Lincoln - Mariah Hutchinson of Nebraska qualified for the "A" Finals in the 500-yard freestyle as Session 2 of 7 was wrapped up at the Devaney Natatorium on Friday morning. Hutchinson had the fastest preliminary time in the event, beating the field by over seven seconds.
Hutchinson finished the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:00.37. Rice had the next five fastest preliminary times, while Nebraska had three more in the top 10, including Brandie Kavalec, Caroline Shea and Mailene Leslie.
The Huskers also had four swimmers qualify for the "A" finals in the 200-yard IM, with Kelsey Larson leading the way with the third-fastest preliminary time, finishing in 2:10.92. Ellan Dufour, Kaitlin Arntz and Meredith Matthies also had times among the top 10 in the prelims and will race in the "A" finals on Friday evening.
Ariel Weech had the top preliminary time in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.40. NU's Jess Andrews had the third-fastest time, coming in at 24.71. Hailey Dean and Hayley Martin also qualified for the "A" finals of the 50-yard freestyle, giving the Huskers four "A" finalists for the evening session.
The Huskers are in prime position to gain ground on Rice in Friday's final session, as they have 12 swimmers qualify for the "A" finals heats. Rice leads the meet with 152 points going into the Friday evening's session, followed by Nebraska with 130 points.
Friday's finals schedule (5 p.m.)
200 Freestyle Relay
500 Freestyle
200 IM
50 Freestyle
One Meter Diving
400 Medley Relay
