March 19, 1999
In the second day of the 1999 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held at the University of Georgia's Gabrielsen Natatorium in Athens, Ga., on Friday, March 19, Villanova University freshman swimmer Maddy Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./ Germantown Academy) won her first career National Championship with a victory in the 400 yard individual medley. Crippen's time of 4:06.76 broke the pool record of 4:13.47 originally set by Lucy Findlay of Louisiana State in 1997. Georgia sophomore Keegan Walkley finished in second place behind Crippen, with a time of 4:07.06.
Seeded first in the 400 yard individual medley entering the day's competition, Crippen surpassed Findlay's pool record in the events' preliminaries as well (held earlier in the day), when she placed first with a time of 4:10.01. By winning the NCAA title in the 400 yard individual medley, Crippen earns All-America honors in the event. She also earned All-America distinction in the 500 yard freestyle (4:44.41) with a fifth place finish on Thursday.
With her NCAA title, Crippen becomes only the second Villanova female swimmer ever to win a National Championship. Lisa Flood, a 1994 Villanova graduate, won the school's first NCAA title in the 200 yard breaststroke in 1992.
Winning titles in the 400 yard individual medley is not new to Crippen, as she twice won High School National Championships in the event as a swimmer for Germantown Academy. This season on Feb. 25-27, in her first Big East Championship appearance, she won a Big East title in the event, setting a new conference record with a time of 4:11.86. For her accomplishments, she was named the Big East's Most Outstanding Female Swimmer. Crippen will swim in her final event of the NCAA Championships, the 200 yard breaststroke, on Saturday, March 20.
Other Wildcat swimmers competing in Friday's events included sophomore Katie Armitage (North Haven, Conn./ North Haven High School) in the 400 yard individual medley and senior Elizabeth Lauwaert (Burke, Va./ Paul VI High School) in the 100 yard butterfly. Armitage placed 31st in the 400 yard individual medley preliminaries with a time of 4:30.53. Lauwaert finished 38th in the 100 yard butterfly preliminaries with a time of 56.75.
Friday, March 19, 1999
NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships
Gabrielsen Natatorium - University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
400 Yard Individual medley Championship Finals
1. Maddy Crippen, Villanova - 4:06.76**
2. Keegan Walkley, Georgia - 4:07.06
3. Jennifer Hommert, Florida - 4:10.80
4. Katie Hathaway, North Carolina - 4:14.40
5. Erika Acuff, North Carolina - 4:15.58
6. Erin Vogt, Arizona - 4:15.91
7. Waen Minpraphal, California - 4:17.19
8. Sarah Miller, Georgia - 4:18.57
**Broke Pool Record of 4:13.47 set by LSU's Lucy Findlay in 1997. Also broken by Crippen in the 400 yard individual medley preliminaries with a time of 4:10.01.
