Printer-Friendly Format     E-mail this article     Junior Meghan Perry-Eaton became the first Irish diver to win a BIG EAST crown when she won the one-meter competition on Friday.

Marie Labosky and Meghan Perry-Eaton win individual titles for the Irish.

Feb. 21, 2003

Uniondale, N.Y. - The University of Notre Dame women's swimming & diving team is in first place with a score of 501 after 27 events at the 2003 BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships. The University of Pittsburgh men's swimming & diving team is out in front of men's competition with a score of 509.

The evening jumped out to a fast start as BIG EAST Championship records fell in the first two events. First it was the Rutgers team of Kelly Harrigan, Katie Kuczmarski, Michelle DeFreese and Ruth Nichols breaking the BIG EAST Championship record in the women's 200 yard medley relay with a time of 1:41.92. In the men's 200 yard medley relay, the team of Steve Tozer, Kevin Furlong, Brian Piantadosi, and Chris Lindberg of Virginia Tech won with in a record time of 1:28.49.

In the women's 400 yard IM, Notre Dame's Marie Labosky (4:16.24) edged out two time defending BIG EAST Champion Maddy Crippen (4:16.46) for the victory. Sean Smith of Rutgers won the men's 400 yard IM with a time of 3:52.25.

Rutgers senior Michelle De Freese defended her title in the 100 yard butterfly, breaking the BIG EAST Championship record, a record she set in 2002, with a time of 53.32. Connecticut's Dustin Rodgers won the men's 100 yard butterfly with a time of 48.35.

Miami's Manon van Rooijen defended her title in the women's 200 yard freestyle, posting a BIG EAST Championship record time of 1:46.44. Virginia Tech's Becky Koch finished second with a NCAA A Cut time of 1:46.90. In the men's 200 yard freestyle, West Virginia's Franca Kleyton finished first with an NCAA B Cut time of 1:37.31.

Virginia Tech's Kevin Furlong defended his title and broke the BIG EAST Championship record in the 100 yard breaststroke with a NCAA A Cut time of 53.54. Pittsburgh's Ryan Redman won the women's 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 1:02.87.

Rutgers freshman Kelly Harrigan set a new BIG EAST Championship record in the 100 yard backstroke with a NCAA A Cut time of 54.55. Virginia Tech's Steve Tozer won the men's 100 yard back with a NCAA B Cut time of 49.13.

The team of Kelly Harrigan, Casmera Wick, Samantha Caetano, and Erin McIntyre of Rutgers won the women's 800 yard freestyle relay, posting a new BIG EAST Championship record of 7:16.43. In the men's 800 yard free relay, the St. John's team of Marcin Filipowicz, Michal Szapiel, Milos Cerovich and Pawel Sokolowski finished first with an NCAA B Cut time of 6:36.32.

In the women's One-Meter Diving, Notre Dame's Meghan Perry-Eaton won with a score of 309.20. Miami's Katie Beth Bryant, who won this event in 2001, finished second with a score of 293.10. Miami's Miguel Velazquez made it a clean sweep in the men's springboard competition, winning the Three-Meter Diving title with a score of 594.25.

The 2003 BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships conclude tomorrow with preliminary events beginning at 10:30 am at the Goodwill Games Pool in East Meadow, N.Y.

Complete results from day two will be available later tonight on www.bigeast.org.