University Southern California Trojans
Women's Swimming Heads to the NCAA Championships
June 21, 1999 | Women's Swimming & Diving
March 16, 1999
LOS ANGELES - The USC women's swimming and diving team (6-2 overall, 3-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference), the fifth-place finisher at the NCAA Championships a year ago and currently ranked No. 6, travels to Athens, Ga., this week to take part in the 1999 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet will take place Thursday through Saturday (March 18-20) at the Gabrielson Natatorium. Preliminary events begin each day at 11 a.m. and finals begin at 7 p.m. each evening (EST).
LAST YEAR AT NCAAs
USC, competing as the defending national champions,
finished fifth at the 1998 NCAA Championships in Minneapolis, Minn., with
277 points. Finishing ahead of USC were champion Stanford (422), Arizona
(378), Georgia (368) and SMU (339). Lindsay Benko highlighted USC's
showing, posting four All- American honors, finalling in the 200 and 500
free and the 200 back. Karen Campbell finalled in both fly events and
Corrie Murphy, making her first NCAA appearance, posted All-American
performances in the 400 IM and 200 back. In addition, USC got a boost from
its divers as Dorte Lindner and Natalya Chikina combined for four
All-American honors.
USC SUPERLATIVES
USC Coach Mark Schubert has built a women's team that
is dotted with national and international-caliber swimmers, many of whom
will be competing for either the U.S. or their respective countries
following the conclusion of the collegiate season. Senior All-American
Lindsay Benko will compete for the U.S. at the Pan Pacific Championships,
senior All-American Karen Campbell will compete at the Pan Am Games and
sophomore All-American Corrie Murphy will compete at the World University
Games.
OLYMPIC ACHIEVEMENT
USC Coach Mark Schubert, in his seventh year at
Troy, will serve as the head coach for the U.S. men's team at the 2000
Olympics in Sydney, Australia. It is his sixth consecutive USA Olympic
coaching position. (Schubert's wife, Joke, will be the head manager for the
U.S. contingent in Australia, as well.) Schubert was an assistant coach at
the 1996 Atlanta Games. He served as the 1992 USA women's Olympic head
coach, guiding the American women to two gold medal relay world records,
four additional American records and an impressive world-leading 14 medals,
including five gold. In January of 1998, he served as assistant coach for
the U.S. women's team at the World Championships in Perth, Australia.
LINDSAY BENKO
One of the top middle-distance freestylers in the country
and a national-caliber backstroker, 1998-99 senior co-captain Lindsay Benko
has continued her dominance at the collegiate level in her final year at
Troy. A U.S. National team member, Benko completed the hat trick at the
1999 Pacific-10 Conference Championships, winning titles in the 200
(1:47.70) and 500 free (4:42.72) as well as in the 200 back (1:56.62),
giving her six career Pac-10 wins. Earlier this season, she broke a 15-year
old school record in the 1000 free in 9:40.63 at UC Santa Barbara, topping
Carol Peterson's 9:42.80, set in 1984. At the 1998 Fina World Cup at Texas
A&M, Benko broke her own USC records in the 200m (2:00.71) and 400m free
(4:08.73), finishing sixth and second, respectively. At the 1998 U.S. Open,
Benko took fifth in the 400m free (4:13.63) and sixth in both the 200m free
(2:01.43) and the 200m back (2:14.72). Additionally, her prelim time in the
200m back of 2:12.63 reset another of her own school records. She currently
owns USC's top times in the 200, 500 and 1000 free as well as in the 200
back. This August, Benko will compete at the Pan Pacific Championships. She
currently owns eight individual and five relay records at USC.
KAREN CAMPBELL
All-American Karen Campbell is one of the top sprint
butterflyers in the nation as well as a talented freestyler with the
potential to final in multiple events at the NCAAs as a 1998-99 senior.
Campbell, a USC co-captain, finished second in the 50 free at the 1999
Pac-10 Championships in 22.98. In the prelim of the event, she reset her
own school record in 22.87. Campbell also took third in the 100 fly (53.74)
and sixth in the 200 fly (2:02.11). Earlier this season at Stanford,
Campbell posted a deGuerre pool record in the 100 fly in 53.54. At the 1998
Fina World Cup in College Station, Texas, Campbell finished second in the
50m fly (27.38). At the 1998 U.S. Open, she set a pair of USC records in
the prelims of the 100m fly (1:00.63) and the 50m free (25.98), though the
former was later broken in the meet by teammate Nora Zhong. Campbell
ultimately finished eighth and sixth, respectively, in each event. Later
this year, she will swim for the U.S. at the Pan Am Games. She owns five
USC individual records and three relay records.
CAROLYN CONRAD
Carolyn Conrad is a talented 1998-99 freshman
freestylist who has added a boost to the Women of Troy sprint corps. She
will compete in the 200 free at her first NCAA Championships. She enters
the NCAAs with USC's third-fastest time in the 200 free at 1:49.45, a
personal best. At the 1999 Pac-10s, Conrad competed in the consolation
finals of both the 100 (51.64) and 200 free (1:49.45) and also swam in the
50 free. She also competed at the 1998 U.S. Open, where she set a personal
best in the 200m free in 2:05.33.
PAIGE FRANCIS
One of USC's top juniors in 1998-99, Paige Francis has
the potential to score in both back events at the NCAAs and can also
contribute in the 200 free. Francis enters the NCAAs with USC's top time in
the 100 back (55.70). She finalled in the 200 free at the Pac-10s, taking
eighth in 1:49.04. She took ninth in the 200 back (1:59.10) and 11th in the
100 back (56.10). At the 1998 Fina World Cup in College Station, Texas,
Francis took seventh in the 200m back (2:14.36). At the 1998 U.S. Open, she
finished ninth in both the 100m and 200m back. She is part of two USC relay
records (200 free and 200 medley).
ALEXIS LYON
A 1998-99 sophomore, Alexis Lyon has made major strides and
will try to build on her NCAA appearance last season. Lyon, who will
compete at this year's NCAAs in the 200 free and possibly in the 800 free
relay, has USC's fourth-fastest time in the 200 free this year in 1:49.75.
At the 1999 Pac-10 Championships, Lyon finished 15th in the 500 free
(4:58.93), 18th in the 200 free (1:49.75) and 21st in the 100 free (52.34).
At the 1998 U.S. Open, Lyon competed in the 100m, 200m and the 400m free.
KRISTIN MacGREGOR
One of the top prep breaststrokers in the nation last
year, 1998-99 freshman Kristin MacGregor lends immediate help in the breast
and IM events with NCAA finalist potential and will be invaluable in the
relays as well. MacGregor was a three-time finalist at her first Pac-10
Championships, taking second in the 100 breast (1:01.57), fourth in the 200
breast (2:14.64) and fifth in the 200 IM (2:01.78). She owns USC's top
times in the 100 breast (1:01.42), 200 breast (2:14.64) and the 200 IM
(2:01.70). At the 1998 Fina World Cup meet at Texas A&M, MacGregor won both
the 50m (31.92) and the 100m breast (1:08.75), the latter a USC record,
breaking a mark (1:09.60) set by Kristine Quance in 1996. At the 1998 U.S.
Open, MacGregor took third in the 100m breast (1:09.06). She competed at
the 1997 Pan Pacific Championships and is a regular finalist at U.S.
National meets.
KATIE MEYER
Katie Meyer is a talented backstroker as a 1998-99 freshman
with a fine work ethic and can be a contributor at the NCAA level, both
individually and on the relays. She is also competitive in the fly and will
race in the 200 fly at the NCAAs. At the 1999 Pac-10s, Meyer took seventh
(56.19) and eighth (1:59.92) in the 100 and 200 back, respectively, and
also finished 13th in the 500 free (4:56.15). At the 1998 U.S. Open, she
finished seventh in both the 100m (1:02.55) and 200m back (2:15.10), the
former a USC record. Her prelim time in the 200m back (2:13.85) is also a
personal best.
AMY MIGAWA
One of the most versatile swimmers to come out of the prep
ranks last year, 1998-99 freshman Amy Migawa is not only talented in the
distance free events but in the IM and breast as well and has the potential
to score in three events at the NCAA level. Migawa finalled in two events
at the 1999 Pac-10 Championships, taking fourth in the 400 IM (4:20.19) and
seventh in the 1650 free (16:49.08). She also took 11th in the 500 free
(4:45.30). She competed in the 1998 U.S. open and took 21st in the 400m IM
(4:55.26) and swam an 8:58.39 in the 800m free.
CORRIE MURPHY
One of the nation's most versatile swimmers, 1998-99
sophomore Corrie Murphy is looking to put together her second consecutive
All-American campaign at the NCAAs. Murphy, who will compete in the 200
back and 200 and 400 IM, finalled in both IM events at the 1999 Pac-10s.
She finished second in the 400 IM (4:14.86, a personal best) and sixth in
the 200 IM (2:02.37). She also took 12th in the 200 back (2:00.66). At 1998
U.S. Open, Murphy finished 17th in the 400m IM. She will compete for the
U.S. at the World University Games in July of 1999.
NORA ZHONG
A transfer from Alabama and a native of China, 1998-99
senior Nora Zhong is an experienced swimmer who is set to compete in the 50
free and the 100 and 200 fly at the NCAA Championships and is also a key
component of USC's relays. At the 1999 Pac-10s, Zhong finished fifth in the
100 fly (54.10) and seventh in the 200 fly (2:02.52). She also led off
USCs school record 200 free (1:32.57) and took 14th in the 50 free
(23.69). Her best times of the year in the fly events are 53.99 in the 100
and 2:00.40 in the 200, both posted in the Pac-10 prelims. At the 1998 U.S.
Open, Zhong set a USC record in the 100m fly with a time of 1:00.60, good
for fifth. Her time broke teammate Karen Campbell's mark of 1:00.63, posted
earlier in the meet. Zhong also took 14th in the 50m free in 26.18.
KELLIE BRENNAN
Kellie Brennan, a 1998-99 freshman diver, is a
national-level competitor who has lent immediate help to the Women of Troy
diving corps and qualified as an alternate for the 1999 NCAAs. Brennan won
a Pacific-10 Conference title in the 1-meter springboard (431.85) and also
took third in the 3-meter (502.30) and sixth in the platform (513.90). At
the Zone E Championships, Brennan, who was competing while recovering from
a mild concussion suffered a week earlier, finished sixth in both the
3-meter (475.95) and the platform (318.80) and took eighth in the 1-meter
(389.85).
D-RTE LINDNER
One of the top divers in Europe, let alone college,
1998-99 senior D-rte Lindner was set to vie for All-American honors for the
third consecutive year, but is suffering from vertigo and has not competed
since the Pac- 10 Championships. She entered the year as a four-time
All-American, finalling in both the 1- and 3-meter events at the NCAA
Championships as a sophomore and junior the last two years. She was the
Pac-10 Female Diver of the Meet last season.
