Feb. 16, 2006
College Park, Md. -
Four Terrapin swimmers posted NCAA B-cut qualifying times in today's morning session of the ACC Championship, held at the Campus Recreation Center in College Park. The Terps had seven individual swimmers advance to tonight's finals.
Five Terps qualified in the 50 free, paced by freshman Yelena Skalinskaya (Almaty, Kazakhstan), who finished in a career-best 23.26, good for fifth in the prelims. The time was a half-second better than her previous best, which she set in a victory at N.C. State earlier this season. Sophomore Maya Finkler (Rishon-le-zion, Israel) also set a career record with her time of 23.50, good for seventh in the prelims. Both swimmers' times are good for B-cut standards.
Skalinskaya and Finkler will be joined in the final by senior Barbara Sumrall (Chattanooga, Tenn.), junior Kaleena Laputka (Shamong, N.J.), and freshman Martha Whistler (Orchard Park, N.Y.). Sumrall tied for 15th overall with a time of 23.74. Laputka took 17th in 23.76, and Whistler tied for 18th in 23.77. All three set personal records for the event.
Junior Sasha Malanina (Volgograd, Russia) and senior Inbal Levavi (Kibutz Givat Haim, Israel) will compete in tonight's finals for the 200 IM thanks to two more B-cut qualifying times. Malanina took 8th overall in a career-best 2:03.84, and Levavi was close behind in 9th, finishing in a season-best 2:03.88.
The top 24 swimmers in each event advanced to tonight's finals.
Several other Terrapin swimmers posted impressive results in this morning's prelims. Sophomore Emily Smoak (Salisbury, Md.) improved her career-best time in the 200 IM by nearly 3.5 seconds when she finished 27th in 2:07.77. Julie O'Brien (Damascus, Md.) was close behind, posting a season-best 2:07.83 for 28th place.
Junior Natalie Ferdinand (St. Thomas, Barbados) improved upon her career best time in the 50 free by more than a second, finishing in 24.02 to place 29th. Her previous best was 25.11, set in a meet earlier this season against Duke and Miami.
The finals of these events, plus the 500 free, 1 meter dive, and 200 free relay start tonight at 7pm at the Natatorium of the Campus Recreation Center in College Park.
