NCAA Division I Women’s Championships: Texas A&M’s Julia Wilkinson Wins 100 Free; First NCAA Title for Aggies
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Indiana, March 20. TEXAS A&M's Julia Wilkinson snagged the 100 free, just missing her lifetime best in the event.
Wilkinson claimed the title in 47.61, just off her personal best of 47.56 set in 2008. The win is the first for Texas A&M in any event in NCAA swimming and diving history. Georgia's Morgan Scroggy finished second for the Bulldogs in 47.72, while California's Liv Jensen claimed third in 47.77.
"Texas A&M has never had a national champion in any race so we knew that there was a couple people trying to be that first one for the team," Wilkinson said. "It's all about our team. We always feel like we are really underrated, so we wanted to come in here and show what we can do and show how hard we work. I came in second in 2008 and then had surgery so I had to sit last year out. I have been thinking about this race for two years, so it's a pretty sweet feeling to hit that wall and hear my name. The time is not at all what I wanted but it doesn't matter. A win is a win so I'm happy."
Stanford picked up plenty of points in the event with a 7-8-11-12 finish. Julia Smit (48.15), Kate Dwelley (48.49), Sam Woodward (48.55) and Betsy Webb (48.57) posted the Cardinal swims for points.
Stanford finished in third at the end of event with 302.5 points. Georgia and Arizona were tied at the top with 310.5 points. California (299) and Florida (296) made up the rest of the top five.
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