Also Nominated: Fresno State senior Summir Case turned in two first-place finishes in the backstroke events and also swam a leg of the winning 400 free relay team in the conference loss to San Jose State on Feb. 3. Case placed 48th in the Olympic Selection meet, holds the fifth fastest all-time school record in the 50 free and is the school leader in the 100 and 200 backstroke. She will look to defend her Conference title in the 100 back at this year's championships to be held Feb. 22-24 in San Antonio. With 14 championship swims this season, Case has also added 24 top-3 finishes.
In her final home meet, senior Jada Sanders won three events to lead Rice to a convincing victory over cross-town rival Houston. Sanders touched first as the Owls took the top three spots in the 100 back. She also took the 200 backstroke and 400 IM races.
Fresno State: The Bulldogs came within five points of the Spartans but could not overcomeSan Jose State's early lead and lost 164-130. Winning five of 16 events, Fresno State claimed 25 top-three finishes. Ten events into the competition, the Bulldogs closed the gap at 95-90 but the rally didn't last. Junior Jesie Lewis added two more championship swims to her stellar season, with victories in the 50 and 100 free. Lewis and Summir case, accompanied by Lena Darnell and Kristi Collins, won the 400 free relay. Along with Laurel Frisinger and Greer McGettrick, Case and Lewis completed the second-place 200-medley relay. With the loss, the Bulldogs hope for a sixth 10-win season was erased as the team finished the season with a 9-3 dual meet record. This season the Bulldogs went 1-1 against WAC opponents, defeating Nevada for the first time, while falling to San Jose State for the second straight year.
Winning Record: Veteran swimmers Ping Luo and Kathy Echiverri propelled Nevada past WAC rival San Jose State in the final home meet of the season on Feb. 2. The Wolf Pack upended the Spartans by a score of 132-103. Behind Luo's three wins in the 100, 200 and 500 free, the momentum swung in favor of Nevada. Echiverri added titles in the 200 IM and 100 breast. On the board, Nevada captured first, second, fourth and fifth in the 3-meter competition with Kate Oiness posting a meet-best score of 290.63. Chipping in were Jennifer McCoy, who won the 1,000 free, and Jackie Walk who took second in the 100 back and 1,000 free. Taking the next three weeks to prepare for their first WAC Championships, the Wolf Pack ended the dual season with a 5-3 mark.
Senior Day: In the final home meet for Jada Sanders and Kim Maher, Rice won its final dual meet of the season with a convincing win over Houston, 162-93. The Owls capped off dual competition with a 3-4 record this season. Led by senior Jada Sanders, who earned three individual victories, eight different Owls took the winners stand against the Cougars on Feb. 3. Mandy Mularz won both the 100 fly and 100 free, while Katie Hermann won the 50 free. In the 500 free, Katie Scholl emerged victorious as Jackie Corcoran recorded her first title of the season in the 1,000 free. Paced by Rachel Armstrong, the Owls swept the top-three spots in the 200 free. Rounding out the individual champions were Elaine Lee in the 200 fly and Elizabeth Williams in the 200 breast.
End of the Drought: For the second straight year, San Jose State defeated Fresno State, this year ending the Bulldogs' potential 10-win season. Prior to the 2000 season, the Spartans had gone 14 consecutive years without beating the Bulldogs in dual meet action. Swimmer of the Week Charlotte Pierce shined in the 164-130 victory and won five indivdual titles while guiding the 200 medley relay to victory within 24 hours. A day before, the Spartans fell to Nevada, 103-132.
Kejzar Shines For SMU: Eleventh-ranked SMU trailed No. 4 Stanford and No. 8 Texas at the end of day one. Newcomers Alenka Kejzar and Anu Koivisto led the Mustangs with a 1-2 finish, respectively, in the 200 backstroke. Sarah Chandler turned in second-place efforts in the 200 breastroke and 400-relay team. Again in round two, Kejzar and Koivisto showed no nerves as they turned in first-place showings in the 200 and 100 back, respectively. Koivisto finished second to Kejzar in the 200 back. Searching for momentum, the Mustangs received a boost from Chandler, who took second in the 100 and 200 breast. Georgina Lee and Katina Maistrellis ended the day with runner-up spots in the 200 fly and 50 free, respectively. The 400 medley and free relays were narrowly bumped out of the winners circle.
Season Finale: The TCU Horned Frogs concluded the regular season by defeating North Texas 145-77 on Feb. 3. In the home finale, four senior swimmers, Diane Drake, Bridget Nelson, Sarah Shepard and Heather Vance, were recognized. The group combining for a second-place effort in the 400-medley relay was edged out by teammates Kate Swearingen, Melissa Powell, Kim Miller and Andrea Stevens. In the 200 IM and 800 free, Nelson tallied second-place finishes, while Shepard too second in the 200 fly.
Conference Showdown: Up next for all seven squads is the WAC Championships. Teams will hit the water again Feb. 22-24 in San Antonio, Texas.