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H2O Frogs set to compete at MWC Championships
Feb. 26, 2008
TCU Swimming and Diving Weekly Notes
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU men's and women's swimming and diving teams will begin competition at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla., on Wednesday. Both squads will look to build on sixth-place finishes at last year's league meet.
The men's team (6-4, 2-3) had a successful regular season, setting three new school records and compiling 11 MWC weekly honors. Senior Scott McCracken set a new mark in the 50-free with a time of 19.99, while fellow senior Jonathon Berrettini set marks in the 100-free (44.70) and 100-back (48.28). Berrettini became the first TCU swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships since 1997 by recording a time of 56.69 in the 100-meter back. When converted to yards, the time ranks fifth nationally among collegiate swimmers.
Junior diver R.J. Hesselberg also put together a stellar season, winning 11 events overall. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, native set a league record with seven MWC Men's Diver of the Week awards. Hesselberg currently has the top time in the conference in the three-meter dive (347.33).
The men last saw action on Jan. 25, as they fell to No. 24 SMU by a score of 143-101 in Fort Worth. Cameron Allred, Ben Biefnes and Trevor Woods all added event wins.
The women's squad (6-8, 2-6) was led by youth this season, as 12 freshmen contributed to 77 top-three finishes, and five newcomers earned their first collegiate victories. Stephanie Futscher led the squad with seven event wins, while junior Cheryl Townsend and freshmen Maria Alvarez and Jessica Miles each added six. Alvarez joined the Purple and White in the spring, and notched those six wins in only six meets.
The women were last in action on Feb. 6, where they dropped a 161-139 decision to North Texas in Fort Worth. Futscher and Jennifer Ferguson each won two events, while Townsend set a season-best in the 400-IM to take the top spot. Alvarez notched two runner-up finishes in the 500- and 1000-free, and set two season-best times in the process.
The Frogs have won four individual championships in the last two seasons at the league meet. In 2006, Berrettini claimed the 100-back (48.90), while senior diver Kelly Seely won the three-meter event (331.30). Last season, Guillermo Ramirez swam to a first-place finish in the 200-back (1:47.37) and Cheryl Townsend claimed the 400-IM title with a time of 4:24.60.
Live results from the MWC Championships can be viewed at http://themwc.cstv.com/livestats/c-swim/results/index.htm
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