final night of the meet, but Meyer came home first in the consolation final of two individual events to help UW’s cause. She clocked an NCAA consideration time of 1:56.97 to take ninth in the 200 backstroke and added an NCAA consideration time of 50.08 to grab ninth in the 100 freestyle, as well.
Seniors Rosie Morahan and Candice Peak contributed individually, as well, in those events. Morahan was 13th in the 100 free in a time of 50.30, while Peak finished 13th in the 200 back in 2:01.93.
Freshman Ruby Martin also scored by taking 16th place in the 200 back in 2:03.50.
Wisconsin also grabbed valuable team points in the 200 breaststroke with senior Libby Brooks taking 10th in 2:18.02 and freshman Paulina Gralow finishing 11th in 2:18.44.
Junior Karlyn Hougan also was 13th in the 200 fly in a time of 2:04.77, with teammates Abby Soderholm (15th, 2:05.84) and Anna Chang (16th, 2:07.94) just behind.
The Badgers wrapped up the three-day meet with a fourth-place showing in the 400 free relay, as the quartet of Morahan, Meyer, Laura Miller and Martin clocked an NCAA consideration time of 3:21.07.
Friday, Meyer and Morahan combined with Gralow and Hougan to clock an NCAA consideration mark of 1:41.24 in the 200 medley relay, a race the Badgers also claimed fourth place in.
Miller, Morahan, Martin and Meyer also posted an NCAA consideration time of 7:23.13 on their way to a runner-up finish in the 800 freestyle relay on Friday.
The Badgers now turn their attention to their annual winter training trip to Hawaii later this month, with their next competition coming in a dual meet against Green Bay on Jan. 23.
