March 18, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs are living up to their top billing, as they picked up three victories, set an American/NCAA meet record in the 800 freestyle relay and registered four more pool records Friday night at day two of the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, being held at Purdue's Boilermaker Aquatic Center.
More importantly, Georgia increased its lead over archrival Auburn to 93.5 points, 422.5 to 329. Arizona is third with 290 points and Florida is fourth with 256 points. Stanford is also over the 200-point wall with 216 points.
In just over 24 hours Georgia should return to the stage as national champions, a platform Auburn has ruled for the past three season. The Bulldogs last national title was in 2001, its last of three consecutive championships.
200 Medley Relay
Georgia won its third relay in three tries, clocking a pool record time of 1:37.81 in the opening race of day two. The race was a three-way dual the whole way as the Bulldogs were forced to hold off the Texas Longhorns and Arizona Wildcats. Arizona had posted the best prelim time of 1:38.75, but were overmatched by UGA's tandem of Mary DeScenza and Kara Lynn Joyce over the final 100 yards.
Texas briefly held the lead thanks to Elizabeth Tinnion's 100 breast split of 27.33, but Georgia took over once DeScenza dove into the pool. DeScenza's split was timed at 23.55. Georgia's first two legs of the relay were completed by Samantha Arsenault (24.73 - back) and Sarah Poewe (27.94 - breast).
Auburn, which has won this event the last two seasons, finished fifth with a time of 1:40.66. Georgia is only the fourth team to win this event since it's inception at NCAA's in 1994. The Tigers have won this event four times, Stanford has won six 200 medley relay titles and California won in 2000.
400 Individual Medley
Auburn, which found itself in a 86-point hole after the 200 medley relay, started its attempt to claw back with senior Kirsty Coventry winning the 400 IM in pool record time of 4:04.48. Her time is also the second fastest of all time, behind Summer Sanders' (Stanford) mark of 4:02.28.
Coventry, who shaved over five seconds off her prelim time of 4:09.69, was also last night's champion in the 200 IM (1:54.37).
The Tigers also received fifth-place points from sophomore Adrienne Binder, who clocked a time of 4:11.28, and claimed the 11th, 15th and 16th points as well, reducing the Bulldog lead to 51 points.
100 Butterfly
The question was asked this afternoon, who would replace the legendary Natalie Coughlin as the next champion of the 100 butterfly. Friday night the question was answered by Georgia's Mary DeScenza, winning with a time of 52.11. She is the first Bulldog to win this race since Lisa Coole in 1996.
DeScenza led at the halfway mark with a 100-yard split of 24.84, but found herself fighting for position as Whitney Myers of Arizona, Candace Weiman of Florida and Brooke Boncher of Richmond began to make their move. With the competition breathing down DeScenza's neck on the final turn, the Bulldog accelerated over the last 25 yards, beating Myers by .63 seconds.
DeScenza's time was a new pool record, breaking her prelim time of 52.16 recorded Friday afternoon.
Georgia increased their lead to 78.5 points following this event, and only continued to pad it as the night unfolded.
200 Freestyle
Auburn Senior Margaret Hoelzer continued the Friday night tradition of exchanging victories with archrival Georgia, taking first in the 200 free with a time of 1:44.60. Hoelzer posted the third best time of the prelims at 1:46.26, and further shaved two seconds of her time to claim her second consecutive NCAA title in this event.
Hoelzer led at the 50 and 100-yard marks, moving ahead of the rest of the field by almost a whole second until Amanda Weir of Georgia and Caroline Burckle of Florida began to make their move. Hoelzer held off the competition, with Weir coming across second in 1:45.07 and Burkle third at 1:45.95. Prelim winner Joyce of Georgia was fourth in the finals with a time of 1:46.03.
100 Breaststroke
The NCAA title in the 100 breast will remain in Palo Alto, Calif., as freshman Caroline Bruce of Stanford won in come-from-behind fashion over the Georgia tandem of Lindsey Ertter and Sarah Poewe. Bruce, who trailed the Bulldogs after the first 50-yards, powered her way down the stretch winning with a pool-record time of 59.55. The rookie's mark is also the third fastest all time.
Prior to Bruce's win, the 100 breast title resided with former Cardinal great Tara Kirk, who won four straight NCAA titles from 2001 to 2004.
Ertter, this morning's prelim champion, was second at 59.85 and Poewe was third with a mark of 1:00.19. Bruce was third this afternoon in prelims with a mark of 1:00.69.
100 Backstroke
A new champion was forced to emerge in the 100 back to replace four-time NCAA champion and Cal legend Natalie Coughlin, who graduated last season. Taking over the mantle of champion was Arizona junior Marshi Smith who touched first with a time of 52.82, just beating out Auburn's Hoelzer who touched second at 52.99.
Smith, the first Wildcat ever to win this event, also had a winning prelim time from this afternoon of 52.88.
Smith began the race swimming neck and neck with teammate junior Jenna Gresdal, but over the final 25-yards, Auburn's Hoelzer pushed hard to earn the second-place points.
If Hoelzer had won, she would have been the first athlete to win two individual titles at this year's NCAA meet. Thursday, Georgia's Kara Lynn Joyce was a winner in the 50 free and with the 200 freestyle relay team.
Entering the 3-meter diving competition, Georgia led the field with 382.5 points, defending champion Auburn was second with 290 points and Arizona and Florida were in a battle for third, with the Wildcats leading, 256 to 226.
3-meter springboard
Purdue's Carrie McCambridge, this afternoon's winner of the 3-meter prelims, came within 30 points of Purdue swimming and diving's first ever national title; however, the gold medal went to USC's Blythe Hartley with her pool record score of 586.15 points. McCambridge, the bronze medalist, earned a varsity record 558.90 points, beating her previous record of 546.10 set at this year's Big Ten Championships.
The silver medal went to Iowa's Nancilea Underwood, who scored 561.84 points. Underwood stayed consistent through the six round competition, averaging 62 points on each dive.
McCambridge is Purdue's third two-time All-American joining assistant coach Darlene Renie (Warta) and Kim Fritsch. Renie was an All-American in the 200 fly in 1989 and 1990, and Fritsch won her citations in the same event in 1993 and 1994.
For most of the competition, it was a two-way race between Hartley and Hawaii's Qiong Jie Huang, last night's 1-meter champion. Huang grabbed the lead momentarily after round three, scoring 73.50 points off a back 2.5 somersault dive, but Hartley came right back in round four with a 72.00 score with a reverse 2.5 somersault.
Round five was unkind to Huang as she missed her dive and scored only 27.00 points, while Hartley increased her lead with a 47.85 total. McCambridge also took advantage of Huang's error, posting a score of 62.35 on her reverse 1.5 somersault dive with 2.5 twists.
Hartley clinched her third ever NCAA title (platform and 1-meter - 2002) with a judge's score of 60.00 after completing a forward 2.5 somersault with one twist.
800 Freestyle Relay
Georgia extended its perfection in the relays to a fourth race, as its 800 free relay team of DeScenza, Joyce, Elizabeth Hill and Weir touched first in 7:01.03, which established new American, pool and NCAA meet records. The Bulldogs were dominant from the word 'go' as DeScenza established a new pool record in the 200 free with her relay split of 1:44.14.
Joyce, a three-time winner at this year's meet, swam the second leg and recorded a clip of 1:45.43, giving UGA a body-length lead as Hill made the team's third jump. That lead was extended by Weir who also swam the final leg in 1:45.34.
Even in their championship seasons of 1999, 2000 and 2001, Georgia has never won four relays at any national championship meet.
The Purdue team of Lauren Willis, Christine Leupold, Katie Seleskie and Susan Hentschel finished last in the second heat swimming in lane eight with a time of 7:27.16.
American/NCAA Meet Records
800 Free Relay - Georgia (DeScenza, Joyce, Hill, Weir) - 7:01.03
Pool Records
200 Medley Relay - Georgia (Arsenault, Poewe, DeScenza, Joyce) - 1:37.81
400 Individual Medley - Kirsty Coventry - Auburn - 4:04.48
100 Butterfly - Mary DeScenza - Georgia - 52.11
200 Freestyle - Mary DeScenza - Georgia (800 Free Relay split) - 1:44.14 100 Breaststroke - Caroline Bruce - Stanford - 59.55 3-meter diving - Blythe Hartley - USC - 586.15 800 Free Relay - Georgia (DeScenza, Joyce, Hill, Weir) - 7:01.03
Winner's Quotes
Georgia, 200 medley relay
(Samantha Arsenault, Sarah Poewe, Mary Descenza and Kara Lynn Joyce)
Arnsenalt: "This is my second national championship here, and it still feels great. We do it all for the team victory, and this certainly keeps the ball rolling in the right direction. I started off for us, and was really excited to get under 25 seconds for my leg. Our goal was to get out front from the very beginning and stay there the whole race."
Kirsty Coventry, Auburn - 400 individual medley
"This championship has really gone well for me. I am having a lot of fun and really enjoying myself. Honestly, this race was painful, but it went well. Winning was the plan. My back kick spun at times, but this still was a good race for me, and I'm happy about my time. I'm a senior, so I'm just trying to do all I can to fire up my team."
Mary Descenza, Georgia - 100 butterfly
"I've been on a couple of relays at this championship, but this is my first individual win. This is a good feeling. I often don't do the 100 fly, and this is my first win that event, but it's great to branch out and even better to win. Everything is coming together for our team, and it's awesome what we are achieving here."
Margaret Hoelzer, Auburn - 200 freestyle
"I wasn't happy about yesterday's performance, so I decided that today that I was just going to take it out. I knew it would hurt, I knew it wouldn't feel good, but I was determined to suck it up and do what it took to win. Luckily, it worked out in my favor."
Caroline Bruce, Stanford - 100 breaststroke
"My coach told me before the race just to go out there and have fun. Whenever I have fun, winning seems to follow. Coming into this year, Stanford needed a breaststroker to step up, and I feel that's I have done this season."
Marshi Smith, Arizona - 100 backstroke
"I knew the race was going to be close, so I decided to take it out hard and try to hold on until the end. It worked, but it also hurt. I've been thinking about this moment for a long time, but it feels great for it to actually come true."
Blythe Hartley, USC - 3-meter diving
"Overall, my dives tonight were good. I was consistent, and that was the key. I felt as though I missed my fifth and sixth dives, but I already had a few solid dives by then. I was most nervous about dives number two and three, but they were my best dives, and I was happy to see that."
Georgia - 800 freestyle relay
(Mary Descenza, Kara Lynn Joyce, Elizabeth Hill and Amanda Weir)
Joyce: "We had high expectations coming into this race. Winning would - and did - set us up for taking home a national championship as a team tomorrow night. We knew this race would be close between Auburn, Florida and us. I'm happy I could stretch out our lead during my leg of the race."