Feb. 17, 2008

LONG BEACH, Calif. - An extremely strong fourth day by Loyola Marymount at the Pacific Collegiate Swimming & Diving Conference Championship had the University of Northern Colorado team finishing fourth overall with 1,147 points. LMU won with 1,212 points after beginning the day in fourth. Pepperdine (1,166) and UC San Diego (1,159) finished second and third, respectively.

Sophomore Nan Liu won the 200 butterfly in 2:02.71, just missing the NCAA B qualifying standard. Tori Gutt finished out her strong showing at the championship with a second place finish in the 200 meter breaststroke, swimming a 2:22.55.

The quartet of Becca Getz, Katie Schmitt, Liu and Jennifer Betts finished fourth in the 400 freestyle relay after combining for a time of 3:32.27.

Whitney Dahms finished seventh in the 1,650 freestyle with a time of 17:55.77, while Kelly Sandford finished right behind her in eighth after a time of 17:56.86. In the 200 backstroke, Chesney Randolph placed seventh after clocking a 2:11.28 and Schmitt finished ninth in the 100 freestyle with her time of 52.98, while Getz was right behind her in 10^th in 53.14.

Kelly Schmeckpepper-Cook was named the PCSC Diver of the Year, while Sarah Easter was named the diving coach of the year after the Bears strong performances in both the one and three-meter diving.

Gutt, Liu, Schmitt, Randolph, Schmeckpepper-Cook and Sarah Cook were all named to the PCSC All-Conference First-Team, while Krista Griffin, Dahms, Sandford, Getz and Lauren Tucci were all second-team selections.

Northern Colorado will now take a week off from competition before returning to the pool in Houston for the Conference USA Championships, in which the Bears are competing as an invitational member.