Jan. 25, 2002
BERKELEY, Calif. - Earning first-place points in only five of 16 events, Arizona State's seventh-ranked women's swimming and diving team (5-1) suffered its first loss of the season to No. 6 California (4-1), 173-125 at Spieker Aquatics Complex in Berkeley, Calif., Friday afternoon.
Senior diver Natalie Burgess led the Sun Devils, winning both springboard events. In the 1-meter, Burgess finished one-two with sophomore teammate Jennifer Stenson with respective scores of 251.11 and 243.225. In the 3-meter, Burgess' 291.60 won the event, while Stenson's 237.825 placed third.
ASU's other individual wins were picked up by freshman ?gnes Kov?cs and senior Sarah Baham, both of whom hold multiple ASU records. Kov?cs cruised to a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:12.12, nipping Cal's Stacianna Stitts at 2:12.45. But it was Stitts who came away victorious in the 100y breast, downing Kov?cs 1:01.51 to 1:02.65 and handing the Hungarian her first individual loss in collegiate dual competition.
Baham earned her win in the 200y butterfly in 2:00.59. She also swam a leg of the Sun Devils' 200y freestyle relay team, which competed unopposed and touched the wall in 1:36.00 to accumulate first-place points in the final event of the meet.
The Sun Devils' competition doesn't get any easier tomorrow when they meet No. 1 Stanford at the Avery Aquatics Center. The women's meet is scheduled to begin at noon, followed by the men at 2:00 p.m. PST.