The 2018 NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships concluded on Saturday night in Columbus, Ohio.
Indiana finished in 8th place overall with 169 points, marking the program’s third straight top 10 finish at the NCAA Championships. Lilly King won two NCAA titles (100 and 200 breast) at the meet, giving her six career NCAA titles, the most ever in Big Ten history.
You can watch King’s post-competition comments after days 3 and 4 here:
-NOTABLE DAILY UPDATES-
Wednesday:
IU finishes 16th in the 800 freestyle relay with a time of 7:02.37. The team of Kennedy Goss, Delaney Barnard, Maria Paula Heitmann and Shelby Koontz earned Honorable-Mention All-America honors.
Thursday:
IU finished 2nd in the championship final of the 400 medley relay. The Hoosier team of Ali Rockett, Lilly King, Christine Jensen and Kennedy Goss set a Big Ten and Indiana record with a time of 3:26:09.
Jessica Parratto earned Honorable-Mention All-America honors after placing 10th in the 1-meter dive with a total of 308.80.
Lilly King won Honorable-Mention All-America and finished 14th overall in the 200 IM with a time of 1:55:83. The time is the 4th best in IU history.
Friday:
Overall the Hoosiers are currently in 9th place.
Lilly King won her third straight NCAA Championship in the 100 breast with the fastest time in the history of the event at 56.25.
In the 200 medley relay, Ali Rockett, King, Christine Jensen and Grace Haskett finished third with a Big Ten record time of 1:33:89.
Rockett earned All-America honors by placing sixth overall in the 100 backstroke with a career best time at the NCAAs of 51:11.
Jessica Parratto earned All-American honors by placing seventh in the 3 meter dive with a total score 331.35.
Kennedy Goss finished 16th overall and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:44:95
Saturday:
Lilly King won her third straight NCAA Championship in the 200 breast with the fastest time in the history of the event at 2:02.60.
In the platform dive, Jessica Parratto finished 7th overall with 291.35 points and earned All-American honors.
Mya Kraeger finished 13th overall in the platform dive and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors.
Cassy Jernberg finished 7th overall in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 15:55.10 and earned Honorable Mention All-American honors.
-ORIGINAL PREVIEW-
MEET THE HOOSIERS
The 13 Indiana swimmers and divers competing at the NCAA championships in Columbus are:
- Marie Chamberlain: 100 Backstroke, 200 Backstroke
- Kennedy Goss: 200 Freestyle, 500 Freestyle, 200 Backstroke
- Grace Haskett: 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke
- Christine Jensen: 100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly, 200 IM
- Cassy Jernberg: 500 Freestyle, 1,650 Freestyle
- Lilly King: 100 Breaststroke, 200 Breaststroke, 200 IM
- Shelby Koontz: 100 Butterfly, 200 Butterfly, 50 Freestyle
- Mya Kraeger: Platform Dive
- Jessica Parratto: 1-Meter Dive, 3-Meter Dive, Platform Dive
- Ali Rockett: 100 Backstroke, 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle
- Delaney Barnard: 800 Freestyle Relay
- Maria Paula Heitmann: 800 Freestyle Relay
- Holly Spears: 200 Freestyle Relay
The Hoosiers will also swim in all five relays.
Olympic gold medalist Lilly King is expected to win the NCAA title in the 100 breast. She has the top time in the country in that event this year. It would be a surprise if she did not also win the 200 breast, although she has the second-best mark in that event this year. The 100 breast is on Friday and the 200 breast is on Saturday.
The Hoosiers are also expected to be competitive in the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay where they are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The 400 medley relay is on Thursday and the 200 medley relay is on Friday.
IU has won at least one individual national title in four-consecutive seasons. Collectively, the Hoosiers have won ten all-time individual women’s swimming and diving national championships.
A TEAM NCAA TITLE?
As a school, Indiana has never claimed a women’s team NCAA national title in any sport*. While the Hoosiers are expected to have a strong showing in Columbus, they are not expected to break the women’s title drought.
IU has finished in 8th and 7th place in each of the last two seasons, respectively, at the NCAA championships. The Hoosiers are not expected to crack a formidable top 4 of Stanford, California, Texas A&M and Michigan. A top 10 finish is certainly possible. Indiana has five top ten finishes in the last ten years.
* Indiana did win the AIAW women’s tennis National Team Championship in 1982.
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Photo credit: John S. Peterson/Icon Sportswire
