Feb. 21, 2000
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.-- Sophomore Jessica Aveyard highlighted the University of
Illinois' final day of the Big Ten Championships at the IUPUI Natatorium in
Indianapolis, Ind.
Setting the school record in the 200 back with a time of 1:57.90 and helping
Illinois to a seventh-place finish, Aveyard brought the total to six Illini
swimmers to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympic Trials this season, while
becoming the first Illini to make the A standard cut to the NCAA
Championships. The NCAA meet institutes both an A and B standard, where the
A barrier is an automatic qualification while the B is a provisional one.
Aveyard's qualifying marks the sixth straight year under head coach Jim Lutz
that Illinois has sent a participant to the NCAA Championships. The NCAA
championships take place March 16-18 in Indianapolis.
Coming back from a rough start to the championships, the Illini moved up two
spots for seventh overall with 258.5 points. Minnesota won the championship
for the second consecutive year with 562.50 points. In eighth place on the
second day, Illinois finished out the meet strongly to overtake Iowa, who
tallied 232 points, and Ohio State who dropped to 10th with 196.50 points.
At 330, Indiana registered sixth.
"We had a good night, and this morning was a best session we had," Lutz
said. "We overcame a big deficit. We could have packed it in after the
first day, but we continued to get better and that was a big thrill for us."
In addition to Aveyard, those Illini qualifying for the 2000 trials this
weekend included seniors Natasha Messmer (200 fly) and Emily Wang (100 free)
and sophomore Kathy Kielty (200 back). Juniors Darcy Adler (100 breast)
and Anna Christiansen (400 IM and 200 breast) previously made the trials
during the season.
Christiansen placed the highest for Illinois, taking third in the finals of
the 200 breast, in 2:16.34. Aveyard placed fifth in the 200 back with a
time of 1:59.21 and Messmer finished seventh in the 200 fly, in 2:02.96.
Kielty made the trial cut with a 12th-place showing in the 200 back with a
mark of 2:01.68. In the 100 free consolation finals, Wang and fellow senior
Traci Bollinger finished ninth and 12th with times of 50.93 and 51.14,
respectively. In the 1650 free, sophomore Jen Peters placed fifth,
16:48.61, while senior Kelly Handel took 10th with a time of 16:56.81. In
the final event of the championships, Wang and Bollinger teamed with fellow
seniors Marcie Black and Betsy Nagel for seventh in the 400 free relay with
a time of 3:25.00, tying the school record.
-illini-
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Finals:
400 Free Relay
7.Wang, Bollinger, Black, Nagel 3:25.00
200 Fly
7. Natasha Messmer 2:02.96
200 Back
5. Jessica Aveyard 1:59.21
12. Kathy Kielty 2:01.68
200 Breast
3. Anna Christiansen 2:16.34
100 Free
9. Emily Wang 50.88
12. Traci Bollinger 51.17
1650 Free
5. Jen Peters 16:48.61
10. Kelly Handel 16:56.81
Final Standings
1. Minnesota 562.50
2. Michigan 501
3. Northwestern 459
4. Penn State 435
5. Wisconsin 423.50
6. Indiana 330
7. Illinois 258.50
8. Iowa 232
9. Purdue 206
10. Ohio State 196.5
