Rice University
C-USA Championships
Owls Finish Fourth At C-USA Championships
2/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 25, 2006
HOUSTON -- The Rice swimmers capped their first Conference USA championship meet with senior Laura Healey and freshmen Carlyann Miller, Skylar Craig and Diane Gu posting a school record 3:22.03 in the 400-yard free relay as the Owls finished fourth in the meet Saturday night held across town at the University of Houston Recreation Center Natatorium.
SMU won the team title with 846 points. East Carolina (587) edged the host Cougars (585) in the final event of the meet to claim the silver. Rice finished the four-day meet with 540.5 points. Tulane (402.5) and Marshall (249) rounded out the six-team field.
The quartet placed second in the race as Miller led off with a 50.66 first leg. Craig was next off the block with a 50.93, before the lone senior Healey swam a 50.29. Gu anchored the team with a scorching 50.15. The previous record stood for six years. The team's time provisionally qualifies them for the NCAA championships.
The final session of the championships began with sophomore Brittany Massengale taking fourth and provisionally qualifying for the NCAA championships in the 1,650-yard free with her best time of the year, 16:35.86, just 0.13 off her own school record. Freshman Caitlin Warner also posted her best mark of the year in the event with a 17:11.21 to place seventh. Sophomore Carey Hain (17:30.32) and junior Jenni Whitcomb (17:56.88) also scored for the Owls in event, checking in at 10th and 15th, respectively.
Freshman Skylar Craig, then scored 17 points with her second-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke posting a career-best 2:01.28. The time provisionally qualifies her for the NCAA championships. Sophomore Amy Halsey was right on her heels, finishing third in a career-best 2:02.88. Freshman Keri Hyde added two points to the Owls' tally as she finished 15th (2:12.47).
Three Owls posted career bests in the 100-yard free led by Gu's provisional qualifying time of 50.69, good for 6th. Miller (51.11) and Healey (51.37) finished one-two in the consolation finals to chip in another 16 points for Rice.
Junior Andrea Hill scored 11 points in the 200-yard breaststroke with her eighth-place finish of 2:27.92. Freshman Hannah Blakely was 13th (2:30.23), while junior Kirstin Doyle-Cooney was 15th (2:31.39).
In the 200-yard butterfly, freshman Natalie Kirchhoff placed eighth with a career-best time of 2:05.44. Senior Meghan Brown, in her final appearance in the Blue and Gray, scored three points with a 14th-place finish of 2:16.52 with Whitcomb right behind her in 2:17.81.
Players Mentioned
