Oregon State
NCAA Championships
Swimmers Off To Strong Start
March 18, 2004 | Women's Swimming
March 18, 2004
COLLEGE STATION, Tex. - Birte Steven tied for 18th place and Mari Embertson finished 32nd in the 200-meter individual medley Thursday as the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships got underway at the Texas A&M Student Recreation Center Natatorium. Both broke the previous OSU school record.
The first-day effort should build some confidence for the two Beavers, as they finished higher than expected in what is neither's best event. Steven had been 46th and Embertson 69th on the list Division I's top 50 swimmers this season in the 200 IM entering the meet.
"Both Birte and Mari did a great job," OSU head coach Larry Liebowitz said. "Both went their lifetime best times and were more than the equivalent of their entered times."
College swimming events are generally measured in yards; however, during Olympic years, the NCAA Championships are contested in meters. Steven's time Friday of 2 minutes, 14.13 seconds converts to 2:00.18 for 200 yards; Embertson's 2:15.57 converts to 2:01.47. Prior to Friday, the OSU school record in the 200 IM had been Steven's 2:01.98 at the 2003 NCAA Championships.
"It's a really good start and we'll get better each day," Liebowitz said. "Friday should be a good day. Mari is seeded well in the 400 IM and based on her swim Thursday, she should do well. And there's Birte, of course, in the 100 breaststroke."
Both OSU swimmers will have a chance to earn All-America honors in those events by placing in the top 16. Steven is sixth on the list of Division I leaders in the 100 breaststroke, where the senior is already a two-time All-America for her 11th-place finish last season and her 16th-place finish as a sophomore. Embertson, a junior, is 15th on the list of Division I leaders in the 400 IM.
