Jan. 9, 2010
Final Stats
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -
The Fighting Illini swimmers and divers fell just short of a victory Friday against Miami (FL), falling 96-90 in Norman A. Whitten University Center Pool. The Orange and Blue had a one-point lead heading into the final swim, but the Hurricanes rallied back to sneak by with the win.
"It was a disappointing finish to the meet after competing so strongly for seven of the 10 swimming events," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "These types of pressure situations are the ones we need to keep working on as a team. We need to be able to maintain our focus, intensity and be willing to push to the edge. Miami came storming back and we did not have an answer."
The swimmers started off the day strong with a one-two finish in the 200 medley relay, as the "A" team consisting of CeCe Marizu, Rachel Japp, Brittany McGowan and Kristen Manias swam to first place with a time of 1:49.10, while the "B" team consisting of Anna Johnson, Amy Johnson, April McKee and Kim Kalenda finished close behind with a time of 1:49.69.
Manias picked up a win in the 50 freestyle (24.99) while Kalenda finished in fourth place (25.18). In the 100 backstroke, seniors Marizu (59.25) and Anna Johnson (59.39) claimed the top two spots and McGowan placed first in the 100 butterfly (57.78).
On the boards, the Illini divers competed against Nebraska in the one-meter dive with sophomore Britni Fisher tallying a team-high score of 282.37.
The Illini return to action Jan. 16 at Iowa at 11 a.m. CT.
