March 21, 2002

AUSTIN, TEXAS - The North Carolina women's swimming and diving team is in 16th place after the first day of the 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Texas. The Tar Heels have 26 team points at the conclusion of the first day. Auburn has the team lead with 153 points followed by Georgia with 127 points and Texas with 103.

Carolina's top finisher Thursday night was junior Christy Watkins who swam to a 10th-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.74 seconds. Watkins finished exactly where she had qualified as she was 10th in the prelims with a time of 22.75. Carolina's other individual entrant was senior Katie Hathaway in the 200-yard individual medley. Hathaway took 12th in the event with a time of 2:00.24. Hathaway had also qualified 12th in the preliminaries with a season best time of 1:59.91.

Carolina also had two relay teams entered in consolation finals on Thursday night. In the evening's first event, the Tar Heels' 200-yard freestyle relay finished 12th with a time of 1:32.27. The relay consisted of sophmore Jessi Perruquet (23.11), Hathaway (23.15), senior Stefanie Rulis (23.90) and Watkins (22.11). Carolina improved its placing at night by two spots as the team had qualified 14th in the morning.

UNC's 400-yard medley relay finished 15th with a season-best time of 3:43.92. The Carolina relay included Watkins (56.13), sophmore Becky Acker (1:02.67), sophomore Kelly Weeks (56.14) and Perruquet (48.98). The relay had qualified 16th in the morning prelims and improved by one spot in the finals.