WSD: Gophers Stay Steady in Third After Second Day of Georgia Invite - GOPHERSPORTS.COM - The Official Athletic Site of the Minnesota Gophers

WSD: Gophers Stay Steady in Third After Second Day of Georgia Invite
The University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team hold the third-best score after two days of the Georgia Invite. Host and No. 1-ranked Georgia has the lead with 882, while No. 8

CalifornThe University of Minnesota women's swimming and diving team hold the third-best score after two days of the Georgia Invite. Host and No. 1-ranked Georgia has the lead with 882, while No. 8 California-Berkley is in second with 611 points. The Gophers are third with 412 points. Competition continues tomorrow for the third and final day.

Minnesota started the second day with a fifth-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Katie Wind, Bridget McCoy, Krista Kezbers and Katy Coombe combined for a time of 1:43.90. Georgia won the event in 1;40.80. Abby Ruess won the C final and finished 17th overall with a 4:28.92 time in the 400 individual medley. She improved from her provisional time of 4:33.06 to place 17th.

Freshman Erin O'Neil led the Gophers in the 100 butterfly, clocking a time of 56.34 and finishing 10th overall. Sara Vine and Sarah Solfelt added a 17th and 18th place finish in the event, chipping in times of 57.10 and 57.45, respectively.

Kate Hardt followed with an eighth-place showing in the 200 freestyle. Hardt finished in 1:50.21, provisionally qualifying for the NCAA Championships. Valerie Tukey added a 12th-place showing, while Coombe finished 16th overall.

The Gophers placed two swimmers in the 100 breaststroke A Final. McCoy finished with a time of 1:04.13, placing sixth overall. Teammate Julia Quinn was right behind her with a seventh-place showing and a time of 1:04.42. The Gophers also had three swimmers earn points in the B Final. Erika Bjorklund finished 12th (1:05.39), Lauren Levondoski finished 13th (1:06.17), while Katherine Marshall finished 14th (1:06.24). Katie Proell added a time of 1:05.79, placing 17th overall.

Wind had the fifth-best time in the 100 back, finishing in 56.66. Heather Harris was 13th overall with a time of 57.73, while Jennifer Hasling finished in 59.10 for 15th overall.

The Gophers concluded the night with a fifth-place finish in the 800 free relay. Hardt, Tukey, Coombe and O'Neil added a time of 7:27.56 and earned 28 points.

In diving action, Jessica Livingston placed third overall in the 3-meter event. Livingston, who won the 1-meter competition yesterday, held a 248.40 score.

The Gophers will finish the Georgia Invite tomorrow. Finals begin at 3 p.m.