NCAA update: UW will swim for medley relay title
March 20, 2009 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Wisconsin positioned itself as the team to beat in the 200-yard medley relay Friday at the NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships.
The Badgers opened the morning preliminaries session by winning their heat and posting the No. 1 time in the 200-yard medley relay at 1:36.45, clocking in just off their own Big Ten Conference time of 1:36.29, which also ranks as the nation's third-fastest mark this season.
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With the disqualification of Arizona's team for a false start, Florida will enter tonight's final as the only team to have gone faster than the Badgers this year, as the Gators own a season-best time of 1:36.22. They were sixth in the prelims at 1:37.64.
The foursome from Auburn was second-fastest and will swim next to the Badgers in the finals after clocking a time of 1:36.90.
UW is ninth in the team standings entering the second night of finals competition.
For the Badgers, sophomore Maggie Meyer led things off on the backstroke with a split of 24.39 seconds before freshman Ashley Wanland took over for the breaststroke and clocked a 50-yard split of 26.98.
Senior Christine Zwiegers then completed her butterfly segment in 23.55 before freshman Beckie Thompson brought the Badgers home with an outstanding anchor split of 21.53 for her 50-yard freestyle leg.
Wanland qualified herself for the championship final of the 100 breaststroke, as well, as she clocked the fifth-fastest prelims time at 59.47 seconds. The performance is Wanland 's third-consecutive swim under the 1-minute mark in the event, dating back to her school-record effort of 59.29 at last month's Big Ten Championships.
Junior Libby Brooks also competed in the 100 breast and clocked a personal-best time of 1:01.78 to finish 38th.
Meyer narrowly missed a spot in the consolation final for the 100 backstroke, finishing 17th in the prelims of the event with a time of 52.90. Junior Candice Peak also competed in the 100 back, posting the 29th-fastest time in 53.44.
Also for the Badgers, junior Gabby Maddalena was 43rd in the prelims of the 400 individual medley, with a time of 4:17.42, while sophomore Karlyn Hougan was 40th in the 100 butterfly at 54.08. Zwiegers was 45th-fastest in the 100 fly at 54.78.
