NCAA Championship Final Results

Virginia Tech - 23rd

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Virginia Tech's Jessica Botzum (Sr., Raleigh, N.C.) ended her collegiate career on a high note as she broke her own ACC record in the 200-yard breaststroke on the final day of the 2008 Women's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships to become a five-time All-American, helping the H₂Okies finish in 23^rd-place.

In total, Tech had 42 points after Botzum finished sixth in the 200 breast with a new ACC record time of 2:10.13 on Saturday night for 13 points, topping her previous record mark of 2:10.87. She added 14 on Friday with a fifth-place result in the 100 breast, while Sara Smith (Jr., McGaheysville, Va.) scored one point by taking 16^th in the 50 free on Thursday night. Both swimmers along with Megan Newell (Jr., Ashburn, Va.) and Jordan McHorney (Jr., Virginia Beach, Va.) swam the previous two days in the 200 and 400 medley relay, finishing 13^th and 14^th, respectively, for a total of 14 points.

Arizona won the team competition with 484 points, followed by Auburn (348) and Standford (343) taking second and third-place, respectively. In total, nine ACC schools scored points with Virginia edging out Tech for the lead with 50 at 20^th-place overall. Miami finished 27^th with 32, while Georgia Tech took 30^th with 21 points.

Donning the Tech uniform for the last time, Botzum will leave Blacksburg as the most decorated swimmer in program history for her effort not only in the pool but also in the classroom. An Academic All-American and recipient of an ACC postgraduate scholarship, she earned All-America status three times in the 200 breast (2005, 2007-08) and twice in the 100 breast (2007-08) while earning All-America honorable mention status once in the 200 breast (2006), the 200 medley relay (2008) and the 400 medley relay (2008). Only two other H₂Okies have earned All-America honors, Smith in 2007 and Gus Calado in 2006.

Botzum was the 2005 ACC Freshman of the Year and 2007 ACC Swimmer of the Year, while winning a total of five ACC titles (two 200 breast, 200 IM, 100 breast, 200 medley relay). She departs as the school record holder in the 200 IM, 100 breast and 200 breast, while also being part of the 200 medley, the 400 medley and the 200 free relay squad record holders.

"Jessica Botzum has helped elevate Virginia Tech women's athletics," head coach Ned Skinner said. "She is a role model for anyone who comes through Blacksburg as she is a multiple-time academic and athletic All-American and an incredible personality. She's a two-time captain as voted on by her peers, and as a (assistant coach) Braden Holloway said, 'They just don't come along too often.' For us to have embraced her for four years, it's just been an incredible experience for all of us, not just the coaches but for the team.

"We want to build on that and want people to understand that it's ok to be great and exceed all expectations, which is what she did," Skinner added. "She's small in stature but huge in every other way."

In other performances on Saturday, Newell concluded her first career trip to the NCAAs with another school-record breaking swim as she snapped the six-year-old Tech school record in the 200 butterfly prelim with a 36^th-place finish at 2:00.01. She previously had swam the second-best time (2:02.42) in program history at the 2007 Nike Cup before breaking today Jen McLaughlin's record time of 2:01.07, set in 2002. Newell now holds the top school marks in the 100 and 200 fly.

Smith finished her season with a time of 49.64 in the 100 free for a 39^th-place finish. She is the current program record holder in the 50 and 100 free, while also holding the ACC record time in the 50 free.

In total, the four swimmers broke seven school records during the NCAAs - 100 breast, 200 breast, 100 fly, 200 fly, 50 free, 200 free relay and 400 medley relay. Skinner hopes to carry over the momentum from their performances to next season.

"We wanted more out of our ACCs, and to be able to go home and say, 'Hey, we can overcome and meet obstacles and persevere," Skinner said. "We hope to show people on our team and our program and people who follow us that the H₂Okies are fighters and believe in what we are doing."

Next up for Virginia Tech is the 2008 Men's NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships. Sprint freestyle swimmer Kaan Tayla (Sr., Ankara, Turkey) and diver Mikey McDonald (So., Annandale, Va.) will look to make history of their own, beginning Thursday, March 27, in Federal Way, Wash., at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.

"I know they are real excited about the women and how they did," Skinner said. "They are eager to go out and represent our men's team. We know Kaan is seeded well in the meet and has a chance to score points. Mikey, who keeps getting better, has got a good chance to score some points, so we're optimistic about what the NCAAs will bring."