RU Swimming & Diving Finishes Third At Rutgers Invitational
Jan 22 | Women's Swimming & Diving
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Jan. 22, 2011) – The Rutgers swimming and diving team finished third of six teams with 170.5 points at the Rutgers Invitational. No. 13 Minnesota led the field with 274 points, while RV Harvard ranked second (250) at the Sonny Werblin Recreation Center.
Following RU was RV Toledo with 111.5 points. In the B Division, Rider finished first (fourth overall) with 90 points, followed by Saint Francis with 56 points.
“Congratulations to Jen Betz for winning the three meter diving event tonight,” said head coach Phil Spiniello. “I am happy with our overall performance this weekend. Our swimmers and fivers gained some momentum this weekend that we will carry into the BIG EAST Championship meet. We are looking forward to a fun meet in Louisville.”
In her last home meet, senior Jen Betz (Ivyland, Pa.) won the three meter event with a score of 320.20, upending Minnesota’s Margaret Keefer by over 17 points. Freshman Nicole Scott (Toronto, Canada) took fourth in the event with a score of 255.80.
SophomoreTaylor Curado (Highlands, Colo.) posted a 56.08 time in the 100 butterfly to finish second overall.
In the 1650 free, freshman Chelsea Rolin () finished third with a time of 17:04.47. The 200 yard medley relay squad also placed third with a time of 1:46.46. Brianne Lindblad (Kent, Wash.) led the team off with a 26.89 split, followed by Emilie Kaufmann (Bothell, Wash.), Curadoand Mary Moser (Wyomissing, Pa.) a time of 23.83.
In the 400 IM, junior Jacquelyn Ward (Berlin, N.J.) touched the wall in 4:25.77 for a third-place finish. In the B heat, Averill slashed 11 seconds off her time to finish with a 4:28.36 time as she touched the wall first, finishing fifth overall.
Lindblad placed fourth in 100 back with a time of 57.40, just ahead of freshman Courtney Sepich (Delran, N.J.), who touched the wall in 59.00.
Kaufmann finished the 100 breast with a time of 1:05.15 to rank fourth. Freshman Trisha Averill (Renton, Wash.) finished sixth (1:05.58) in the event.
Freshman Mary Moser (Wyomissing, Pa.) posted her best time of the season (1:53.87) to rank sixth in the 200 free. Freshman Kara Millaci (Whitehouse Station, N.J.) qualified for the BIG EAST Championship in the 100 fly with a time of 59.69.
Moser posted a 24.38 in the 50 free to take sixth place. Melanie Gaffey (Bohemia, N.Y.) posted a time of 25.11 in the event.
Ashley Steenvoorden of Minnesota took down a Rutgers pool record in the 1650 free with a time of 16:10.93. Steenvoorden broke her old record of 16:26.66, set in 2008 with the Scarlet Athletic Club. Minnesota’s Haley Spencer took down the SWRC pool record in the 100 breast with a time of 1:01.74, besting the old mark of 1:02.60 set in 2008 by J. Young Lee.
Two pool records were broken yesterday as well, including a seven-year old mark in the 200 breast. Spencer from Minnesota swam a 2:14.01 in event to best Rebecca Soni’s old mark of 2:14.20. Soni won the gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 200 breast. Minnesota’s Steenvoorden broke another Rutgers pool record with a time of 4:46.04 in the 500 yard freestyle. Steenvoorden – an East Brunswick, N.J. native – broke her own two-year old record.
The Scarlet Knights will travel to Louisville for the BIG EAST Championship in mid February. The diving action starts Feb.11 and will finish Feb. 13. The conference swim meet runs from Feb. 16-19.
