Seton Hall University
2013 BIG EAST Championship
400-Medley Relay Highlights Day 3
3/2/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
INDIANAPOLIS, IND. – The IUPUI Natatorium was buzzing for the third consecutive day on Friday as action continued at the 2013 BIG EAST Championships with six swimming events on the women’s side.
Seton Hall’s best performance came in the final event of the night as the Pirates will head into the last day of the meet fresh off their fifth record-setting performance at the championships thus far.
In the 400-yard medley relay, senior Andrea Shuba (Pittsburgh, Pa.) teamed with junior Kerrie Kolackovsky (Franklin Square, N.Y.), Kelly Markwell (Old Bridge, N.J.) and Gabi Levine (Garwood, N.J.) picked up 22 points with an eighth-place time of 3:50.63. The mark represents a new top time in Seton Hall history, surpassing the old standard established just last season.
For the second day in a row, Kolackovsky also recorded the top individual finish for The Hall, placing 17th overall in the 100-breast after reaching the wall in 1:04.95. Kolackovsky finished less than .3 seconds outside the top-16, narrowly missing the opportunity to compete in the consolation final.
Markwell also collected a top-20 finish, leading the Pirates in the 100-fly while posting a new personal record time of 56.69 that doubles as the team’s top mark of the season. Markwell’s time was just over four-tenths of a second short of setting another new school record for the SHU women at the 2013 championships.
The other five team members who competed in the event also clocked season-best marks, led by Levine (57.12, 24th) and Shuba, who placed 27th with a time of 58.24.
Seton Hall’s all-time record holder in the 100-back, Shuba paced the Pirates yet again in the event with a time of 57.72 that ranked 20th among all competitors during preliminaries. The Pittsburgh native finished less than one second short of earning a second swim and was just .08 seconds off her school-record pace.
Other notable performances included freshman Cora Meehan (Noblesville, Ind.) who combined with Shuba to provide a dual threat in the backstroke throughout the season, and produced a personal best time of 58.88 to rank 27th in the 100-back. Classmate Alexa Santis (Ijamsville, Md.) also registered a new personal record of 59.54 in her first appearance at the conference meet, finishing one spot behind Levine (59.52, 29th) in the event.
The morning began with the 400-yard IM, a race that saw junior Jane Ehret (Florida, N.Y.), turn in her best time of the season (4:38.79) as part of a 32nd-place performance. Freshman Rae Congdon (Ottawa, Ontario) also placed 32nd in the 200-free, leading SHU with a personal season-best mark of 1:55.31.
Through 28 events, the Pirates sit in ninth place with 90 total points, two behind eighth-place Georgetown.
The 2013 BIG EAST Championships will come to an end tomorrow, Saturday, March 2 with six swimming and one diving event on the women’s side. Competition will be divided into three sessions, the first beginning at 10:00 a.m.
