TicketsFeb. 18, 2010
PITTSBURGH, Pa. - Josh Schneider won his third-consecutive BIG EAST Individual Championship in the 50 freestyle finals, Thursday to wrap up the second day of competition at the 2010 BIG EAST Conference Swimming & Diving Championship at Trees Pool on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
The men's team sits sixth after the second day of action with 134 points. Notre Dame leads (311), followed by Louisville (281), Pittsburgh (251), West Virginia (182), Connecticut (166), UC, Seton Hall (86), Georgetown (64), Villanova (62), and Providence (42).
The women's squad is tied for sixth with Rutgers at 120 points apiece. Louisville leads (301), followed by Notre Dame (296), Pittsburgh (207), West Virginia (205), Villanova (121), UC and Rutgers, Connecticut (111), Georgetown (56), Seton Hall (42), and Providence (36).
Schneider, who swam 19.08 in the morning preliminaries, won the race with a time of 19.10, another NCAA 'A' cut. It is his fifth individual BIG EAST crown. He was half a second ahead of James Lucas from Pittsburgh at the turn and won the race by nearly a second over Louisville's Krist Findorff (20.02).
Matt Hays was eighth in the B final of the 50 freestyle, clocking 21.31.
Jeremy Peter placed fourth in the men's 200 individual medley with an NCAA B time of 1:47.16.
The 200 freestyle relay team of Lange Gilby, Elinore de Jong, Alicia Berman, and Liz Hansson placed fourth with a school record and NCAA B time of 1:32.04. The previous school record of 1:32.46 was set by Hansson, Gilby, de Jong, and Amy Billow a year ago.
Gilby and de Jong placed fifth and seventh in the individual 50 freestyle event earlier in the night, clocking 23.04 and 23.17, respectively.
Nate Kramer, Nathan Williams, and Stephen Cunningham placed third, fourth, and sixth in the B final of the 500 freestyle, clocking times of 4:30.37, 4:30.60, and 4:32.03, respectively.
The men's 200 freestyle relay of Schneider, Peter, Roberto Nevarez, and Hays placed fourth with an NCAA B time of 1:21.56. Schneider's opening leg of 19.16 was the fastest leg among the competing student-athletes in the race.
Action continues Friday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. with another round of preliminaries and finals at Trees Pool. Friday races include the 400-medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 100 backstroke.