UW-L Tenth After First Day of NCAA Championships; Medendorp, Hoff Earn Individual All-America Honors

For Immediate Release: Thursday, March 13, 2008

Oxford, Ohio - The UW-La Crosse women's swimming & diving team is in 10th-place after the first day of competition Thursday at the NCAA Division III Championships being held in Miami University's Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center. The Eagles have 34 team points. Kenyon College (Ohio) leads the team standings with 205 points. Amherst College (Mass.) is in second (122) while Denison University (Ohio) is third (114) and Emory University (Ga.) fourth (72). Washington University (Mo.) and Williams College (Mass.) are tied for fifth (71).

UW-L's Amanda Medendorp and Chelsea Hoff earned individual NCAA Division III All-America honors Thursday night. Medendorp, making her fourth consecutive appearance at the national championships, placed eighth in the 1-meter diving competition (384.00 points). It is her seventh career All-America recognition. Medendorp placed 16th in the 1-meter diving in 2005, fifth in 2006 and fourth last year. She also had three All-America accolades in the 3-meter competition, placing 10th in 2005 and ninth in 2006 and 2007. Medendorp will compete in this year's 3-meter competition Saturday, March 15.

Hoff picked up her first career individual All-America award Thursday after placing ninth in the 50 freestyle (23.96).

The Eagles' also had two relays earn All-America honors Thursday night. UW-L's 400 medley relay of Kristi Parker, Brianna Peyer, Hoff and Clare Hathaway finished 13th overall (3:58.72) while the Eagles' 200 freestyle relay of Hoff, Peyer, Danielle Rux and Hathaway were 14th (1:38.54).

Parker has now earned four career All-America awards while Hoff and Hathaway each have three. Peyer and Rux picked up their first national recognition.

Parker also competed in the 50 freestyle Thursday, placing 49th (25.58) in the preliminaries. UW-L's Kristina Wanous competed in the 1-meter diving preliminaries Thursday, but failed to advance to the finals.

The top-eight finishers in each event earn All-America honors while the ninth through 16th-place finishers are named All-America Honorable Mention.

For complete results, click here.

Action continues Friday, March 14 at the NCAA III Championships in Oxford. Preliminary competition begins at 10 a.m. (Central Time).