Breznikar Leads Women Swimmers At America East Championship
February 22, 2004 | Women's Swimming & Diving
ORONO, ME-Sophomore Lidija Breznikar (Kotpje, Slovenia) won the 400 individual medley and added a third-place finish in the 200 breaststroke, and a fifth in the 200 individual medley to lead the Terrier women's swimming and diving team to a fourth-place finish at the America East Swimming and Diving Championships hosted by the University of Maine from Feb. 20-22.
The Terriers ended with 434 points, as Northeastern University won the three-day event with 765 points. The Huskies outdistanced the University of Maryland Baltimore County, which finished in second place with 606.50 points. The Retrievers were followed, in order, by New Hampshire (572.50), BOSTON UNIVERSITY (434), Maine and Binghamton which tied for fifth with 324 points, Stony Brook (310), and the University of Vermont (169).
Breznikar was the Terriers' top point getter with her first-, third-, and fifth-place finish.
She accounted for 20 points when she won the 400 IM in a school-record time of 4:26.72. She also established a record in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:20.52, but it was only good enough for third place and 16 points. Her final 14 individual points came in the 200 IM when she was fifth in 2:08.15.
Here is a recap of how each of the three days went for the Terriers.
DAY 1-February 20th
The Terriers' top point getter for the day was senior Stacey Gallacher (Horseheads, NY), who had been a steady performer in the one- and three-meter dives during her collegiate career. On day one of the America East meet, she was second in the one-meter dive with 258.50 points, less than two points behind Northeastern's Adela Gadozdea, who totaled 260.30 points. Three other Terriers scored points in the event. They were senior Kristin Stratton (Aurora, CO), who was fourth with 218.15 points; junior Kathleen Cunningham (West Islip, NY), who was sixth with 208.10 points; and freshman Megan White (Falmouth, ME), who was seventh with 266.20 points.
Breznikar was the only other Terrier to advance to the championship finals on the meet's first day, as she was fifth in the 200 IM in 2:08.15.
The Terriers had three competitors in the consolation finals of the 50 free and two in the 500 free.
In the former, sophomore Meagan Breiland (Mesa, AZ) was third in :25.40, freshman Marina Morie (Honolulu, HI) was fifth in :25.50, and sophomore Hannah Mulry (Macungie, PA) was eighth in :26.03.
In the latter, junior Lauren Foster (Lake Quivira, KS) was third in 5:10.73 and sophomore Natalie Boyd (Pittsburgh, PA) was eighth in 5:19.21.
B.U. also competed in the day's two relays-the 200 free where the Terriers were third in 1:38.95 and in the 400 medley relay where they were timed in 4:00.66, which placed them sixth.
At the end of the day, the Terriers found themselves in fourth place with 154 points.
DAY 2-February 21st
The Terriers maintained their fourth-place position in the team standings with 281 points.
Breznikar led the way with her school-record-breaking time of 4:26.72 en route to winning the 400 IM.
Freshman Tanaz Irani (Orlando, FL) and Foster were the other two Terriers to advance to the championship finals in their specialties. Foster was fifth in the 200 free in 1:55.16, while Irani was seventh in the 100 fly in 1:00.35.
The 200 free also featured Boyd, who was fifth in the consolation finals in 1:57.62, followed closely by Breiland, who was sixth in 1:58.88. In the meantime, Irani was accompanied in the 100 fly by junior Emily Moreno (Oakland, NJ), who was fourth in the consolation final in 1:00.69, and Mulry, who took eighth in 1:02.39.
Junior Courtlandt McKinlay (Cheshire, CT), senior Kelli Sweeting (Sarasota, FL), and sophomore Kila Englebrook (Mechanicsburg, PA) also scored points during the day for the Terriers. McKinlay was third in the consolation finals in the 100 breaststroke in 1:10.92. Sweeting was fourth in the 100 back in 1:01.77, while Englebrook was just one spot back in 1:02.76.
Finally, the 200-medley relay was timed in 1:53.13, which put the team in seventh, while the 800 free finished sixth in 7:54.57.
DAY 3-February 22nd
Again, Gallacher led the way with a second-place finish in the three-meter dive with 452.05 points, as she trailed Northeastern's Gadozdea again. Voted the Woman Diver of the Year, Gadozdea had 493.40 points. For the Terriers, Stratton was third (427.15), White was fifth (361.30), and Cunningham was ninth (342.85).
The day's other highlights for the Terriers included Breznikar's third-place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:20.52, and a sixth-place finish by Foster in the championship finals of the 100 free with a time of :53.50.
Finally, Sweeting won the consolation bracket in the 200 back with a time of 2:10.42 and Moreno was third in the 200 fly consolation in 2:15.64.
