Swimming: Five Women Qualify for NCAAs
March 04, 2010 05:18 PM | General
By Grant Dovey for MSNsportsNET.com
March 4, 2010
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University women's swimming team has qualified five student-athletes for the 2010 NCAA Championships. This ties the most in school history, matching the 2007 squad that also sent five. The meet is schedule for March 18-20 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
Seniors Kayla Andrews, Morgan Callaway and Shaunna Purtell have all been selected to compete in the NCAA Championships, while freshmen Rachael Burnett and Mandie Nugent will also be participating. Andrews and Callaway will become the school’s first-ever four-year qualifiers.
"The women’s team began the year hoping to get more athletes to the NCAA Championships and after a very strong BIG EAST meet, they have done what they set out to do,” coach Vic Riggs says. “With Kayla, Morgan, Shaunna, Rachael and Mandie all being invited, they have an excellent opportunity in front of them.”
Andrews will swim in the 50 free, where she is seeded 17th with a time of 22.42 and will swim the 100 free in the ninth seed where she had a season-best time of 48.49.
Callaway will be seeded 45th (4:44.89) in the 500 free, 18th (200 free) and 43rd (1:56.99) in the 200 back.
With the 69th seed (4:51.12), Purtell will swim the 500 free. She is also the 66th seed (1:48.68) in the 200 free.
Burnett is in the 16th seed (4:41.65) in the 500 free after setting a BIG EAST, school and pool record at the BIG EAST Championships. She is also seeded 39th (4:15.13) in the 400 IM and 42nd (2:00.26) in the 200 fly.
Nugent will be swimming in both the 100 fly and 200 fly. Nugent’s seeding has yet to be determined.
Andrews, Callaway, Purtell and Burnett will all be swimming in the 400 free relay as well. The team is seeded 13th (3:17.72) after setting a BIG EAST, school and pool record at the BIG EAST Championships.
Check MSNsportsNET.com during the championships for daily recaps and live results will be posted on NCAA.com.
