11 March 2002
CONTACT: Stew Salowitz, 309-556-3206
 

For Meet Results, Click Here: http://www.wooster.edu/athletics/swim/ncaawomen/
 

Kathy Carroll in National Swim Meet;
Two Relay Teams Also Qualify

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. -- Kathy Carroll of Illinois Wesleyan University looks to repeat as an NCAA Division III swimming All-American when she competes in the 2002 women's national finals beginning Thursday at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Carroll, a senior from Orland Park (Sandburg HS), automatically qualified to compete in the 1650 freestyle, the 400 individual medley, and the 200 butterfly, and will also swim in the 500 free.

Last year Carroll earned the highest finish ever for an IWU women's swimmer at the Division III championships when she finished eighth in the 400 individual medley, earning All-American status. She was 14th in the 500 freestyle and 16th in the 1,650 free, both earning her honorable mention All-American.

Persons finishing in the top eight in the national meet earn All-America honors while places nine through 16 receive honorable mention All-America.

This season Carroll, who holds six individual school records, has the nation's ninth best time in the 400 IM at 4:35.38, is 15th in the 500 free (5:06.51), and 16th in the 1650 free (17:39.97).

She is also a member of two IWU relay teams that each qualified 11th for the national meet. The 400 free relay team consists of Carroll, Molly Hornbaker (Princeton HS), Heather Lingenfelter (Peoria, Richwoods HS), and Erin Bicek (Downers Grove, North HS) and qualified with a school-record time of 3:35.86.

The 800 free relay foursome is Carroll, Hornbaker, Lingenfelter, and Katie Wenzel (Palatine, Fremd HS), which also set a school standard with a 7:48.42 mark.

As a result of being in a competing relay team, individuals may also enter events at the national meet in which they provisonally qualified. Bicek will swim the 400 individual medley and the 200 breaststroke, which she won at the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin meet and holds the school record with a time of 2:27.27.

Lingenfelter will swim in the 100 butterfly, where she holds the school mark at 1:00.18.

Carroll, IWU's only swimmer in the 2001 national meet, amassed 15 points, good for 36th place, the best-ever finish for IWU as a team and higher than 13 other teams, some with as many as five competitors.

Carroll is a three-time "Most Outstanding Performer" in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin meet. In the 2000 NCAA meet, Carroll was 11th in the 1650 freestyle, 13th in the 400 individual medley and 12th in the 500 freestyle. As a freshman in the 1999 national championships, Carroll finished 14th in the 400 individual medley, was 16th in the 500 freestyle, and 19th in the 1650 free.