Records Fall for Swimming & Diving at Nationals

Posted: Mar 26, 2011

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Blugolds.com) - Led by Nicole Dorvinen's (Jr.-Green Bay, Wis./Bay Port) first team All-American finish, the UW-Eau Claire swimming & diving teams erased five school records and produced 16 All-American finishes en route to one of its best outings at the NCAA Division III Championships.

The women's team as a whole had its best team finish at the championships since the 1995-96 season. The women earned 16th place by totaling 56 points over the four days of competition. In 1996, the Blugolds placed 14th with 74 points.

Dorvinen raced her way to a fifth place finish in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:28.10. By finishing in the top eight, Dorvinen is Eau Claire's only first teamer since the 1995-96 season. Dorvinen also broke a school record in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:04.43 for 13th place.

Casey Preissel (Sr.-Wisconsin Dells, Wis.) and Julia Olson (Jr.-Faribault, Minn.) also shattered school records in the 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly. Olson ran a preliminary time of 58.53 in the butterfly, breaking a record set in 1989. In the preliminaries of the backstroke, Preissel clocked in at 2:06.72, breaking her own school record.

Three women's relay teams picked up second team All-American places as well. Olson, Grace Fair (So.-Monticello, Minn.), Preissel and Megan Finley (Sr.-Waunakee, Wis.) led with ninth place in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:35.21. Two school records dropped in the 400 and 800-yard freestyle relays. The quartet of Preissel, Finley, Kirsten Lickel (Jr.-Madison, Wis./East) and Dorvinen picked up a 10th place with a time of 7:36.12 in the 800. The team of Preissel, Finley, Lickel and Olson raced to 12th with a time of 3:29.60 in the 400.

On the men's side, lone Blugold diver Nick Badilla (So.-Appleton, Wis./North) made the All-American second team in both the one and three-meter dives. Badilla scored 400.60 in the three-meter event for 16th place and also earned 14th in the one-meter competition with a result of 350.40.

Blugolds' Complete Results (in order of place)
* 1st Team All-Americans are 1st-8th place, 2nd Team All-Americans are 9th-16th place

Women
400-yard IM: Nicole Dorvinnen, 5th place, 4:28.10
200-yard freestyle relay: Olson, Fair, Preissel, Finley, 9th place, 1:35.21
800-yard freestyle relay: Preissel, Finley, Lickel, Dorvinen, 10th place, 7:36.12 (school record)
400-yard freestyle relay: Preissel, Finley, Lickel, Olson, 12th place, 3:29.60 (school record)
200-yard butterfly: Nicole Dorvinen, 13th place, 2:04.43 (school record)
50-yard freestyle: Julia Olson, 17th place, 23:86
200-yard freestyle: Casey Preissel, 19th place, 1:52.79
200-yard medley relay: Finley, Lickel, Olson, Preissel, 21st place, 1:47.22
400-yard medley relay: Finley, Lickel, Dorvinen, Olson, 22nd place, 3:57.27
400-yard IM: Kirsten Lickel, 24th place, 4:36.71
200-yard backstroke: Casey Preissel, 30th place, 2:06.72 (school record)
100-yard backstroke: Megan Finley, 33rd place, 59.17
100-yard freestyle: Casey Preissel, 34th place, 52.31
100-yard butterfly: Julia Olson, 34th place, 58.53 (school record)
500-yard freestyle: Nicole Dorvinen, 35th place, 5:07.54
200-yard IM: Kirsten Lickel, 36th place, 2:09.67
100-yard freestyle: Megan Finley, 44th place, 52.66
100-yard freestyle: Julia Olson, 48th place, 53.13