Badgers’ five finalists score strong finishes in Indy
June 28, 2017 | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
Runge leads way as Wisconsin swimmers claim top-20 finishes at national championships
INDIANAPOLIS — Another day, another fast swim for Cierra Runge.
The Wisconsin sophomore led the charge for a group of five swimmers with Badgers ties that scored spots in the finals Wednesday at the USA Swimming National Championships, taking sixth in the women's 200-meter freestyle.
Runge, who entered as the No. 3 seed, qualified seventh fastest during the morning preliminary session before sliding up to sixth in the final with a time of 1 minute, 57.71 seconds. Katie Ledecky of Stanford took the win in 1:54.84.
Runge completed her first collegiate season at Wisconsin with an All-America performance at the NCAA championships in March, capping a year that saw her record school records in six events.
Junior Abby Jagdfeld, who went a personal-best 1:59.66 in the prelim session to earn a spot in the B Final, matched that time in the consolation race to take sixth place in the section and finish 14th overall.
On the men's side of the 200 free, former Badger Michael Weiss took eighth place in the B Final in 1:48.94 to finish 16th overall after laying down a time of 1:48.59 in the prelims.
Senior Maria Carlson battled to a fifth-place finish in the B Final of the women's 200 breaststroke, taking 13th place overall. Her swim came on the heels of a personal-best effort of 2:28.64 in the prelims.
Freshman Beata Nelson clocked a personal-best time of 2:13.36 to score a runner-up finish in the C Final of the women's 200 backstroke.
The championships continue Thursday, with preliminary rounds set for 8 a.m. (CT) and the finals to follow at 5 p.m. Universal HD will air the finals session live from 5-7 p.m., with a live stream also available via the NBC Sports app.
Wisconsin Results – Wednesday
Women's 200 Freestyle
6. Cierra Runge (1:57.71)
14. Abby Jagdfeld (1:59.66)
Women's 200 Backstroke
18. Beata Nelson (2:13.36)
Women's 200 Breaststroke
13. Maria Carlson (2:29.22)
Women's 50 Butterfly
36-p. Beata Nelson (27.77)
63-p. Megan Doty (28.50)
Men's 200 Freestyle
16. Michael Weiss (1:48.94)
18-p. Brett Pinfold (1:49.11)
DQ. Ryan Stack
Men's 200 Breaststroke
17-p. Cooper Hodge (2:15.50)
38-p. Chris Wills (2:19.52)
("p" denotes preliminary round placing)
Players Mentioned
