Feb. 19, 2003
ATLANTA – The second-year Georgia Tech women’s swimming and diving team (4-7, 1-4 ACC) opens the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships Thursday at the University of North Carolina’s Koury Natatorium. The meet concludes Saturday. Preliminaries begin at 11 a.m. each day, followed by finals at 7 p.m.
The Jackets hope to improve on their eighth-place (220 points) finish of a year ago. In its first season, Tech finished just 27 points behind seventh-place Duke. The Jackets defeated the Blue Devils, 134-109, to claim their first-ever ACC dual meet victory earlier this season.
Leading Tech into the conference championships will be sophomore Anna Saum, who became the school’s first-ever All-ACC honoree with a third-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke in 2002. Saum owns a team-best time of 57.37 in the event this season to rank eighth in the conference this season.
Also expected to place well is freshman diver Laurissa Prystaj, who owns school records on both the one- and three-meter boards. Her season-best mark of 289.35 in the one-meter event stands fourth in the league, while her score 293.20 on the three-meter board ranks 10th. She has already qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving Championships in both events. Sophomore Amy Sutton is also qualified for the postseason on both boards.
Sophomores Moeko Wallis, Michelle Maguire and Lisa Hancock, who all gained valuable experience at last year’s meet and rank among Tech’s top swimmers this season, should also perform well for the Jackets. Tech also returns sophomore Cara DeVinny, who reached the NCAA Championships in the 200 and 400 IM, as well as the 200 fly.
The Jackets also have a talented group of rookies, Meghan DeVinney, Elizabeth Foster, Laura Heiser and Ashley Kracke, that will need to perform well at their first ACC Championships.
The meet features a very talented field, as four teams are ranked in the CSCAA Top 25 Poll. No. 11 North Carolina leads the way, followed by 13th-ranked Virginia, No. 20 Maryland and No. 24 Florida State.
The three-time defending champion Tar Heels won last year’s meet with 686.5 points.
All-conference honors will be awarded to all first, second and third-place finishers in individual events, as well as winning relays.
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