Ohio State
NCAA Championship **
Ohio State’s All-American 800 Free Relay Team
3/17/2021 8:43:56 PM | Women's Swim & Dive
NCAA Championships Info | Live Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 2021 NCAA women’s swimming and diving championships began Wednesday evening with one event at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.: the 800 freestyle relay. The Ohio State team of senior Kristen Romano, sophomore Amy Fulmer, junior Sally Tafuto and senior Katie Trace were outstanding, placing seventh in 7:00.79 to earn first-team All-America honors.
The team’s time was a season’s best by nearly three seconds and it secured 24 points toward the team’s championship total. The Buckeyes had the 15th fastest 800 free relay coming into the meet and ultimately swam one of the best races of the evening to improve that standing seven places with a time drop – nearly three seconds – that was the largest of any of the competing teams.
Ohio State was the top placing Big Ten Conference team in the relay, topping both Michigan and Indiana, who went one-two at the Big Ten championships with Ohio State third, by nearly two and two-and-a-half seconds, respectively.
This is the first NCAA swimming and diving championships since 2019 with last year’s event cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There are a lot of emotions on the line tonight,” said ESPN3 announcer Rowdy Gaines. “Two years is a long time to wait and there are a lot of swimmers on edge and really excited.”
ESPN3 is providing digital broadcast coverage for preliminary and finals sessions each day. The event continues Wednesday with four more individual events, featuring 10 Buckeyes, plus two more relays.
NCAA Championships Thursday Schedule (Ohio State competitors)
10 a.m. Trials Live Video | Live Results
6 p.m. Finals Live Video | Live Results
- 200-yard Freestyle Relay
- 500-yard Freestyle (Maya Geringer, Sally Tafuto)
- 200-yard Individual Medley (Kristen Romano, Katie Trace)
- 50-yard Freestyle (Emily Crane, Amy Fulmer, Taylor Petrak, Catherine Russo, Katherine Zenick)
- 400-yard Medley Relay
- One-meter Diving (Mackenzie Crawford)
#GoBuckeyes
