Bailey Wins Two Against Longhorns

Lincoln ?Nebraska hung tough with defending Big 12 champion Texas, trailing by just one point after three events before the Longhorns won six straight events on their way to a 144-81 win at the Devaney Natatorium on Thursday night.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

In the third event of the night, senior Kate Wheeler turned in an impressive 200-yard freestyle time of 1:50.67 to edge out Texas’ Connie Brown by 12 one-hundredths of a second (1:50.79) for first place and bring Nebraska to within one point in the team totals, 28-27.

 

Prior to Wheeler’s win, another senior, Lauren Bailey, won the 1,650-yard freestyle in an NCAA provisional-qualifying time of 16:48.46, one of two victories on the day as she also won the 500-free in 4:56.32. Wheeler and Bailey accounted for all of <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska’s individual wins, while the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Wheeler, sophomores Jenny Toler and Jenna Stroud and senior Michelle Criss took first after Texas swam as an exhibition (non-scoring).

 

“It was a great test from a standpoint to see where we are at mentally in terms of being able to race and being able to handle the pressure of competing against top-notch competition but still compete within your self,” Head Coach Pablo Morales said, referring to Texas, who finished eighth at the 2006 NCAA Championships. “You try not to be intimidated by the competition. You need to race and go after them but not let the factor of the level of competition distract you from doing what you need to do.”

 

Bailey also had a runner-up showing on the night, finishing behind UT's Alex Basso in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:24.57, just over a second off another NCAA provisional cut. Junior Lynn Siemert and freshman Kaitlin Arntz also took second-place finishes ? Siemert in the 50-free (24.40) and Arntz in the 200-breaststroke (2:22.25). Morales said he was pleased with the efforts of NU's freshmen.

 

Nebraska returns to the Devaney Natatorium on Friday as it hosts the 2006 Big 12 Relays. Session 1 begins at 8:30 a.m. with Session 2 to follow at 1 p.m. On Saturday, the Huskers wrap up their three-day home stretch against Texas A&M at 9 a.m.

 

Results

Event 1  Women 400 Yard Medley Relay

      Team                  Relay     Finals Time

 

   1  TEXAS                      A             3:48.22

        Brown, Connie          Tinnon, Elizabeth

        Robinson, Katie         Chang, Hee-Jin

   2  NEB                         A             3:55.69

        Ida, Kelsey               Dean, Hailey

        Hutchinson, Mariah     Wheeler, Kate S 21

   3  TEXAS                      B             3:57.53

        Ferritto, Elaine           Avilla, Leah

        Martin-Lacey, Jacquelin            Soelter, Alison

   4  NEB                         B             4:03.64

        Bray, CJ                  Goodman, Adrienne 20

        Ingles, Bailey L          Criss, Michelle S 21

   5  NEB                         C            x4:04.80

        Crawford, Emilee L     Criss, Colleen

        Yemm, Christina 19     Siemert, Lynn 21

 

Event 2  Women 1650 Yard Free

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Bailey, Lauren L                            NEB            16:48.46

   2  Escobar, Susana                         TEXAS            16:50.69

   3  Garrett, Macie                             TEXAS            17:13.96

   4  Schnack, Casey J                         NEB            17:34.72

   5  Orr, Rebecca                              TEXAS            18:04.88

 

Event 3  Women 200 Yard Free

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

   1  Wheeler, Kate S                            NEB            1:50.67

   2  Brown, Connie                            TEXAS            1:50.79

   3  Arntz, Kaitlin                                  NEB            1:53.86

   4  VanMatre, Traci                           TEXAS            1:54.87

   5  Ferritto, Elaine                             TEXAS            1:54.93

   6  Toler, Jenny                                NEB            1:55.05

   7  Hutchinson, Mariah                          NEB            x1:55.75

 

Event 4  Women 50 Yard Free

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

   1  Chang, Hee-Jin                            TEXAS            23.99

   2  Siemert, Lynn                               NEB            24.40

   3  Bardin, Margaret                          TEXAS            24.47

   4  Stroud, Jenna M                            NEB            24.76

   5  Tinnon, Elizabeth                          TEXAS            25.06

   6  Bray, CJ                                       NEB            25.27

   7  Broker, Sarah                                NEB            x25.35

   8  Ziegelmann, Sarah                           NEB            x25.46

 

Event 5  Women 400 Yard IM

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Basso, Alex                               TEXAS            4:24.35

   2  Bailey, Lauren L                            NEB            4:24.57

   3  Spann, Alexi                               TEXAS            4:32.67

   4  Avilla, Leah                                TEXAS            4:36.01

   5  Martin-Lacey, Jacquel                    TEXAS            x4:37.64

   6  Yemm, Christina                            NEB            4:38.49

   7  Ingles, Bailey L                             NEB            4:41.57

   8  Criss, Colleen                                 NEB            x4:47.81

 

Event 6  Women 1 mtr Diving

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Score

 

   1  Yarrison, Mary                            TEXAS            278.25

   2  Livingston, Jessica                       TEXAS            270.08

   3  Triplett, Nikki                               TEXAS            249.52

   4  Ressler, Kaci                               NEB            232.65

   5  Jolly, Courtney                             NEB            230.11

   6  Stansbury, Danielle                        NEB            225.08

   7  Millis, Dani                                     NEB            x182.93

 

Event 7  Women 200 Yard Fly

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Robinson, Katie                           TEXAS            2:04.37

   2  Martin-Lacey, Jacquel                    TEXAS            2:07.35

   3  Ingles, Bailey L                               NEB            2:10.14

   4  Hutchinson, Mariah                          NEB            2:10.28

   5  Ferritto, Elaine                             TEXAS            2:10.39

   6  Yemm, Christina                            NEB            2:13.87

 

Event 8  Women 100 Yard Free

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Basso, Alex                               TEXAS            52.70

   2  Bardin, Margaret                          TEXAS            53.43

   3  Stroud, Jenna M                            NEB            53.75

   4  Arntz, Kaitlin                                  NEB            53.87

   5  VanMatre, Traci                           TEXAS            54.04

   6  Siemert, Lynn                               NEB            54.41

   7  Broker, Sarah                                NEB            x54.50

   8  Criss, Michelle S                           NEB            x54.64

---  Ziegelmann, Sarah                           NEB            X55.48

 

Event 9  Women 200 Yard Back

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Brown, Connie                            TEXAS            2:02.62

   2  Orr, Rebecca                              TEXAS            2:06.51

   3  Ida, Kelsey                                    NEB            2:11.45

   4  Crawford, Emilee L                        NEB            2:12.26

   5  Tinnon, Elizabeth                          TEXAS            2:12.56

   6  Escobar, Susana                         TEXAS            x2:13.78

   7  Elbert, Skye                                TEXAS            x2:15.06

   8  Schnack, Casey J                         NEB            2:16.05

 

Event 10  Women 500 Yard Free

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Bailey, Lauren L                              NEB            4:56.32

   2  Escobar, Susana                         TEXAS            4:56.55

   3  Chang, Hee-Jin                            TEXAS            5:12.21

   4  Toler, Jenny                                NEB            5:14.08

   5  Bowden, Katie                             NEB            5:20.07

 

Event 11  Women 3 mtr Diving

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Score

 

   1  Yarrison, Mary                            TEXAS            322.65

   2  Livingston, Jessica                       TEXAS            309.68

   3  Stansbury, Danielle                        NEB            260.48

   4  Triplett, Nikki                               TEXAS            257.26

   5  Jolly, Courtney                             NEB            256.80

   6  Ressler, Kaci                               NEB            244.80

 

Event 12  Women 200 Yard Breast

      Name               Age                    Team            Finals Time

 

   1  Soelter, Alison                             TEXAS            2:22.00

   2  Arntz, Kaitlin                                  NEB            2:22.25

   3  Dean, Hailey                                  NEB            2:25.49

   4  Goodman, Adrienne                       NEB            2:28.79

   5  Criss, Colleen                                 NEB            x2:32.46

---  Avilla, Leah                                TEXAS            X2:19.40

---  Spann, Alexi                               TEXAS            X2:20.83

 

Event 13  Women 400 Yard Free Relay

      Team                  Relay     Finals Time

 

   1  NEB                         A             3:33.23

        Wheeler, Kate S 21     Toler, Jenny 19

        Stroud, Jenna M 19     Criss, Michelle S 21

   2  NEB                         B             3:37.82

        Ida, Kelsey               Broker, Sarah

        Ziegelmann, Sarah      Bray, CJ

---  TEXAS                      A           X3:30.45

        Bardin, Margaret        Basso, Alex

        Robinson, Katie         VanMatre, Traci