Weekly Release #12
3/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Thu-Sat., March 16-18 -- at NCAA Championships (Indianapolis, Ind.), Noon/7 p.m.
Wolverines Head to NCAA Championships
The top meet of the season is upon the seventh-ranked University of Michigan women's swimming and diving team. The 2000 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving National Championships are this Thursday through Saturday (March 16-18) at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. The preliminary session each day begins at noon, with the finals starting at 7 p.m.
The three-day affair will feature the nation's top intercollegiate swimmers and divers who have met qualifying standards during the season in order to advance to the NCAA's top meet of the year. There is a limit of 270 participants to compete in the Championships, with all swimmers and relay teams who have achieved NCAA "A" standards given automatic berths.
Due to this being an Olympic year, the format for the event is short-course meters, which is the first time ever that it will not be swum in the traditional yard format.
Seven Wolverines Among NCAA Qualifiers
Seven Michigan swimmers have qualified for the NCAA Championships, led by senior Shannon Shakespeare (Winnipeg, Manitoba/Kelvin SS) and juniors Jennifer Crisman (Hudsonville, Mich./Jenison HS) and Melissa Sugar (Newburgh, Ind./Evansville Day School), who each qualified in three individual events. Sophomore Lindsay Carlberg (Carmel, Ind./Carmel HS) and freshman Jenay Karlson (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) each will swim in two individual events, while senior Emily Cocks (Albion, Mich./Albion HS) qualified in one.
Michigan also will swim in four of the five relay events, with freshman Laura Kaznecki (Wolverine Lake, Mich./Western HS), Shakespeare, Crisman, Sugar, Carlberg and Cocks making up the Wolverine relay squads. Shakespeare and Crisman are members of all four relay teams.
This marks the fourth appearance at the NCAA Championships for Shakespeare (1997-98-99-00); the third NCAA meet for Crisman (1998-99-00) and Sugar (1998-99-00); the second appearance for Carlberg (1999-00) and Cocks (1996-00); and first for Kaznecki and Karlson.
Michigan's NCAA Swimming Qualifiers
| Lindsay Carlberg | 100-meter backstroke 200-meter backstroke |
| Emily Cocks | 100-meter breaststroke |
| Jennifer Crisman | 50-meter freestyle 100-meter freestyle 100-meter backstroke |
| Jenay Karlson | 400-meter freestyle 1,500-meter freestyle |
| Shannon Shakespeare | 100-meter freestyle 200-meter freestyle 200-meter individual medley |
| Melissa Sugar | 50-meter freestyle 100-meter freestyle 200-meter freestyle |
| 200-meter freestyle relay | Shakespeare, Crisman, Sugar, Kaznecki |
| 400-meter freestyle relay | Shakespeare, Crisman, Sugar, Kaznecki |
| 200-meter medley relay | Crisman, Cocks Carlberg, Shakespeare |
| 400-meter medley relay | Crisman, Shakespeare, Carlberg, Sugar |
Michigan Seeks Another Top-Eight NCAA Finish
The Wolverines have finished in the top eight at the NCAA Championships in each of the last eight years, including seventh-place showings the past two years. Michigan's top national finish came in 1995, when the Wolverines placed second behind national titles in two individual events and one relay. U-M finished third in 1996, when the Wolverines hosted the national meet at Canham Natatorium. Since 1987 Michigan is tied with Texas for the second most top-10 NCAA finishes (12), trailing only Stanford.
Wolverines at Last Year's NCAA National Championships
At the 1999 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, Michigan placed five NCAA All-Americans on the way to a seventh-place team finish (163 points). Georgia placed first last season with 504.5 points, winning the national championship for the first time in school history. Leading the way for U-M was Shannon Shakespeare, who finished in the top seven in five different events to earn All-America status in each of the five events. Melissa Sugar and Jennifer Crisman each earned All-America status in three different events.
Returning All-Americans
Michigan features three returning NCAA All-Americans from last season. Shannon Shakespeare was a five-time All-American last year, raising her career total to 17 All-America citations (7 individual, 10 relay), while Jennifer Crisman and Melissa Sugar were each three-time All-Americans in 1999. In her career Crisman is a six-time All-American (1 individual, 5 relay), while Sugar owns four All-America honors (all relay).
Michigan 1999 Returning NCAA All-Americans
| Name | Event/Place |
| Shannon Shakespeare (5): | 200 Freestyle (4th) 200 Individual Medley (7th) 200 Freestyle Relay (3rd) 400 Freestyle Relay (3rd) 800 Freestyle Relay (3rd) |
| Jennifer Crisman (3): | 100 Backstroke (7th) 200 Freestyle Relay (3rd) 400 Freestyle Relay (3rd) |
| Melissa Sugar (3): | 200 Freestyle Relay (3rd) 400 Freestyle Relay (3rd) 800 Freestyle Relay (3rd) |
Also returning is NCAA Honorable Mention All-American Lindsay Carlberg, who was part of an 11th-place 200-yard medley relay squad last season along with Crisman, Shakespeare and former U-M swimmer and current undergraduate assistant coach Jennie Eberwein.
Michigan Places Second at Big Ten Championships
Michigan placed second at the 2000 Big Ten Women's Swimming and Diving Championships, held Feb. 17-19 at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind. The Wolverines turned in 11 top-10 finishes along with two first-place performances on the final day, yet it was not enough as defending champion Minnesota captured its second consecutive Big Ten title, with 562.5 points.
All-Big Ten Conference Selections
Shannon Shakespeare led a group of five Michigan swimmers who earned all-conference honors by either winning an individual event or swimming on a victorious relay team.
Michigan's 2000 All-Big Ten Conference honorees
| Shannon Shakespeare (6): | 100 Freestyle 200 Freestyle 200 Individual Medley 200 Freestyle Relay 400 Freestyle Relay 400 Medley Relay |
| Jennifer Crisman (4): | 100 Backstroke 200 Freestyle Relay 400 Freestyle Relay 400 Medley Relay |
| Melissa Sugar (3): | 200 Freestyle Relay 400 Freestyle Relay 400 Medley Relay |
| Laura Kaznecki (2): | 200 Freestyle Relay 400 Freestyle Relay |
| Lindsay Carlberg (1): | 400 Medley Relay |
Shakespeare Sensational at Big Ten Meet
On an individual level, the 2000 Women's Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships turned out spectacularly for Shannon Shakespeare. The 17-time All-American led the way for the Wolverines, accounting for 98.5 team points while turning in four record-shattering performances in three days. She also was a part of an incredible six first-place finishes -- three such finishes for both individual and relay events. In honor of her tremendous performance, Shakespeare was named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships.
Junior All-American Jennifer Crisman also was part of two record-setting events (one individual, one relay).
Shakespeare in Elite Company
With her 200-yard individual medley victory at the 2000 Women's Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships (Feb. 17-19), Shannon Shakespeare became just the sixth swimmer to win a Big Ten Championships event in four consecutive years (1997-98-99-00).
Wolverines Ranked Seventh in CSCAA Poll
In the most recent College Swimming Coaches Association of America Poll (3/9/00), the Michigan women's swimming and diving team is ranked seventh in the country. The next poll results will be released March 23, 2000.
CSCAA Women's Division I Top 25 (3/9/00)
School Pts. 1. Georgia 248 2. Arizona 242 3. California 225 4. Stanford 222 5. Auburn 201 6. Southern Cal 178 7. MICHIGAN 166 8. Virginia 161 Southern Methodist 161 10. Florida 151 11. Northwestern 150 12. Texas 144 13. Wisconsin 114 14. Minnesota 112 15. North Carolina 111 16. Arizona State 75 17. Nebraska 68 18. Nevada 67 19. Notre Dame 42 20. Texas A&M 38 21. Kentucky 37 22. Hawaii 35 Columbia 35 24. Tennessee 28 25. Florida State 19 Miami (Fla.) 19
Contact: Justin Pfauth (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
