Feb. 22, 2008

EAST MEADOW, N.Y.--Six Panthers return for the finals this evening, as the women's swimming and diving team looks to improve upon its current fourth-place position on the third day of competition in the Big East Swimming and Diving Championships at Nassau County Aquatics Center.

Posting a NCAA `B' qualifying time in prelims, junior Stacie Safritt (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) earned the fourth seed in the finals of the 200 free at 1:50.18, after winning her heat of prelims. Last season, Safritt finished sixth in this event.

Another Panther returning to the finals of an event she placed in last year is junior Agnes Mago (Kecskemet, Hungary/Bolyai Janos/Radford). Mago seeks to improve upon her fourth-place finish last season, after earning the sixth seed in the finals of the 400 IM at 4:23.83..

Joining Mago will be junior Ruth Seiffert (Boothwyn, Pa./Garnet Valley), who sits 11th with a time of 4:27.58 in the consolation heat.

Senior Brittany Stevens (Peachtree City, Ga./Starr's Mill/Florida State) recorded a sixth seed in tonight's 100 fly at 56.07, while sophomore Ryann Kishbaugh (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) earned the final seed in the finals of the 100 back with a 56.74 finish.

Freshman Cookie McIntyre (York, Pa./West York Area) recorded a season's best time of 1:04.18 in the 100 breast, advancing to the finals with a seventh-place seed. Classmate Laura Barnes (Pickering, Ont./Dunbarton) will swim in the consolation heat after turning in a time of 1:05.34.

Competing in her first conference meet, freshman Morgan Speece (Reading, Pa./Wilson) recorded 240.75 points for a seventh seed in the finals of tonight's 3M diving event.

Freshman Mallory Mullady (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) and sophomore Margo Ekstrom (Erie, Pa./McDowell) tallied top 15 scores with marks of 226.95 and 219.70, respectively.

Freshman Kristen McMullan (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) just missed the top eight of the 100 fly with a ninth-place time of 57.03 and will swim in the consolation race.

Additionally, sophomore Lisa McDonnell (Columbia, Pa./Hempfield) placed 14th in the 100 fly prelims with a time of 57.49.

Freshman Sophie Cross (Thornton, Pa./Glen Mills) swam a 4:33.66 in prelims for a top-20 time in the 400 IM.

Other top 25 finishes included Sarah Looney (Sugar Hill, Ga./North Gwinnett) in the 100 fly (58.85) and the 200 free (1:53.66), senior Kelly O'Hara (Voorhees, N.J./Timber Creek) in the 100 fly (59.17), junior Erin Meehan (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) in the 200 free (1:53.75), freshman Megan Sculley (Sinking Springs, Pa./Wilson/William and Mary) in the 200 free (1:53.84), McDonnell in the 100 back (59.49), sophomore Hanna Bratton (Lincoln, R.I./Moses Brown) in 3M dives (213.15), junior Sabrina Jennings (Elmont, N.Y./Elmont Memorial) on the 3M board (211.40) and sophomore Alyssa Ferraro (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) in 3M diving (189.40).

Top 30 finishes included Kishbaugh in the 100 fly at 59.53 and senior Colleen Sullivan (Alexandria, Va./Bishop Ireton) in the 100 breast (1:09.17).

Friday's finals include the 400 IM, 100 fly, 200 free, 100 breast, 100 back, women's 3M diving and the 400 medley relay.

Coverage of the Big East Championships can be viewed at www.bigeast.org for a one-time fee of $9.95.