Princeton University Athletics
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Diver Katie Giarra Will Join Alicia Aemisegger At NCAA Women's Swimming/Diving Championships
March 13, 2009 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Junior Alicia Aemisegger, a seven-time All-America and nine-time Ivy League inidividual champion, had already booked her ticket to the 2009 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships, which will take place March 19-21 in College Station, Texas. Aemisegger won't have to go alone, though; the 2009 Ivy League Championships Swimmer of the Meet will be joined by the Diver of the Meet, as senior Katie Giarra qualified for the NCAAs Friday during the Zone A meet in Buffalo, N.Y.
Giarra, who swept the 1- and 3-meter diving competitions during the 2009 championship meet, qualified by placing second in the 3-meter competition. Drexel's Kate Hynes won the event and took the first NCAA ticket, while Giarra topped Rutgers' Amanda Burke and Penn State's Courtney Adlam for the final spot in the 3-meter field. Giarra can also compete for a 1-meter spot on Saturday; the top two will claim invitations to the NCAA Championships.
Giarra is a two-time Ivy League Championships Diver of the Meet. She also swept both events in 2007, when she first won this individual honor. Last year, she battled injury throughout the year and returned in time for the championship meet, where she finished second in both events. After a healthy and strong senior season, Giarra was dominant at the 2009 championship meet.
Giarra will join Aemisegger, Princeton's most familiar face at the NCAA championship meet. Although she qualified in several events, the Tiger junior and 2008 Olympic Trials finalist (400 IM) will compete in the 500 free, the 1650 free and the 400 IM at next weekend's championship meet. She currently ranks in the Top 10 in all three events, despite swimming unrested at the Ivy League championship meet. Her 400 IM time of 4:06.15 is currently sixth in the nation; her 500 free of 4:38.96 is sixth-best in the nation, while her 1650 time of 15:57.34 is [note the pattern here] sixth-best in the nation.
"Since the Olympic Trials, the pressure seems to have lifted off her shoulders," head coach Susan Teeter says. "Alicia has trained incredibly hard this year, overcoming a rotator cuff injury in the fall and a stomach virus at the HYP meet that sent her to the hospital. Obstacles like this show her determination and commitment. She's really taken on more of a leadership role and pushes her teammates and herself to a higher level. I hope that she has the success she deserves at NCAAs. She is a great racer so I'll know she'll give it her all."
Aemisegger has earned All-America honors in all six of her individual events at the NCAA championships, including a career-best second-place finish in the 400 IM during her freshman season. She also helped Princeton to an All-America performance in the 800 free relay last year; it was Princeton's first relay All-America honor since 1981. She went all lifetime best splits on her relay swims, helping the team to new school records in the 200 & 400 medley relay and the 400 free relay, and she set school records this year in the 200 free, 1650 free, 100 fly. Aemisegger added DeNunzio Pool records in the 100 fly and 200 free.
No Princeton woman has ever won an NCAA championship in swimming and diving.