Indiana University Athletics
Hoosier Women Send 16 to NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
3/17/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 17, 2009
Indiana at NCAA Championships- Meet Notes 
NO. 13 INDIANA at NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 19-21
Student Rec Center Natatorium
College Station, Texas
2008 Finish: 10th (128 points)
SETTING THE SCENE
• Indiana will send its largest-ever contingent to the NCAA Championships with 13 swimmers and three divers making the trip to Texas.
• The Hoosier swimmers will compete in the following events:
Brittany Barwegen
100 Butterfly
100 Breaststroke
200 Butterfly
Donna Smailis
200 IM
100 Butterfly
100 Backstroke
400 Medley Relay
200 Medley Relay
800 Free Relay
Kate Zubkova
100 Backstroke
200 Backstroke
200 IM
400 Medley Relay
200 Medley Relay
Nikki White
500 Freestyle
200 Freestyle
1,650 Freestyle
800 Free Relay
Amanda Smith
500 Freestyle
1,650 Freestyle
200 Butterfly
800 Free Relay
Cassie Luhrsen
500 Freestyle
1,650 Freestyle
Ashley Jones
200 IM
400 IM
200 Backstroke
Sarah Stockwell
100 Breaststroke
200 Breaststroke
400 Medley Relay
200 Medley Relay
Margaux Farrell
200 Freestyle
100 Freestyle
400 Medley Relay
200 Medley Relay
Allison Kay
400 IM
200 Butterfly
Amilee Smith
400 IM
200 Breaststroke
Brittany Strumbel
200 Freestyle
800 Free Relay
Abby Cooper
100 Breaststroke
200 Breaststroke
Christina Loukas
Diving
Brittney Feldman
Diving
Gabby Agostino
Diving
2009 INDIANA BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS RECAP
• Indiana captured its second Big Ten championship in three seasons with an 823-point performance Feb. 19-21 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
• The Hoosiers did it with depth as the team took home just four individual titles: 100 Backstroke (Kate Zubkova), 200 Backstroke (Kate Zubkova), 500 Freestyle (Nikki White), three-meter springboard (Christina Loukas).
• Zubkova's time of 51.52 in the 100 backstroke and 1:51.45 in the 200 backstroke were both Big Ten records.
• The 400 medley relay team was also victorious as Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell set a new Big Ten record with a time of 3:31.26.
• White set a new Big Ten meet record in the 500 free with her time of 4:37.47. Amanda Smith finished fourth.
• Ashley Jones took second in the 200 IM with a school-record time of 1:58.24. Donna Smailis was third.
• Three of the top-five finishers on the one-meter springboard were Hoosiers in Loukas (second), Brittney Feldman (fourth) and Gabby Agostino (fifth).
• Allison Kay placed second in the 400 IM and posted a school record of 4:07.52 in the prelims. Jones was third, followed by Amilee Smith in fifth.
• Zubkova took second in the 100 fly for the second-straight season, posting a new school mark of 52.44. Smailis was third in 53.05.
• Farrell placed fourth in the 200 free, with fellow freshman Brittany Strumbel fifth.
• Sarah Stockwell took down the school record in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 59.40 to finish third. Abby Cooper took fourth in 1:00.07.
• Loukas added another Big Ten title with a conference-record 400.75 points to take the three-meter crown. Feldman placed third, with Agostino fourth.
• Joining Zubkova in the 200 back final was Jones who placed fifth.
• Farrell added a fourth-place finish in the 100 free, while Brittany Barwegen was fourth in the 200 butterfly.
• Stockwell added another record to her collection with a time of 2:09.84 to finish third in the 200 breaststroke. Cooper took fourth.
• Amanda Smith made the 1,650 free school record her own with a time of 16:00.02. White was third, with Allison Kay fourth and Cassie Luhrsen fifth.
• Loukas capped her Big Ten career by finishing fourth on the platform, with Christina Kouklakis fifth.
• Loukas was named Big Ten Diver of the Year and Big Ten Diver of the Championships for the fourth time in her career.
• Zubkova was honored as the Big Ten Swimmer of the Year.
• Ray Looze was named the Big Ten Swimming Coach of the Year.
NCAA ZONE C RECAP
• Indiana qualified three divers from the NCAA Zone C Championships held March 13-15 in Minneapolis, Minn.
• Senior Christina Loukas won the three-meter (736.35) and one-meter (636.10) springboard competitions to earn her spot at the NCAA meet.
• Junior Brittney Feldman makes her second-straight NCAA appearance after finishing third on the three-meter (614.85) and second on the one-meter (574.05).
• Freshman Gabby Agostino makes her first trip to the national meet after taking fourth on the three-meter (607.20) and fifth on the one-meter (539.65).
NEWS AND NOTES
• IU finished 6-1 in dual meets this season. Its only loss came at the hands of No. 3 Texas, 211-178 in November.
• The Hoosiers closed out the regular season on Jan. 24 with a 210-159 dual meet win over in-state rival Purdue.
• Indiana won every event in the meet.
• Indiana won 10 events on Jan. 17 for dual meet wins over Missouri and Ohio State at the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center.
• The Hoosiers took the 200 medley relay, 1,650 freestyle, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 1-meter springboard, , 100 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 butterfly and 3-meter springboard.
• Kate Zubkova (100 back, 200 back), Donna Smailis (100 fly, 100 free) and Christina Loukas (1-meter springboard, 3-meter springboard) were all double winners for Indiana.
• Indiana finished second in a quad meet with No. 10 Tennessee, No. 22 Michigan and Illinois, Jan. 9-10. The Hoosiers finished with 1,294.5 points, more than 500 points ahead of third-place Michigan. Tennessee placed first.
EARLIER THIS YEAR...
• At the Hoosierland Invite in November, freshman Nikki White made a national splash with an A cut time of 4:36.61 in the 500 freestyle. In addition to being a school record, it is currently the ninth-fastest time ever by an American.
• Not finished yet, White set a then-school record in the 200 free with a time of 1:46.28 and also added IU's 1,650-yard freestyle record to her list with a time of 16:07.39. That record has since been broken by Amanda Smith.
• Senior Sarah Stockwell bettered the school mark in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:01.54, while teammate Abby Cooper recorded a new record in the 200 breast (2:13.98).
• Stockwell would go on to break both those records at the Big Ten Championships.
• Not to be outdone, Brittany Barwegen put up a new record in the 200 butterfly with a time of 1:56.22 to finish first and better her NCAA B cut.
• In all a total of six school record and 20 NCAA B cuts were achieved at the early-season meet.
• Several swimmers also competed at the U.S. Short Course Nationals in December, led by White's fourth-place finish in the 500 freestyle.
• White also took eighth in the B final of the 200 free and fifth in the 1,650 free.
• Sophomore Amanda Smith was second in the 1,650 freestyle with an NCAA B time of 16:11.33, and placed sixth in the 200 fly (1:58.16-NCAA B).
• Donna Smailis was second in the B final of the 100 butterfly (54.24), while Brittany Barwegen was fifth (54.89). Barwegen also took eighth in the 200 fly (1:58.55).
• In a victory over Northwestern on Oct. 24, Indiana won 10 events, led by Zubkova who took home wins in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 butterfly and 400 medley relay.
• Junior Brittney Feldman was a double winner in diving, taking the one-meter and three-meter springboard titles.
• Indiana opened the year in dominating fashion by winning all but one event against Kentucky on Oct. 18.
• Sophomore Christina Kouklakis won her first-ever collegiate event, taking first in the three-meter springboard against the Wildcats.
FAST TIMES FOR THE HOOSIERS
• In 2009, Indiana has posted one or more of the five fastest times in school history in the following events:
100 Free (1 of 5 top fastest)
200 Free (5 of 5 top fastest)
500 Free (5 of 5 top fastest)
1650 Free (4 of 5 top fastest)
100 Back (2 of 5 top fastest)
200 Back (2 of 5 top fastest)
100 Breast (5 of 5 top fastest)
200 Breast (5 of 5 top fastest)
100 Fly (3 of 5 top fastest)
200 Fly (5 of 5 top fastest)
200 IM (5 of 5 top fastest)
400 IM (4 of 5 top fastest)
400 Free Relay (1 of 5 top fastest)
800 Free Relay (1 of 5 top fastest)
200 Medley Relay (1 of 5 top fastest)
400 Medley Relay (1 of 5 top fastest)
• Of those, new school records have been set in the 200 free, 500 free, 1650 free, 100 back, 200 back, 100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 IM, 400 IM, 800 free relay, 200 medley relay and 400 medley relay this season.
BIG TEN RECORD HOLDERS
• En route to their team title, the Hoosiers took down several league records in the process:
- 100 Back: Kate Zubkova (51.52)
- 200 Back: Kate Zubkova (1:51.45)
- 400 Medley Relay: Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis, Margaux Farrell (3:31.26)
• In addition, Nikki White set the 500 free record earlier this season.
LOUKAS NAMED TO 2009 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM
• Indiana University senior Christina Loukas was named to the USA Diving 2009 World Championship team, the organization announced in February. Loukas was selected to compete on the one-meter and three-meter springboard following a four-day selection camp held in Columbus, Ohio.
• The 2009 FINA World Championships will take place July 18-25 in Rome, Italy.
• Loukas was one of six 2008 Olympians selected to the World Championship team. Loukas and fellow Olympians Ariel Rittenhouse will represent the USA on the three-meter springboard, while Brittany Viola will join Loukas in the one-meter competition.
• The athletes went through a grueling four-day selection camp last week to show their readiness for competition. Loukas performed her three-meter list four times in one day, finishing first once, second twice and third once. She also performed her one-meter list three times, finishing second twice and third once.
• The World Championships team members will be required to demonstrate competitive readiness at the 2009 AT&T USA Diving Grand Prix in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., May 7-9. Synchronized teams for the World Championships will be chosen at a selection camp in Ft. Lauderdale following the Grand Prix.
DID YOU KNOW
• Indiana posted an NCAA qualifying cut, either A or B, in 16 of 18 events. The only events the Hoosiers did not have an NCAA cut in were the 50 free and 200 free relay.
2008 NCAA RECAP
• The Indiana women's swimming and diving team posted its best finish since 2005 with a 10th-place showing at the 2008 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held at the McCorkle Pavilion in Columbus, Ohio.
• The Hoosiers brought home a total of 16 All-America certificates, led by five from sophomore Kate Zubkova. In her first NCAA meet, Zubkova finished second in the 200-yard backstroke with a school-record time of 1:53.17. She added a third-place finish in the 100 back with the third-fastest time in school history at 52.02.
• Zubkova also advanced to the consolation final of the 100 butterfly where she finished 16th.
• Zubkova teamed up with Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis and Presley Bard to finish eighth in the 200 medley relay (1:39.33) and sixth in the 400 medley relay (3:34.14). Their time in the 200 is the third-fastest in school history, while the 400 time is a new school record.
• Bard joined Zubkova in the 100 back final where she placed seventh with a lifetime best of 53.34. She also earned All-America honors in the 200 backstroke with a 16th-place finish (1:56.46). Freshman Amanda Smith made a splash at her first national meet with All-America honors in the 500 free (4:43.93).
• In the diving well, sophomore Brittney Feldman opened competition on the one-meter springboard with a third-place finish (323.75), then added another All-America certificate on the three-meter springboard when she placed fifth (336.25).
• Senior Christie Fuchs finished 33rd in the prelims of the 1,650 freestyle (17:05.73) and 39th in the 200 butterfly (2:01.08).
• Junior Allison Kay narrowly missed the consolation final in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:13.74 that was good for 17th. Kay placed 29th in the 200 butterfly (1:59.51) and 44th in the 500 freestyle (4:50.25).
• In addition to her relay duties, Smailis was 39th in the 100 butterfly (54.05), 41st in the 200 individual medley (2:01.58) and 52nd in the 100 freestyle (50.10).
• Smith also competed in the 1,650 freestyle where she finished 23rd (16:27.60), as well as the 200 freestyle (49th- 1:48.40).
• Stockwell represented the Hoosiers in both breaststroke events, placing 24th in the 100 breast (1:02.07) and 29th in the 200 breast (2:15.22).
• Smith, Smailis, Fuchs and Kay combined to finish 20th in the 800 freestyle relay (7:20.47).
• In all, Indiana swimmers posted seven top-20 finishes for their best-ever showing under third-year head coach Ray Looze. It also marked the first time in school history that both the men's and women's teams placed in the top-10 at the NCAA Championships in the same season.
DID YOU KNOW, PART 2?
• Junior Kate Zubkova has never lost a 100 or 200 backstroke race in Big Ten dual meet competition.
Players Mentioned
