Savard to Be First SU Swimmer at NCAA Championships

INDIANAPOLIS -- Susquehanna University will be represented by junior Christie Savard (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) at the 2009-10 NCAA Division III women's swimming & diving championships, hosted by Beloit College and The College of Wooster at the University of Minnesota's University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis from March 17-20.

Savard, who recently appeared in Sports Illustrated due to her performance at the 2009-10 Landmark Conference championships from Feb. 12-14, will be the first-ever Susquehanna swimmer to compete in the NCAA championships. See her in Sports Illustrated here.

Savard provisionally qualified for the national meet in three events at the Landmark championships--the 200-yard backstroke (2 minutes, 5.32 seconds), 200 individual medley (2:10.22) and 400 IM (4:34.03)--though she only made the final NCAA cut in the 200 back.

Per NCAA rules, if Savard wishes to participate in the national championships, she must compete in the 200 back. She can also compete in two other swimming events of her choice though, and according to Head Coach Jerry Foley, she will swim in the 400 IM as well. She will not swim in a third event.

Savard is ranked 13th in the meet in the 200 back and 23rd in the 400 IM. The top eight finishers in each event at the NCAA championships earn All-America honors. Finishers nine through 16 earn honorable mention All-America honors.

The preliminaries of the 400 IM are scheduled for approximately 10 a.m. on Thursday, March 18, with the finals set for approximately 6 p.m. later that same day.

The prelims of the 200 back are set for approximately 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 20. The finals of that event are scheduled for approximately 6 p.m. that day.

Scoring for the meet is as follows: first place = 20 points, second = 17 pts., third = 16, fourth = 15, fifth = 14, sixth = 13, seventh = 12, eighth = 11, ninth = nine, 10th = seven, 11th = six, 12th = five, 13th = four, 14th = three, 15th = two and 16th = one.

Live results from the meet are available here. Click here for information on ticket sales. The championships home page is available here.

SU's other provisional qualifiers--senior Hayley Keenan (Pikesville, Md./Liberty HS) and freshman Devin Lessard (Chestertown, Md./Queen Anne's County) on the women's side and junior male Colin Sullivan (Westfield, N.J./Westfield)--did not make cuts for competing in the NCAA meet.