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Swimming and diving team takes six to women's NCAA meet
Brian Stensaas - Staff Reporter
After wrapping up a second-straight Big Ten championship, six members of the Minnesota swimming and diving team have earned the right to compete for the Gophers at the NCAA championships. And the names are no surprise.
But what is a surprise was one member left off the list.
Senior Andrea Simokova, who turned in an NCAA automatic qualifying time in the 200-meter butterfly at the Go-Pher-It invitational three weeks ago, was not named to the NCAA meet.
It was a situation Gophers coach Jean Freeman described as "too many cooks in the kitchen." Minnesota failed to comply with new NCAA regulations regarding last-chance meets -- like the Go-Pher-It -- and that led to Simokova being left off the list.
"Surely, it is a setback for her personally," Freeman said. "She grew up on short-course meters, but it is not like her season is over."
Simokova will look to make the Czech Olympic team while competing in senior nationals later this month.
On the brighter side of the NCAA spectrum is Kelsey Hegener. The senior who transferred from Wisconsin-Green Bay for the 1999 campaign made an impact on the team last season, but fell short of the national meet. She finished 1999 with the sixth-fastest time in school history in the 100 breaststroke. Now, she's the second-fastest -- runner-up only to her sister, Gretchen, who won the NCAA title in 1997.
"I'm really excited," Hegener said on making the NCAA meet. "I'm not going to put any limits on myself. This has been my goal, and I think I am ready for it."
Hegener swam to a second-place finish in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke events at this year's Big Ten meet, finishing with an automatic time in the 100. She was named an at-large All-Big Ten member for her efforts and will compete in both events, starting today at the IUPUI Natatorium in Indianapolis --the same site as this year's Big Ten meet.
Both Jenny Hennen and Terri Jashinsky will be making their fourth appearances at the NCAA meet.
Last season, Jashinsky was the only individual Minnesota participant to gain All-American status, finishing 13th in the 100 butterfly. This year, she will participate in that event, along with the 200 butterfly and the 200 individual medley.
Hennen will be looking to improve on last year's 25th- and 20th-place finishes in the 100 and 200 butterfly, respectively. She will also take part in the 100 freestyle.
Katy Christoferson, Minnesota's lone Big Ten individual champion this year, will compete in three events. The junior will return to the site of her Big Ten crown in the 400 individual medley, as well as the 200 individual medley and the 100 freestyle.
Christoferson, making her third trip to the NCAA meet, finished 27th in the 200 IM and 24th in the 400 IM a year ago.
Sophomore Jinny Smedstad swam for the Gophers in the 500 freestyle -- finishing 42nd -- and as a part of relay events at last year's NCAA meet. This season she will be swimming in the 200 and 400 freestyle as well as the 400 IM.
Along with the individual events, Minnesota will compete in four relays.
Diving for the Gophers in Indianapolis will be Tracy LaVoi. The junior is making her first appearance at the national level after qualifying last weekend at the NCAA Zone C meet.
Rainbows still out
The show will go on in Indianapolis despite the University of Hawaii's attempt to stop the NCAA meet. A handful of Hawaii swimmers were deemed ineligible after they were accused of turning in questionable times. Honolulu Circuit Judge Gail Nakatani said that the possibility of halting the men's meet next week at the Aquatic Center still looms.
Brian Stensaas covers swimming and diving and welcomes comments at bstensaas@daily.umn.edu.
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