University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Wins NCAA Swimming and Diving Championship
March 19, 2005 | Swimming & Diving
March 19, 2005
Complete Results
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- The Georgia women's swimming and diving team won four individual titles and all five relays to en route to the team crown at the 2005 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at the Boilermaker Aquatic Center at Purdue.
"This is sweet; they are all special. It is a great night to be a Bulldog," said an ecstatic Jack Bauerle. "This is a great feeling. We came into this meet having to out-swim everyone, and we did. Hats off to our kids; they did everything they needed to do to bring home a championship. I think this is our strongest team ever."
The title marks Georgia's fourth for the Lady Bulldogs and the first since winning the closest championship in history in 2001. Georgia's four NCAA titles in women's swimming is the third most behind Stanford (8) and Texas (7). The 609.5 point total is the highest for Georgia at the NCAA Championships and the most at a women's national championship since 1993.
"I am really proud of my team and myself," said senior captain Lindsey Ertter. "As a team, we have waited three years to do this. We finished second three times before winning. Like (assistant coach) Harvey (Humphries) said, we have been the class that withstood Auburn winning the last three years, but we never gave up. We got in there our fourth time and just went after it. Everyone did their best and we never gave up."
"We have experienced this feeling as coaches, but this senior class with leave having experienced this, and that is gratifying. We could not be any happier. The kids were great, and we were led by an unbelievable senior class. You never win a championship unless you have great leadership."
For the fourth time in his career, Bauerle was named the CSCAA Coach of the Year. He was also honored in 1998, 1999 and 2000. Sophomore Kara Lynn Joyce and junior Mary DeScenza each won two individual events at this year's championships and finished third and sixth, respectively, in the individual high point standings.
"We started this meet off with a great night (on Thursday), and we just kept rolling after that," added Bauerle. "If we had not gotten off to that start, it would have been a whole different meet. This championship is especially nice for this group after three second places and to win their first one."
Georgia put an exclamation point on an already amazing team performance by lowering the pool and NCAA Meet record with a time of 3:13.56 to win the 400-yard medley relay.
| 2005 400y Free Relay team |
By winning the 400-yard freestyle relay Saturday night, Georgia became the first team in NCAA history to win all five relays at an NCAA Championship.
"Winning all five relays in an unbelievable accomplishment," added Bauerle. "That is 200 points before you ever swim an individual event. We ask these kids to swim their individual events and then the relays, and we never had a let down, not for one second."
"The relay was very emotional for us," added DeScenza. "We are the only team in history to earn five wins in the relays, and I was on four of them. I'm just so amazed and proud of the other girls."
DeScenza joined an elite company, as she won her third straight title in the 200 butterfly at the NCAA Championship. In Saturday's final, DeScenza, who won the 100-yard butterfly Friday night, stopped the clock in 1:54.19 to lower the pool record. Also in the championship final, senior Katie Yevak placed sixth in the event with a time of 1:56.63. Freshman Elizabeth Hill was runner-up in the consolation final, 10th overall, with a personal-best 1:57.00.
"The race wasn't as fast as I would have liked, but a win's a win," said DeScenza. "It's been a hard three days of competing, and I really feel I've done my part for the team victory."
Swimming in lane 2, Joyce picked up her second individual title of the championship, as she successfully defended her title in the 100 freestyle, touching with a personal-best time of 47.50, which is the second-fastest performance in history. Senior Paige Kearns added to her All-America total with a seventh-place finish in 49.03.
"The race went well, said Joyce. "I've been teammates (at national and international meets) with (Auburn's) Margaret Hoelzer since my freshman year, so it was nothing new going head-to-head against her. It hurt to win. For the last five meters, I was really ready for the wall. I'm just so happy to go out on a good note."
| We are the only team in history to earn five wins in the relays, and I was on four of them. |
