RESULTS
MINNEAPOLIS -- On the final day of the final dual meet of 2014-15, Northwestern got an NCAA `B' cut and won a majority of the events against one of its ranked Big Ten opponents Saturday at Minnesota's University Aquatic Center.
In the team race, the Wildcats fell to the No. 16 Boilermakers, 206-134, and the No. 19 Golden Gophers, 259-88, after two days of an extended meet program. Of the eight events held Saturday in which Northwestern had representation (NU is without its divers at the moment), the Wildcats defeated the Boilermakers five times.
Northwestern concludes its dual-meet season with a 7-6 overall record, 2-4 against Big Ten competition. Four of its losses came versus ranked opponents -- all of them against conference foes -- while NU also had one victory on the year against a top-25 team, that coming last week at then-No. 21 Iowa.
Northwestern's `A' 200 free relay opened Day Two Saturday with a good showing, sandwiching itself between two Minnesota squads with a second-place 1:33.03 from the team of Mary Warren (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead), Julia Pratt (Vincennes, Ind./Vincennes Rivet), Anna Keane (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale) and Annika Winsnes (Singapore/United World College). That time was just .27 of a second behind Minnesota's winning team and featured a 22.70 final 50 free by Winsnes which was the lone split in the entire race to go sub-23.00.
NU's `B' team of senior Valerie Nubbe (Huntsville, Ala./Huntsville), Aja Malone (Acworth, Ga./Allatoona), Katherine Senseman (Terra Haute, Ind./Terre Haute South Vigo) and Maddy Sims (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove) touched in fourth place overall in front of both Purdue entries to give the Wildcats a 1-2 sweep of the Boilers.
Sophomore Ellen Stello (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood) took third overall behind one Gopher and one Boiler in the 400 IM followed by Lauren Abruzzo (Denver, Colo./Kent Denver) in sixth overall, handing Northwestern a 2-4 event result versus both opponents.
Winsnes gave NU another win over Purdue in the 100 free with a third-place time of 50.73 behind two Minnesota entries. Warren was in seventh overall via a 51.23.
One day after winning the 100 back in strong fashion, sophomore Lacey Locke (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) captured the 200 back in extremely strong fashion. Locke swam an NCAA `B' cut of 1:58.67 that gave her more than a three-second margin of victory against Minnesota's Brooke Zeiger, the next closest competitor.
Teammate Melissa Postoll (Acworth, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain) earned a 2:02.95 in the 200 back to place fourth for the Wildcats behind two Minnesotans, giving Northwestern a top-two sweep over the Boilers.
Malone was NU's top finisher in the 100 fly with a seventh-place result, then Megan Purdy (Boulder City, Nev./Boulder City) led the Wildcats in the 500 free with the same placing.
In the 200 breast, Minnesota's Kierra Smith ran away from the pack by over six seconds to leave the rest of the field to battle over second. Julianne Kurke (Atlanta, Ga./Parkview) won that fight with a second-place 2:18.70 while Georgie Pettibone (Santa Rosa, Calif./Analy) took fifth in 2:21.63.
The Wildcats relay teams finished Saturday like they started it with a strong showing in the 400 free relay. The team of Warren, Keane, Malone and Winsnes swam a 3:24.98 to take second place between two Golden Gophers relays.
Northwestern now has two weeks off until the Big Ten Championships Feb. 18-21 in Columbus, Ohio.