NCAA Division I Women's Swimming & Diving Championships
1998-03-21

Notes from Day 3 Preliminaries - Saturday, March 21

Event 16 (200 backstroke - PRELIM) Georgia's Keegan Walkley posted the top qualifying time of 1:55.37. Stanford's Misty Hyman, already the owner of three NCAA titles at this year's championships swam the second-fastest time in prelims of 1:55.78. Walkley is joined by Bulldog teammate Amanda Adkins (6th, 1:57.09) in the championship final. Two-time defending champion Lindsay Benko of USC advanced to finals with the fifth-best time of 1:56.76.

Event 17 (100 freestyle - PRELIM) SMU's Martina Moravcova has already defended individual crowns in the 200 freestyle and the 200 individual medley. She is in prime position to defend her third title, the 100 freestyle, as well. Moravcova topped the fastest finals qualifying field in NCAA history with a time of 48.58 seconds in prelims. Moravcova was also a member of the winning 200 freestyle relay. Stanford's Catherine Fox, already a five-time NCAA champion in 1998, posted the second-best -time of 48.80. Overall, the field of 16 swimmers advancing to tonight's finals is the fastest in NCAA history with every swimmer clocking a sub-50 second time. The difference from the fourth-fastest qualifying time and the 16th qualifying time is .61-hundredths of a second.

Event 18 (200 breaststoke - PRELIM) Georgia's Kristy Kowal looks to add the 200 breaststroke title to the 100 breaststroke crown she won in NCAA and American record time (59.05) yesterday. Kowal posted the top qualifying time of 2:10.60 in the prelims, setting a new Dorothy L. Sheppard Pool record. She is joined in the championship final by Georgia teammate Jamie Skinner (6th, 2:12.74). Stanford placed one swimmer in the championship final, Elin Austevoll (3rd, 2:11.73).

Event 19 (19 200 butterfly - PRELIM) Trina Jackson of Arizona swam the top qualifying time of 1:56.87 in the 200 butterfly prelim, setting a new Dorothy L. Sheppard Pool record in the process. Jackson swam the leadoff leg of the Wildcats national champion 800 freestyle relay last night. 100 butterfly champion Misty Hyman of Stanford owns the second-best time in prelims of 1:57.04. For the first time in NCAA history, the championship final will consist of eight swimmers who all qualified with times under two minutes. Defending champion Lia Oberstar of SMU qualified with the sixth-best time of 1:59.49.

Event 21 (400 freestyle relay - PRELIM) The Auburn team of Rada Owen, Katie Taylor, Jennifer Woolf and Katie Ryan posted the top time in prelims, 3:18.06. SMU's squad, anchored by Martina Moravcova, enters the final with the second-best time of 3:18.54. Stanford, which has won 400 free relay titles in each of the last four championships, is third at 3:18.78. Georgia qualified for the consolation final with a time of 3:21.88, the 12th best time in prelims.