Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
NCAA Championships
Loukas Earns Silver at NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships
3/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
March 19, 2009
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Senior Christina Loukas opened her final NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on a high note, taking second in the one-meter springboard to lead the Hoosiers on day one of the meet at the Student Rec Center in College Station, Texas.
Indiana is currently in 12th place with 38 points. Arizona leads the way with 141.5 points, followed by Georgia (133), California (126), Stanford (105) and Auburn (91.5).
Loukas tallied 339.80 points in the one-meter final, her second-highest score in the event this season. She was just 11.35 points away from her first national title and will go after the three-meter title on Friday.
"It was a great performance," said head diving coach Dr. Jeff Huber. "She was one dive away from winning it, but that is the way our sport is. I like how she competed and how she stepped up. I am excited about tomorrow based on what I saw today."
The Hoosiers' 400 medley relay team of Kate Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis and Margaux Farrell finished third in the consolation final and 11th overall with a time of 3:32.96 in the evening session. That is the second-fastest time in school history, just off the record of 3:31.26 the quartet set at the Big Ten Championships last month.
Zubkova led off with a time of 51.76 on her 100-yard backstroke leg, which is the fifth-fastest time in school history. In the morning session they finished fifth in their heat and 15th overall with a time of 3:34.63.
"We had a better night than we did a morning," said head swimming coach Ray Looze. "But at NCAAs, the morning decide most of everything and we had a rough one, so it limited us to two things tonight. There is a lot of meet left. If we come in and have the kind of morning we are capable of having, we can get right back on track. But we have a long way to go."
Sophomore Amanda Smith qualified for the consolation final of the 500 freestyle, placing 12th with a time of 4:40.83, the fifth-fastest time in school history and Smith's second-fastest time as a Hoosier. Last season Smith placed 14th in the 500 free at the NCAA meet.
Smith had the best time of the morning for IU, touching the wall in 4:40.97 for fourth in her heat. Swimming in lane four in the seventh of nine heats, freshman Nikki White was fifth with a time of 4:42.19 and placed 25th overall. Freshman Brittany Strumbel went a lifetime best of 4:42.64 to finish fourth in her heat and 26th overall. Cassie Luhrsen finished eighth in her heat with a time of 4:51.26, placing 58th.
Zubkova finished second in her heat of the 200 IM with a lifetime best of 1:58.38, which is the third-fastest time in school history and put her 23rd overall. Donna Smailis took sixth in her heat with a time of 1:58.95 (32nd), while Ashley Jones was eighth in her heat, coming home in 1:59.89 (41st).
Brittney Feldman took fifth in the consolation final of the one-meter diving event and 13th overall. She tallied 290.35 points for her six-dive set in the consols. Loukas placed second in the morning prelims with a score of 316.40. Feldman placed 12th in the prelims with a score of 277.20. Making her first NCAA Championships appearance, freshman Gabby Agostino placed 22nd with a score of 265.95.
500 Freestyle
12. Amanda Smith - 4:40.83 (4:40.97 prelims) - All-American
25. Nikki White - 4:42.19 prelims
26. Brittany Strumbel - 4:42.64 prelims
58. Cassie Luhrsen - 4:51.26 prelims
200 Individual Medley
23. Kate Zubkova - 1:58.38 prelims
32. Donna Smailis - 1:58.95 prelims
41. Ashley Jones - 1:59.89 prelims
400 Medley Relay
11. Kate Zubkova, Sarah Stockwell, Donna Smailis, Margaux Farrell - 3:32.96 (3:34.63 prelims) - All-American
One-Meter Diving
2. Christina Loukas - 339.80 (316.40 prelims) - All-American
13. Brittney Feldman - 290.35 (277.20 prelims) - All-American
22. Gabby Agostino - 265.95 prelims
Players Mentioned
