Indiana University Athletics
Zubkova Named Counsilman Hunsaker National Swimmer of the Week
2/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Feb. 24, 2009
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - After putting up record-setting performances in Indiana's Big Ten Championship effort, junior Kate Zubkova was named the Counsilman Hunsaker National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week by CollegeSwimming.com on Tuesday. It is the second time this season an IU swimmer has earned the national honor, joining Matt Lenton who earned the honor in January.
Zubkova recorded two individual victories in the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke, and swam the opening leg of the winning 400-yard medley relay team. In the 100 back, Zubkova defended her Big Ten title with a pool, Big Ten Meet and Big Ten record time of 51.52. The time automatically earned her a slot at next month's NCAA Championships.
She was also the defending champion in the 200 back and breezed to victory with another pool, Big Ten Meet and Big Ten record time of 1:51.45. That was nearly four seconds faster than the second-place finisher. She led off the 400 medley relay with a time of 51.55 in her 100 back as the team went on to set a pool, Big Ten Meet and Big Ten record with a time of 3:31.26. Both her time in the 200 back and the 400 medley relay are NCAA automatic qualifiers.
Zubkova also swam the 200 butterfly where she placed second with a school-record time of 52.44. She helped the Hoosiers to a second-place finish, NCAA auto time and school record in the 200-yard medley relay (1:36.80) and was part of the sixth-place 400 freestyle and seventh-place 200 freestyle relay teams.
For her efforts, Zubkova earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Year. Zubkova and her teammates will continue to train, leading up to the NCAA Championships March 19-21, in College Station, Texas.
Players Mentioned
