March 11, 2010
(CANTON, Ohio) – The Truman women’s swimming team added 11 more all-American honors at the 2010 NCAA Championships on Thursday night, headlined by senior Kate Aherne’s second place finish in the 200 freestyle and senior Kendra Brunkow’s three top-15 finishes.
After becoming a three-time national champion in the 200 IM in day one action on Wednesday, Aherne (Cary, Ill.; Cary-Grove) added 17 points to the Truman team score with a 1:49.97 second-place finish in the 200 freestyle. She was also part of the 200 freestyle relay team that picked up a 7th-place finish by coming in at 1:35.25. Also on that team were Brunkow (Firth, Neb.; Norris-Beatrice), junior Tanya Sylvester (Rochester, Minn.; Century), and sophomore Jessica Jenkot (Orland Park, Ill.; Carl Sandburg).
Brunkow and Sylvester joined junior Emily Buss (St. Louis, Mo.; Lafayette) and freshman Stacey Wymer (New Lenox, Ill.; Lincoln-Way Central HS) on the 400 medley relay squad which finished 7th with a time of 3:50.42.
But Brunkow wasn’t finished, as her day saw a third all-American honor come her way with a 13th place (1:53.79) finish in the 200 freestyle, while junior Julia Jones (Daphne, Ala.; Daphne) added five points to the Bulldogs’ team total by coming in 12th in the 400 IM with a time of 4:27.44.
Through two days of action, the Bulldog women remain in 7th place with 120 points, 223 points back of first-place Drury who leads with 343 team points.
All 13 of Truman’s swimmers at the 2010 Championships were in action on Friday, with the following competing in preliminary action but not advancing to the two final heats in their events:
- Junior Claire Myers (Ellisville, Mo.; Lafayette): 400 IM – 17th place (4:32.63)
- Junior Tanya Sylvester: 100 Fly – 19th place (57.20)
- Junior Anna Grinter (Manhattan, Kan.; Manhattan): 100 Fly – 28th place (58.06)
- Freshman Taylor Birsa (Joliet, Ill.; Joliet West): 400 IM – 22nd place (4:35.14)
- Freshman Allison Harding (West Des Moines, Iowa; Valley): 400 IM – 32nd place (4:41.73)
- Freshman Lexi Houser (New Hope, Pa.; New Hope-Solebury): 400 IM – 35th place (4:45.12)
- Freshman Jerod Simek (O’Fallon, Mo.; Fort Zumwalt West HS): 400 IM – 18th place (4:04.57)
Friday’s action will consist of the 500-yard freestyle (Harding, Jones, Myers, Simek), the 100-yard backstroke (Aherne, Wymer), the 100-yard breaststroke (Buss, Jenkot), the 200-yard butterfly (Grinter, Sylvester) and the 800-yard freestyle relay (Aherne, Brunkow, Houser, Sylvester). Preliminary competition starts at 9:30 a.m. central-time before the championship finals heats begin at 5:00 p.m.