OSU In Eighth After Day-One At Pac-10 Swimming Championships
Feb. 24, 2000
LONG BEACH, Calif. - - Oregon State finished the first day of the Pacific-10 women's swimming championships in eighth place. OSU finished ninth last year, and its highest finish at the Pac-10s was seventh in 1991.
Oregon State broke school records three times on Thursday. Freshman Naya Higashijima broke her own record of four minutes, 59.78 seconds twice, first in the morning preliminaries and then in the evening session with a time of 4:54.99. The 400 medley relay team of Magda Modelska, Kristin Martinec, Paula Finlay, and Arianna Higuera also set a school record with a time of 3:51.22.
"Today was pretty good," said OSU head coach Mariusz Podkoscielny. "It was not as good as we're capable of though. I think some of the freshman were a little overwhelmed."
Higuera also swam in the 50 freestyle, finishing with 14th with a time of 24.09. She swam a 24.00 in Thursday morning's preliminaries.
"The girls are excited," said Podkoscielny. "Tomorrow is a big day for us. Hopefully all the freshman have got the jitters out of their system."
The Beavers continue at the Pac-10s Friday, and will finish up Saturday with the final rounds.
RESULTS
200 FREESTYLE RELAY - 1. California (Cope, Cropper, Riggs, Omphroy) 1:30.98, 9. Oregon State `A' (Higuera, Buckley, Renwick, Broda), 1:12.46 , Oregon State `B' (exhibition) (Starkey, Pendergast, Hedlind, Modelska), 1:39.92, Oregon State `C' (exhibition) (Hsieh, Gustafson, Randleman, Personius), 1:43.48. 500 FREESTYLE - 1. Jessica Foschi, Stanford, 4:40.37, 14. Naya Higashijima, OSU, 4:54.99. 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY - 1. Joscelin Yeo, California, 1:57.14 (meet record), no OSU qualifiers. 50 FREESTYLE - 1. Catherine Fox, Stanford, 22.76, 14. Arianna Higuera, OSU, 24.09 (24.00 exhibition). 400 MEDLEY RELAY - 1. California (Cope, Stitts, Yeo, Omphroy) 3:09.79, 7. OSU, (Modelska, Finlay, Martinec, Higuera), 3:51.22, OSU `B' (Starkey, Severance, Renwick, Hedlind), 3:56.09.
