March 17, 2011
Day 1 Results 
MADISON, Wis. – The No. 17 Wisconsin women’s swimming and diving team started the NCAA Championships on a high note Thursday in Austin, Texas. After the first day of competition, the Badgers stand in ninth place with 56 points, ahead of defending champion Florida (53). Georgia is on top of the standings with 129 points.
“I’m really happy (that we’re) in ninth right now,” head coach Eric Hansen said. “It’s a goal of the program to finish in the top 10.”
Hansen’s team had a successful morning of preliminary rounds as swimmers qualified for three of the six events contested, including both relays.
The Badgers started the three-day meet by moving on to the championship final of the 200-yard freestyle relay after being seeded 23rd entering the event.
The team of junior Beckie Thompson, senior Maggie Meyer, freshman Rebecka Palm and sophomore Ruby Martin finished with a season-best 1:28.54 in the preliminaries of the 200 free relay and went on to finish sixth in the finals (1:28.67) for the Badgers’ first All-America performance of the night.
Finishing .24 behind fifth-place Auburn, Wisconsin got 26 points from the event, which is more in the first event alone than the team claimed in all of day one’s events last year (23).
Meyer, Palm and Thompson joined junior Ashley Wanland in the 400-yard medley relay and finished with another All-America performance for the Badgers. The group finished fifth in 3:31.73, which is a new school record.
“Our relays definitely stepped up (tonight),” Hansen said. “It’s nice to finish the first night with five First-Team All Americans.”
Thompson also qualified for the finals individually in the 50-yard freestyle a month after winning her third-straight Big Ten title in the event.
The junior also received her third individual honorable mention All-America accolade of her career in the event after finishing 15th overall in 22.52.
Her medley relay teammates hope to do the same on Friday.
Palm looks to qualify for the finals in the 100-yard butterfly, while Wanland hopes to do the same in the 100-yard breaststroke and Meyer seeks her second-straight All-America performance in the 100-yard backstroke.
Martin will also swim in the 200-yard freestyle.
Although Hansen is keeping an eye on the scoreboard going into the second day of competition, he knows what it will take for the Badgers to maintain their place in the top 10 throughout the championships.
“We know that performances will get us to where we want to be,” he said. “Our hope is to get as many swimmers qualified to the top eight (of each championship final) as possible.
“We have really strong events coming up tomorrow and on Saturday.”
Among Friday’s events are three that Wisconsin has a top-10 seed in: the 200-yard medley relay, the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard breaststroke.
The 2011 NCAA Women’s Swimming and Diving Championships continue Friday with preliminary rounds at 11 a.m. and finals at 7 p.m. Fans can watch the finals on espn3.com.
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Caissa Casarez
UW Athletic Communications
