Nov. 18, 2007

Complete Release in PDF Format

LINCOLN, Nebraska - The University of Northern Iowa swimmers stayed in fifth after the third day of the Husker Invite. After Saturday's finals, the Panthers find themselves trailing fourth-place Nebraska-Omaha by four points with many good events for the Panthers coming in Sunday's finals.

Sophomore Abby Girard (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) finished fifth, in the 100-yard backstroke event with a time of 59.63. However, her Saturday was just beginning.

Girard, along with teammates Andrea Grandcolas (St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville), Maggie Rickert (Hudson, Iowa/Cedar Falls) and Amanda Firman (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls) found themselves eighth in the 200-yard medley relay. The team swam a 1:52.63.

In the 800-yard freestyle relay, Girard was once again teammed up with Josie Itzen (Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls), April Mangrich (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Jefferson) and McKinzie Jacobs (Cedarville, Ill./Freeport) to swim a 8:08.89, the best time of the season for the Panthers in this event, and good enough for a tenth-place finish.

Itzen also pulled double-duty on Saturday as she swam in the 400-yard IM as well as the aforementioned relay. She found herself in sixth-place in the finals, swimming a 4:41.30. This was Itzen's first attempt at this event this season, her time currently places her sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference, in this race.

The Panthers will be back in action Sunday as the Husker Invite concludes. Preliminaries will begin at 8 a.m., with finals to close the Invite at 2 p.m.