Feb. 17, 2007
LONG BEACH, Calif. -
As the Pacific-10 Conference Women's Swimming Championships came to a close Saturday, , while the team ultimately finished sixth in the conference, scoring 544 total points.
On the fourth and final day of the conference championships, two additional ASU records were set over the course of one relay, as the Sun Devils' 400 freestyle relay consisting of junior Caitlin Andrew, sophomore Jen Beckberger, junior Lindsey Brown and senior Abra Armour swam the even in a Sun Devil record time of 3:18.38. The school mark, swam in 2003, was previously set at 3:18.95 and held by the relay consisting of Florencia Szigeti, Claire Hedenskog, Petra Banovic and Florence Mauro. The record-setting performance marked the second relay for which ASU earned an automatic NCAA Championships berth, as the Sun Devils did so in the 200 freestyle relay with an ASU record performance on day one of the Pac-10 Championships.
Kickstarting the amazing relay performance was Caitlin Andrew, who led off the event with a school record time of 49.25 in the first 100 yards of the freestyle relay. In doing so, Andrew improved upon her own ASU record in the event, which stood at 49.33 and was set during the 2005-06 season. In addition to breaking the school record, Andrew has earned an automatic NCAA Championships appearance in the 100 freestyle. During the four-day Pac-10 Championships, Andrew set a total of four school individual and relay records, while recording NCAA 'A' times in the 50 and 100 free, 100 fly, 100 back and as a member of the 200 free and 400 free relays. As a result of her phenomenal times in a variety of strokes, Andrew will appear at the Women's NCAA Championships for the third consecutive season.
Beckberger also showcased an excellent individual effort, placing sixth in the 100 free, in a NCAA `B' cut time of 49.85.
Freshman Jamie Martinez also earned recognition for her performance, posting an NCAA `B' time of 2:02.52 in the consideration bonus round of the 200 fly.
The 2007 Pac-10 Championships were showcased many excellent individual and team performance by the Sun Devils, as ASU swimmers broke five school records and advanced several individuals and relays to the NCAA Championships, en route to a sixth place overall finish in the conference.
The Sun Devil women will next compete in the 2007 NCAA Championships, to be held March 8 through March 10 in