Kelsi Worrell picked up her second NCAA Championship with a win in the 200-fly to lead the University of Louisville women’s swimming and diving team to an eighth place finish at the 2016 NCAA Championships Saturday night at the McAuley Aquatic Center on the campus of Georgia Tech.
Georgia took their seventh crown with (414) points, followed by Stanford (395), California (358), Texas A&M (309), Virginia (264), Southern Cal (244.5), Indiana (228), Louisville (220), NCState (155) and Michigan (150) to round out the top ten.
“After seven hard-fought sessions, we finish the last one with an NCAA title after setting an NCAA Championship record in the prelims and a school record 400-free relay performance. We scored the most points in school history and we achieved our second consecutive NCAA Top 10 finish,” said Arthur Albiero.
Kelsi Worrell gutted out a win in the 200 fly, barely holding off Stanford’s Ella Eastin. Worrell, trying to defend her 2015 NCAA title in this event, had almost a full second margin at the halfway mark. Worrell, out well under American and NCAA record pace at the 150 had to contend with a determined Eastin, who won the 200 free and 400 individual medley at the this meet. The Stanford freshman cut into Worrell’s lead in the final lap, but the ACC Most Valuable Swimmer touched in 1:50.96 just ahead of Eastin’s 1:51.04. Worrell’s time ranks as the third-fastest swim of all-time and, with the win, she completed a two-year sweep of the NCAA butterfly events.
After that gritty performance in the fly, Worrell was the lead off swimmer in the next event, the 400-freestyle and put up the fastest split for Louisville. The Cards touched seventh in a school record 3:13.21 put up by Worrell (47.33), Andrea Kneppers (48.88), Mallory Comerford (47.76) and Alex Sellers (49.24).
“I am very proud of this group of ladies,” said Albiero. “I am very proud of this group of ladies. We are grateful for the leadership from our seniors Andrea Kneppers and Kelsi Worrell. They have played a major role in our program growth into the national elite.”
Top Ten Times in the 200 butterfly
1 1:49.92 Elaine Breeden Stanford 2/28/09
2 1:50.61p Kelsi Worrell Louisville 3/19/16
3 1:50.96 Kelsi Worrell Louisville 3/19/16
4 1:50.98 Elaine Breeden Stanford TAMU 3/21/09
5 1:51.02 Katinka Hosszu USC 12/2/10
6 1:51.03 Katinka Hosszu USC Austin, Texas 12/1/11
7 1:51.04 Ella Eastin Stanford 3/19/16
8 1:51.11 Kelsi Worrell Louisville 3/21/15
9 1:51.18 Kathleen Hersey Texas TAMU 3/21/09
10 1:51.28 Mary DeScenza Bulldog Long Beach, Calif. 1/17/09
Multiple Winners of the 200 fly:
4 – Mary DeScenza, Georgia
4 – Mary T. Meagher, California
3 – Elaine Breeden, Stanford
2 – Tracy Caulkins, Florida
2 – Julie Gorman, Florida
2 – Katinka Hosszu, USC
2 – Misty Hyman, Stanford
2 – Janel Jorgensen, Stanford
2 – Limin Liu, Nevada
2 – Berit Puggaard, SMU
2 – Summer Sanders, Stanford
2 – Cammile Adams, Texas A&M
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