March 17, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Arizona State University women's swimming and diving team completed the first day of competition Thursday evening at the 2005 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships held at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. The Sun Devils are in 14th after six events with 25 total points.
The 400 medley relay team of Erin Baldinger, Caitlin Andrew, Heidi Schmidt and Florencia Szigeti swam to the teams top finish of the evening, with a ninth-place finish. The relay team touched the wall in 3:40.00 to claim the top spot in the consolation championship. Baldinger swam the opening backstroke leg in a season-best time of 56.90. The relay team's preliminary time of 3:39.97 is a season-best for the ASU women and puts them second in the ASU record books in that event.
The 200 freestyle relay team was first in the pool for the Sun Devil women, with Szigeti, Baldinger, Andrew and Schmidt swimming to a 16th-place finish with at time of 1:32.87. The team swam a preliminary time of 1:32.48 to put them into 15th heading into the finals.
Also in action for the ASU women on the first day of competition were Sarah A Fischer and Kathryn Hennessy in the 500 freestyle event. Fischer touched the wall just ahead of Hennessy, swimming 4:52.34, while Hennessy swam 4:52.37.
In the 50 freestyle Szigeti hit the water for the Sun Devil women finishing in a time of 23.21. Senior All-American Agnes Kovacs was in action in the 200 IM, where she finished sixth at the 2004 NCAA Championships, touching the wall in a time of 2:02.49.
Senior All-American Trisha Tumlinson, who won the Pac-10 title and Zone E Regional title in the platform this season, was in action in the one-meter springboard event in the diving pool. Tumlinson scored a 273.70 to finish 12th overall.
The 2005 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships continues through Saturday at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center. Friday's event schedule includes the 200 medley relay, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke and three-meter springboard diving. Preliminary action begins at 11 a.m. ET, with ASU having participants in all but the 400 IM. Individual participants for Friday's competition include: Andrew (100 butterfly and 100 backstroke), Szigeti (200 freestyle), Schmidt (100 breaststroke), Kovacs (100 breaststroke), and Tumlinson (three-meter springboard).