Swimwomen take eighth at Big Tens

They did it again. Just like they have done every year since the Reagan Administration.

The Michigan women's swim team won yet another conference title at the Big Ten Championships Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Indiana.

Penn State finished eighth with 217 points. The Lady Lions finished 11th at last year's championships and Penn State coach Bob Krimmel saw this year's performance as an improvement of sorts.

"We didn't take that big leap like we hoped we would," Krimmel said. "We took a hop."

Krimmel said he wasn't completely satisfied with his team's finish but saw it as a good indication for the future. He said with his returning swimmers and healthy divers the Lions can move up higher in the conference.

The Lions started the second day in sixth place, but fell to ninth after Friday's events. The team then rebounded to finish eighth.

Penn State had some excellent individual performances even if it could not stave off the Michigan battleship.

Junior Arianne Adams qualified for NCAA Championships in March at Minnesota in the 200-yard freestyle. Adams will also compete in the 100 and 500 as a result of her 200 performance.

"It doesn't show in the scores but we swam really well," Adams said. "Almost everyone had season-best times."

Freshman Katie Anderson capped off her remarkable freshman season by reaching the finals in three events by finishing in the top eight. Krimmel said Anderson is only the second freshman in Penn State's history to reach the finals in three events at the Big Ten Championships.

Teams won events here and there, but no one was able to get close to Michigan. The Wolverines won all the relay events and was led by last year's Big Ten Swimmer of the Year, Shannon Shakespeare. The sophomore swimmer won the 200-yard individual medley.

The other swimmer of the year, Minnesota's Gretchen Hegener, helped her team finish with another second-place showing. The senior backstroke specialist won the 100-yard breaststroke.

Host Indiana was the biggest surprise. The Hoosiers finished fifth, the only non-top 25 team to place in the top five.

This year's Big Ten Championships proved once again that Michigan is still the dominant force in the conference. Penn State proved that it is a much better squad than last year.

They finished eighth but at least they had fun. Penn State senior Karna Lorhammer said the team enjoyed itself and many swimmers lost their voices in the process.

Krimmel said the team kept things in the proper perspective.

"As a coach, what pleases me the most is that the intensity of competition didn't take the fun out of this championship," he said. "It is supposed to be fun."