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Juniors Lauren Bailey and Kate Wheeler have been the leaders to Nebraska’s success over the past three years and will put their talent to the test this week when they compete in the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga., March 16-18.
The duo represents NU’s most swimmers at the national event since 2001. Last year, Bailey competed in the meet, along with diver Amie Buoy.
The 2006 NCAA Championships are hosted by the University of Georgia and will take place in Athens, Ga., beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, with finals starting at 7 p.m. that night. Friday and Saturday will follow the same schedule. ESPN2 will telecast the event, which can be seen on Friday, March 24 at 4 p.m.
This year’s championships will mark the third consecutive time that Bailey has competed in the event, while Wheeler will be making her first appearance. Each will be swimming in three events - Bailey in the 500-yard freestyle, 1,650-yard freestyle and 400-yard individual medley, and Wheeler in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle and 1,650-yard freestyle.
Bailey led the Huskers with 18 individual victories on the season, and she is ranked as high as 14th heading into the meet with her school-record, Big 12 Championship winning time of 16:20.05 in the 1,650-free. Wheeler qualified by virtue of her 500-free time (4:47.49) which is the 31st fastest in the nation. By qualifying in those two events, Bailey and Wheeler were then invited to compete in the other events in which they had also set NCAA provisional marks.
Nebraska may have its best chance to score points at this year’s NCAA Championships since 2001, when it placed 23rd with 38 points. Bailey placed as high as 27th at last year’s meet in the 1,650-free in a time of 16:32.70, 12 seconds slower than her qualifying time this season. She has also gained extensive national championship experience. This is the third year in a row that she will be competing in three events.
2005-06 Season Review
Lauren Bailey continued to establish herself as one of the most successful distance swimmers in school history as she qualified for the NCAA Championships for the third straight year and broke school records in both the 1,000- and 1,650-yard freestyle. Bailey’s school-record marks came in her 1,650-freestyle win at the Big 12 Championships in a NCAA automatic qualifying mark of 16:20.05. She was clocked at 9:51.91 at the 1,000-yard mark, and both times were Mizzou Aquatic Center pool records. Bailey also racked up a team-high 18 victories on the year, nine of which came in events she will be competing in at the NCAA Championships (500-free, 1,650-free, 400-IM). She set a Robinson Natatorium pool record in the 400-IM (4:25.63) in Nebraska’s dual meet at Kansas on Jan. 14.
2005-06 Season Review
Kate Wheeler won 12 races this season on the way to her first NCAA Championship appearance of her career. Wheeler had the best conference meet of her career, placing in the top five in three events (200-free, 500-free, 1,650-free). Wheeler also moved up to as high as fourth in both the 500- and 1,650-free on the Nebraska all-time list with career-best performances at the Big 12 Championships. She met the NCAA provisional qualifying mark on four occasions each in the 200- and 500-free, all coming at the Minnesota Invite or Big 12 Championships, except her 200-free time of 1:50.22 against Missouri.