Stridh Grabs All-UAA Honors in 50-Free at UAA Championships
Atlanta, Ga., February 18, 2010 - Sophomore Karina Stridh earned All-University Athletic Association (UAA) honors in the 50-yard freestyle to highlight the first day of action for the Washington University in St. Louis men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams at the 2010 UAA Championships in Atlanta, Ga.
After the first day of the three-day conference championship meet, the Washington U. men stand in fifth-place overall out of eight schools with a team score of 300 points, and the WU women rank sixth with 253 points. Host Emory University sits atop the team standings on both the men’s and women’s sides.
Stridh came in third in the 50-free with an NCAA provisional qualifying time of 23.92, which also represents her 2009-10 personal best in the event.
Senior Jessie Lodewyk captured the other provisional NCAA mark of the day for the WU women’s team. She placed fourth in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:02.42.
Junior Karin Underwood came in seventh in the 200-yard individual medley, posting an impressive time of 2:11.77, less than a second off the NCAA ‘B’ standard. The Bears’ 400-medley relay team of junior Claire Henderson, sophomore Catherine Rafferty-Millett, Underwood and Stridh came in fifth-place with a time of 4:03.53, a Washington U. season-best mark.
Washington University’s men’s team also eclipsed provisional qualifying standards in a pair of races during Friday’s evening session. Sophomore Chris Valach finished sixth in the 500-yard freestyle with a 2009-10 personal best time of 4:38.63. The other NCAA ‘B’ cut came in the 400-medley relay, where junior Kartik Anjur, senior Dima Galkin, senior Dan Arteaga and junior David Chao placed fourth with a time of 3:28.42.
In other men’s action, sophomore diver Michael Rao grabbed fourth place in the three-meter competition, setting a new personal best with a score of 391.45, and Chao came in fifth place in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing in 21.43.
The Washington U. men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams continue action at the 2010 UAA Championships on Friday, Feb. 19, with preliminaries beginning at 10 a.m. (ET).