Adams repeats at national runner-up, Heller earns highest solo finish at NCAA Championships

March 8, 2013

University Relations

Photo by Paul McCarthy
Photo by Paul McCarthy


Jamie Foland
907-474-6807

Sophomore Margot Adams (Anchorage, Alaska/Political science) matched her highest finish ever at the NCAA Championship as she turned in a runner-up showing in the championship final of the 100 yard butterfly Thursday night at the CrossPlex Complex.

Adams, who is now a two-time All-American in this race, completed the four-length event with a time of 54.63 seconds, which is a new varsity record. Her mark was also .33 seconds faster than her preliminary time, which ranked her third for the final. This result matched her 2012 NCAA meet, as she was second as a rookie. Mychala Lynch of Grand Canyon repeated as national champion in the event with a time of 54.31.

Junior Bente Heller (Hamburg, Germany/Communication) also earned her fourth career individual All-American honor of her career with a seventh-place showing in the 200 freestyle. Heller matched her varsity-record preliminary time as she hit the wall in 1:50.69 to finish seventh place, her highest individual NCAA finish ever. She was sixth in the qualifying race.

This is the first NCAA meet in program history that two individual Nanooks finished in the top eight of their respective events.

Day three's action will begin at 7 a.m. (AKST) Friday morning from Birmingham.