March 16, 2012
• Thursday Results | • Friday Results
MADISON, Wis. – The Badgers reached the finals in two events at the NCAA Championships in Auburn, Ala., on Friday, bringing the Wisconsin point total to 70 in the process.
Ashley Wanland led the way for UW, earning All-America honors with seventh place in her signature event, the 100 breast. Wanland clocked in at 59.87, fast enough to secure 12 points for Wisconsin.
“She’s been a integral part of our team this year. I can’t say enough about her,” said head coach Whitney Hite. “She’s a team captain, senior leader and huge part of all of our relays. It’s been a pleasure to coach her, she’s just a great young woman.”
Brittany Kimmitt also raced in the event for the Badgers and barely missed qualifying for finals. Kimmitt’s time of 1:02.08 was the 41st-fastest of the day and her fastest time of the season by nearly two seconds.
The 200 medley relay team of Amie Osten, Wanland, Rebecka Palm, and Beckie Thompson also secured seventh place (1:37.83) as well as All-America recognition, gaining 24 points in the event.
Osten also swam in the 100 back, taking home a time of 54.09 , 47th-best in the preliminary round. Teammate Ruby Martin also competed for UW, touching in at 53.92, good for 44th in the preliminaries.
The Badgers finished strong in the 200 free as well, led by great days from Danielle Beckwith and Laura Miller. Both swimmers failed to qualify for the finals, but posted strong times nonetheless.
Beckwith’s time of 1:47.63 was the 44th-best in the preliminary round, as well as her season-best time. Laura Miller posted a 1:48.72, placing her 54th in the preliminaries and capping her promising season in the event.
Rebecka Palm represented UW in the 100 fly, posting the 26th-best time (53.23) in the prelims, just missing the final round.
Aja Van Hout and Monika Stitski combined to give the Badgers a banner day in the 400 IM, though both swimmers narrowly missed the final round.
Van Hout’s 24th-place 4:12.06 was her best time of the season, and made her the third-fastest 400 IM swimmer in Wisconsin history. Stitski captured a time of 4:13.04, finishing just behind Van Hout in the prelims in 27th.
The 800 free relay finished in 15th, a fantastic finish for the Badgers in an event they didn’t compete in at the NCAAs last year.
The Badgers sit in 14th-place with 70 points, just seven short of 12th-place rival Minnesota. California remains in the team lead with 311 points.
“We had a good day today,” Hite said. “Obviously the 200 medley relay and Ashley were the headliners, but everybody’s swimming well. We’re fighting hard across the board and it’s going to be a heck of a battle from 12th to 15th place. We’re looking forward to tomorrow.”
The NCAA Championships will conclude tomorrow in Auburn, Ala. Races start at 11 a.m., and the 200 back, 100 free, 200 breast, 200 fly, 400 free relay and 1650 free are the remaining events.
