Huskers Take San Diego Invite

San Diego, Calif. - The Nebraska swimming and diving team started the new year by capturing the San Diego Invitational on Friday.

The Huskers defeated Nevada, Rice and San Diego in the quadrangular with a total of 232 points.  Multiple-heat races were scored as separate events during the meet as Nebraska tallied 14 victories as a team.  The Huskers won six of the last eight events. 

Sophomores Kate Wheeler and Bailey Ingles led Nebraska with three individual wins each.  Wheeler leads the team with 10 wins this season, adding victories in the 200-yard freestyle (1:54.43), 100-yard freestyle (54.16) and 500-yard freestyle (5:02.13) on Friday.  Ingles' strong day began with a first-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly (2:10.60).  The Omaha, Neb. native went on to capture the 100-yard butterfly in 59.72, and 200-yard IM in 2:12.19.

Junior co-captain Mackenzie Clark and sophomore Lauren Bailey each won a heat in the 1,000-yard freestyle.  Clark swam a time of 10:30.41 to edge teammate Esmie Holderman by seven seconds.  Bailey finished in 10:05.45, winning her seventh race of the season.  Clark also registered a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle (5:10.50), while Bailey finished second in her heat of the 500-yard freestyle (5:03.69) and second in the 200-yard IM (2:11.13).

California natives Lana Baker and Emily Becker each won their first events of the year.  Baker captured Heat 1 of the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:09.18, and Becker won the first heat of the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.80.

Sophomore Katie Bowden and junior co-captain Rachel Schlatter also won their first events of the season.  Bowden won her heat of the 500-yard freestyle in 5:06.93 while Schlatter finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:24.79).

Junior Alex King also tallied a first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle (25.22).

Junior Becky Johnson was the highest NU finisher in the only diving competition of the day.  Johnson scored a 256.20 in the one-meter for a third-place finish.  Freshman Kaci Ressler was fourth with 242.90 points.

The Huskers also won the 200-yard medley relay (1:51.27) and 400-yard freestyle relay (3:34.24).

In addition to the quadrangular win, the Huskers also extended their dual meet record to 4-0, as a score was kept between Nebraska and Nevada.  The Huskers edged the Wolf Pack 151-149.  

Nebraska returns to the Devaney Center Pool next Saturday, Jan. 15 when it will open Big 12 competition versus Kansas.  The meet begins at 2 p.m.