Feb. 17, 2001
UNIONDALE, N.Y.-- At the 2001 Big East Conference Swimming & Diving Championships held at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in Uniondale, N.Y., the Villanova University women's swimming & diving team finished in fourth place, while the Wildcat men placed 11th overall. Villanova sophomore Maddy Crippen (Conshohocken, Pa./ Germantown Academy) highlighted the meet for the Wildcat women winning three individual Big East titles and taking home Big East Most Outstanding Women's Swimmer honors.
After winning Big East titles in the 500 yard freestyle and the 400 yard individual medley in the meet's first two days, Crippen came back on Saturday to claim her third conference crown. She posted a 2:14.33 to win the 200 yard breaststroke, giving her six career individual Big East titles. She was also named the Big East's Most Outstanding Women's Swimmer as a freshman in 1999, when she won three conference championships at her first Big East meet.
Villanova senior Kristen Olson (Moon Township, Pa./ Moon Area H.S.) also won a Big East title on Saturday, winning the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 50.21. The title was the third individual Big East Championship of her career, but her first-ever in the 100 yard freestyle. She won the 50 yard freestyle at the 1997-98 Big East Championships, and the 200 yard freestyle in 1998-99.
Winning the Big East women's team title was Notre Dame with 672.50 points. Following the Irish was Virginia Tech (482), Rutgers (450.50), Villanova (406), and Miami (391.5)winding down the top five. Sixth in the women's standings was Pittsburgh (346), followed by West Virginia (283), Syracuse (230), Connecticut (228), Boston College (124), St. John's (94), Seton Hall (52), and Georgetown (31).
Taking the men's team title was the University of Pittsburgh (647). The rest of the men's standings are as followed: St. John's (428), Virginia Tech (417), Notre Dame (385.5),Rutgers (385), Syracuse (366), West Virginia (287), Connecticut (244), Seton Hall (182), Miami (179.5), Villanova (150), Boston College (59), and Georgetown (47).
