INDIANAPOLIS – Another day, another strong relay performance for the Wisconsin women's swimming and diving team at the NCAA championships.
 
The Badgers quartet of sophomore Jess Unicomb, junior Marissa Berg, freshman Beata Nelson and senior Chase Kinney grabbed second-team All-America honors Friday with a 12th-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay by clocking a time of 1 minute, 36.62 seconds.
 
"I thought our relay performance tonight was really great," UW head coach Whitney Hite said. "At this meet, you got to be on point from the word 'go' and we were a little bit flat this morning, but overall I think we rallied pretty well and had a good race tonight."
 
Also Friday, sophomore Cierra Runge swam to a 24th-place finish in the prelims of the 200 freestyle in 1:45.36. Runge has been slowed significantly all week by an illness.
 
Senior Maria Carlson narrowly missed a finals berth in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 19th in 1:00.04. In the 100 backstroke, Nelson took 27th in 52.55 and Unicomb was 28th in 52.56.
 
Nelson also was 40th in the 100 breast in 53.33, with senior Dana Grindall taking 42nd in 53.36.
 
Senior Danielle Valley, an All-American in the 500 freestyle on Thursday, finished 39th in the 400 individual medley in 4:13.93.
 
The Badgers close out the NCAA championships Saturday with entries in six swimming events and, for the first time since 1989, a diving competition. Senior Ashley Peterson will be the first UW diver to compete on the 10-meter platform at the NCAA championships.
 
"Certainly to get this far, you've got the ability, so we're excited just to watch and see what happens, and I know that she'll go out there and compete and give it her all," Hite said. "It's really exciting for our program."
 
Prelims begin at 10 a.m. (CT), with the platform diving trials getting underway at 11:15 a.m. The early heats of the 1650-yard freestyle gets underway at 2:45 p.m., with the finals session in the pool starting at 5 p.m.
 
The finals will stream live via WatchESPN.
 
"Our best day typically is the last day and it's how we train and what we've prepared for, so we're excited," Hite said. "We've got arguably our best relay; the 400 free relay is tomorrow so we're excited about that. Danielle is in the final of the mile. Chase has an opportunity to score in the 100 free. Dana has an opportunity to score in the 200 fly. Maria in the 200 breast. Beata in the 200 back and Jess in the 200 back.
 
"We've got some opportunities."