Swimming and Diving Head Into BIG EAST Championships
February 19, 2008 | Swimming & Diving
Feb. 19, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST Swimming & Diving Championships are on deck for an exciting four-day meet on Feb. 20-23 at the Nassau County Aquatic Center in East Meadow, N.Y. This season marks the conference's 28th year for hosting the championships, and the 10th at the Center.
The 2007 championships saw the Notre Dame women capture their 11th consecutive title, while the West Virginia men secured their first.
The Louisville men enter this year's championships as the only team with a national ranking, currently ranked No. 23 on the College Swim Coaches Association Poll. The ranking is a first for the Cardinal program. UofL holds 10 of the league's top times, including all five relay finishes. Junior Andrei Radzionau will swim with the top qualifier in the 100 free (43.67) and the 200 free (1:36.55) and the second-best in the 50 free (20.16). All three freestyle times are NCAA 'B' cuts. Three other Cardinals will swim at the championships having already achieved NCAA 'B' qualifiers - sophomore Carlos Van Isschot leads the league in the 100 back (48.78), junior Vali Preda is first in the 200 breast (2:00.28) and classmate Adam Madarassy has the top entrance-time in the 200 fly (1:46.73).
Louisville junior Leslie VanWinkle looks to help the Cardinals improve upon their 2007 fifth-place finish, as she enters this year's competition with four of the league's top times. VanWinkle holds the best finishes in the 200 free (1:48.33), the 200 back (2:00.01), the 200 IM (2:01.34) and the 400 IM (4:16.38). The last mark is a NCAA 2007 Invite time, while the previous three are NCAA 'B' qualifiers.
