The University of Nebraska at Omaha captured the final North Central Conference swimming and diving title Sunday, coming from behind in the next-to-last event, then holding on in the final event to dethrone defending champion North Dakota by just 1.5 points at UNO's HPER Pool.
UNO, leading by 9.5 points entering the final event, the 400-yard freestyle relay, narrowly lost to North Dakota, by six-hundredths of a second, but escaped with the team victory, 1148-1146.5. The time of 3:28.61 by the squad of
Lindsey Kline,
Katey Howarter,
Megan Guthmiller and
Cait Hopkins, was automatic qualifying time for the national meet and also a school record, breaking the mark of 3:29.83 set in 2002.
The Mavericks also earned three individual awards. Coach
Todd Samland was named the NCC's Coach of the Year,
Laura Kemp the Freshman of the Year and
Kristy Gmeiner the Newcomer of the Year. The title, in the final year of the NCC, was the second for UNO. The Mavericks also won the title the last time they hosted the event, in 2005. In the process, the Mavericks set three school records.
UNO trailed North Dakota by 71.5 points entering Sunday. Kline started the Maverick comeback Sunday evening with a win in the 1650-yard freestyle, with an automatic qualifying time of 17:20.78. The school-record time broke the previous record of Veronica Barna set in 2004.
The Mavs then put up some big points by putting five swimmers in the top nine in the 100-yard freestyle.
Jessica Hessel was second with a school-record and Hopkins third, both with automatic qualifying times of 51.34 seconds and 51.69, respectively. Guthmiller was fifth, Howarter seventh and Gmeiner ninth. That pulled the Mavs withing 1.5 points of first-place North Dakota. Hessel broke the previous mark of 51.49 set by Jamie Haferbier in 2002.
Jessica LaFave was third and
Cait Hopkins fifth in the 200-yard backstroke, but UNO slipped to 4.5 points behind the Fighting Sioux after UND's Cathryn DeSahw won the event.
But UNO surged past North Dakota in the 200-yard breaststroke when
Carrie Murphy finished second and Kemp third behind South Dakota's Leita Rolfe. UNO went in front by 9.5 points, 1104-1094.5.
Team Standings
1. Nebraska-Omaha - 1,148
2. North Dakota - 1,146.5
3. South Dakota - 841
4. St. Cloud State - 640
5. Minnesota State, Mankato - 536
6. Minnesota State-Moorhead - 401.5
7. Northern State - 128
Men's Standings
1. North Dakota - 1,435
2. St. Cloud State - 1,204
3. Minnesota State, Mankato - 1,060
4. South Dakota - 567
