 INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana University women’s swimming and diving team capped off a tremendous week at the 2017 NCAA Championships at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis, Ind.
Indiana placed eighth overall at the NCAA Championships with a total of 185 points. The eighth-place finish is the second-best in school history, while the 185 points are the second-most in school history to last season’s 228. Stanford won the team title with 526.5 points.
IU was the top Big Ten finisher at the NCAA Championships for the third-straight year, as
the Hoosiers posted back-to-back top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships for the first time since accomplishing the feat three times-in-a-row from 2008-10. The top-10 finish is the eighth in school history.
At the NCAA Championships, the Hoosiers had eight individuals earn a total of 24 All-America honors, marking the sixth time in the last nine seasons that Indiana has had 20 or more All-America accolades.
Lilly King continued her domination of the breaststroke, successfully defending her title in the 20 breaststroke on Saturday night, winning the NCAA championship with the best time in history – 2:03.18. King has now won both breaststroke titles the last two seasons.
King’s incredible time reset the American, NCAA, NCAA meet, U.S. Open and IU school record she set last year and the mark also broke the IU Natatorium record.
With her win in the 200 breast, King is the first swimmer or diver in Big Ten history to win four individual national titles. King is also the first to win both the 100 and 200 breast crowns in back-to-back years since Rebecca Soni in 2008-09.
With the two individual NCAA championships this year, Indiana has now won six titles over the last four seasons, which is the most prolific stretch of any Big Ten team in history. IU is also the first squad in league history to win at least one national title in four-consecutive seasons.
Also with the two NCAA crowns this season, Indiana has tied Michigan for the most individual and relay titles in Big Ten history with 10
Jessica Parratto was stellar in the Championship Final of the platform dive, placing second overall with a total score of 314.45. Parratto, the two-time Big Ten and 2015 NCAA champion in the event came on strong in her final two dives.
Sitting in fourth place with two rounds to go, Parratto scored a 67.65 and 70.40 in her final two attempts to climb the leaderboard. The redshirt sophomore was a huge asset to the Hoosiers during the week, scoring points in all three diving events.
In the Championship Final of the 200 backstroke, Kennedy Goss was outstanding, placing seventh overall for the Hoosiers with a time of 1:50.94. Her mark is the seventh-fastest time in school history and the junior now owns five of the top-eight times in school history.
Gia Dalesandro brought her illustrious Indiana career to a close on Saturday night, placing third in the Consolation Final of the 200 butterfly to finish 11th overall with a time of 1:54.58.
Dalesandro, the four-time Big Ten champion in the 200 fly, touched in the wall in the third-fastest time in history. Overall, Dalesandro owns nine of the top-10 times in the event at Indiana.
In the 1,650 freestyle, the Hoosiers had a pair of fantastic personal-best swims. Freshman Cassie Jernberg lowered her PR by nearly two seconds, placing 14th with a time of 16:01.94. In her last swim for IU, senior Stephanie Marchuk took her PR down by over four seconds, placing 15th with a mark of 16:02.27.
With their times, Jernberg ranks as the fifth-best performer in the event at Indiana, while Marchuk ranks sixth in school history.
With their performances on Saturday, Goss earned her 11th All-America honor, Dalesandro her ninth, King her eighth, Parratto her fifth, Marchuk her third and Jernberg her first.
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200 Backstroke
- Kennedy Goss – 1:50.94 (All-America)
200 Breaststroke
- Lilly King – 2:03.18 (American, NCAA, NCAA Meet, U.S. Open, Pool and School Record; All-America)
200 Butterfly
- Gia Dalesandro – 1:54.58 (Honorable Mention All-America)
Platform Dive
- Jessica Parratto – 314.45 (All-America)
1,650 Freestyle
- Cassie Jernberg – 16:01.94 (Personal Best, Honorable Mention All-America)
- Stephanie Marchuk – 16:02.27 (Personal Best, Honorable Mention All-America)
2017 Indiana All-America Honors
Delaney Barnard (1) – 800 Freestyle Relay (HM)
Gia Dalesandro (5) – 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly (HM), 200 Medley Relay, 400 medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay (HM)
Kennedy Goss (4) – 500 Freestyle, 400 Medley Relay, 800 Freestyle Relay (HM)
Maria Paula Heitmann (1) – 800 Freestyle Relay (HM)
Cassie Jernberg (1) – 1,650 Freestyle (HM)
Lilly King (4) – 100 Breaststroke, 200 Breaststroke, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay
Stephanie Marchuk (1) – 1,650 Freestyle (HM)
Jessica Parratto (3) – Platform Dive, 1-Meter Dive (HM), 3-Meter Dive (HM)
Ali Rockett (2) – 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay
Holly Spears (2) – 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay
