University of Illinois
Big Ten Championships
Illini Conclude B1G Championships
February 20, 2016 | Swimming & Diving
Three school records fall on final day of competition
Final Results (PDF) | Day 1 Recap | Day 2 Recap | Day 3 Recap
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Illinois Women's Swimming and Diving wrapped up competition at the 2016 Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, tonight after four days of action. The Fighting Illini claimed a 12th place finish, racking up 234 points.
"It was great to set three school records on the last day and earn two more NCAA B standards," shared Illinois head coach Sue Novitsky. "We were a little flat at the start of prelims, but [Gabbie] Stecker and [Samantha] Stratford have been tough all meet and came on strong in the 200 fly to earn final swims. They both got faster at night and joined [Gabrielle] Bethke and [Megan] Vuong to finish the meet with a school record in the 400 free relay. We improved as a team with our times and getting more swims at night. We were looking to move up as a team, but I feel we took some strong steps for the future."
In the morning preliminaries, Gabbie Stecker and Samantha Stratford both exceeded the Illini 200 butterfly school record time. Stecker finished 14th with a 1:59.26 in the prelim while Stratford clocked a mark of1:59.53 for 16th, both Illini earned spots in the finals. In the finals, Stratford finished 13th with a time of 1:59.12, bettering the record yet again. Stecker also exceeded the mark with a 1:59.24 for a 15th place finish.
Stratford and Stecker's marks both were within the NCAA B standards.
The 400 freestyle relay team of Gabrielle Bethke, Megan Vuong, Stecker and Stratford added another school record on the evening. The group clocked a mark of 3:21.08 for a ninth place finish in the event.
Next on the slate for the Orange and Blue, is the Purdue-hosted Last Chance Meet slated for next weekend. Action begins at 7 a.m. CT on Saturday, Feb. 27.
FOLLOW THE ILLINI
Check out FIGHTINGILLINI.com for more information about the Orange and Blue. Additionally, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for more coverage.
| Big Ten Championships - Day 4 Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Swimmer | Preliminary Mark/finish | Finals Mark/finish |
| 1650 Freestyle | Amelia Schilling | 16:50.13/26th | N/A |
| Nelly Casas | 16:59.24/29th | N/A | |
| Autumn Ledgin | 18:00.53/43rd | N/A | |
| 200 Backstroke | Sloane McDermott | 2:00.47/34th | N/A |
| Kaitlyn Joyce | 2:04.74/49th | N/A | |
| Sam Gowdy | 2:05.59/52nd | N/A | |
| Rebecca Eckblad | 2:07.96/53rd | N/A | |
| Autumn Ledgin | 2:14/57/56th | N/A | |
| 100 Free | Gabrielle Bethke | :50.65/34th | N/A |
| Sascha Meyers | :51.10/45th | N/A | |
| Audrey Rodawig | :51.26/53rd | N/A | |
| Sarah Sykstus | :51.75/66th | N/A | |
| Kirsten Zborek | :52.31/77th | N/A | |
| Gabriele Serniute | :52.32/78th | N/A | |
| Adelaide Curry | :53.35/86tth | N/A | |
| Kaitlyn Joyce | :53.57/87th | N/A | |
| 200 Breaststroke | 2:16.81/35th | N/A | |
| Jennifer Coady | 2:17/19/38th | N/A | |
| Charli Wike | 2:18.08/39th | N/A | |
| Isabella Schamber | 1:50.86/52nd | N/A | |
| Stephanie Hein | 2:21.11/49th | N/A | |
| Hollie Smith | 2:22.90/57th | N/A | |
| 200 Fly | Gabbie Stecker | 1:59.26/14th | 1:59.24/15th |
| Samantha Stratford | 1:59.53/16th | 1:59.12/13th | |
| Lori Lynn | 2:01.87/32nd | N/A | |
| Megan Vuong | 2:02.05/33rd | N/A | |
| Nelly Casas | 2:02.19/34th | N/A | |
| Sascha Meyers | 2:02.65/37th | N/A | |
| 400 Free Relay | Bethke, Vuong, Stecker, Stratford | NA | 3:21.08/9th |
| Platform Diving | Madeline Kuhn | 187.65/36th | N/A |
