Friday, December 05, 2003

Valparaiso University's women dropped one spot into fourth place on day two at the Mid-Continent Conference Swimming and Diving Championships held in Indianapolis, Ind. on Friday.

The Crusaders have scored 304 points through 12 events, while Oakland increased its lead with 605 points. IUPUI is second with 400 points, while Western Illinois is third heading into the final day with 375 points.

Valpo opened the day with a third place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. The team of Amanda Gregory (Carmel, Ind./Carmel H.S.), Daniella Trombatore (Redding, Calif./Shasta H.S.), Allison Clark (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.), and Leah Schneider (Sussix, Wis./Arrowhead H.S.) touched the wall in 1:41.79.

Katie Urbas (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette H.S.) shined in the first individual event of the day, finishing third in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:13.88. Maggie Kroemer (Brown Deer, Wis./Milwaukee Lutheran H.S.) also earned a top-eight finish with her seventh place effort in the event in a time of 2:21.02.

Schneider earned a ninth place finish in the 200 free with a time of 2:00.09 before a pair of Crusaders finished in the top-eight of the 100 breaststroke. Ashley Seale (Maryville, Tenn./Maryville H.S.) was seventh in the event with a time of 1:10.91, while Sarah Deardorff (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) was one place behind Seale with a time of 1:11.38. Katie Jajtner (Port Washington, Wis./Port Washington H.S.) led the Brown and Gold in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:05.41, earning tenth place.

Clark took home third place honors in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:48.74, while Gregory was sixth in the 50 free with a time of 25.60 seconds.

The final event of the day, the 400 medley relay, saw the Crusaders finish in fourth place. Cassidy Kuhlmann (Mount Prospect, Ill./Hersey H.S.), Seale, Schneider, and Urbas touched the wall in 4:11.44.

Valpo will conclude the conference championships on Saturday with preliminary heats beginning at 9 a.m. CST and the finals set for 5 p.m. CST.