March 22, 2008

Complete Results from the 2008 NCAA Championships (PDF Format)

Photo gallery from Saturday's prelims (Images by Mark Hefner)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Northwestern picked up five more All-America honors Saturday during the final day of the NCAA Championships in Columbus, Ohio, finishing in 19th place as a team for the program's best NCAA performance since 2000.

The Wildcats amassed 51 points in the meet, one point ahead of 20th-place Virginia and three points behind 18th-place Kentucky. Arizona won the team national title with 484 points.

In the prelims of the 400 free relay, Northwestern qualified for the final spot in the consolation final with a time of 3:19.16. The Wildcats then cut .40 of a second off their time to jump up to 14th place overall with a 3:18.76, scoring six points for NU in the final event of the 2008 Championships. Senior Andrea Hupman (Lawrenceville, Ga./Brookwood), sophomore Emily Wong (Nepean, Ontario/St. Joseph's), freshman Teisha Lightbourne (Nassau, Bahamas/Peddie School (N.J.) and sophomore Kassia Shishkoff (Raleigh, N.C./St. David's School) comprised the relay for the Wildcats.

Hupman swam a 48.57 in the 100 free prelims, just .04 of a second off of her school- and meet-record pace at last month's Big Ten Championships, to finish 10th. She then came back at night with a time of 48.84 to take 12th place overall in the event and earn five points for the Wildcats.

Hupman's All-America honor in the race was her third in an individual event in 2008, her sixth of the meet and the ninth of her career. Hupman's All-America haul is the most for a Wildcat since the members of the senior class of 2000.

Wong concluded the meet with three All-America honors, all as a member of relays. Shishkoff and Lightbourne both accrued two as relay participants. As a team, Northwestern totaled 16 All-America awards.

The 200 backstroke began Saturday's prelim action, with Northwestern sophomore Genny Szymanski (Haines, Alaska/Haines) taking 23rd as the Wildcats' top performer with a time of 1:57.44. Freshman Liza Engstrom (Reno, Nev./Robert McQueen) also swam in the event, coming in 39th with a time of 2:01.04.

In the 200 fly prelims, senior Katie Braun (Edina, Minn./Edina) swam a 1:59.91 to take 33rd place.

Wong also swam individually in the 100 free, turning in a time of 51.41.