Feb. 19, 2010
Day 3 Results | Day 3 Results 
| Photo Gallery 
| Video: Day 3 Wrapup 
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Maggie Meyer was already familiar with the path to the top of the awards stand at the Big Ten championships.
Standing alone atop the podium was a change, however.
Already a four-time champion as part of winning relays with her Wisconsin teammates, Meyer scored her first-ever individual conference championship by matching her own school record on the way to a win in the 100-yard backstroke.
The win was one of two All-Big Ten performances for the Badgers on the third night of the 2010 Big Ten Championships at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. Sophomore Ashley Wanland also scored a runner-up finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Meyer's win came after she matched her own record mark of 52.27 to hold off the Indiana duo of Donna Smailis (52.55) and Kate Fesenko (53.22). It was her third title in as many days, as she also contributed to the Badgers' wins in the 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relays.
"I was just trying to go for it and control my race," said Meyer, now a five-time Big Ten champion. "I'm happy with my results and expect to go faster at NCAAs next month.
"I hope that I can take that mark a little lower."
Meyer went out in 25.25 for the first 50 yards, giving her a cushion over Fesenko. From there, she cruised to her second-straight All-Big Ten performance in the event. Meyer was second to Fesenko in the event last season.
Her performance also came in pool-record time, improving the previous mark of 52.32 set by Olympic gold medalist Kirsty Coventry in 2005.
The 100 back proved to be a boost to the Badgers in the team race, as senior Candice Peak scored a seventh-place finish in a season-best and NCAA "B" qualifying time of 54.06.
Fellow senior Sara Goff also came up big by winning the consolation final and earning a ninth-place overall finish with her season-best 54.58, while sophomore Amie Osten came home 13th in 55.22.
In all, the Badgers netted 45 points from the 100 back, and they stand sixth after 14 events with a score of 255.5. Indiana leads the team race at 451 points.
In the 100 breast, Wanland earned a runner-up finish and second-team All-Big Ten honors for the second-consecutive year, as she clocked a season-best time of 1:00.16 to finish just back of Minnesota's Jillian Tyler (59.35).
Wanland owns each of the top eight 100 breaststroke times in school history, with her performance Friday ranking No. 6 all-time.
Meyer and Wanland both contributed to the Badgers' third-place performance in the 400 medley relay, in which they combined with freshman Laura Miller and sophomore Beckie Thompson to clock in at 3:36.47 - an NCAA "B" cut and the fourth-fastest mark in school history.
The Badgers also got scoring performances from senior Gabby Maddalena, who was 12th in the 400 individual medley in 4:18.88, and junior Karlyn Hougan, who took 14th in the 100 butterfly in 55.38.
The Big Ten championships conclude Saturday with a full slate of events that begins with prelims at 10 a.m. and wraps up with a finals session at 5:30 p.m.
