Kate Dwelley

No. 2 Stanford Vists Arizona State and No. 7 Arizona This Weekend
#2 Stanford at Arizona State (Jan. 23, 2009 • 2:00 p.m. PT • Mona Plummer Aquatic Center • Tempe, AZ)
#2 Stanford at #7 Arizona (Jan. 24, 2009 • 11:00 a.m. PT • Hillenbrand Aquatic Center • Tucson, AZ)

No. 2 Stanford Returns to Pac-10 Action With a Pair of Dual Meets in the Desert
The second-ranked and undefeated Stanford women's swimming and diving team will see its season kick into high gear this weekend with a return to Pac-10 Conference dual meets. The Cardinal - which has won its last 14-consecutive Pac-10 dual meets - travels to Tempe, Ariz. for a Friday meet at Arizona State before squaring off with defending national champion Arizona on Saturday in Tucson.
Beginning with this weekend's tour of the Grand Canyon State, Stanford will face only Pac-10 opponents for the remainder of the dual meet season.
Cardinal vs. the Sun Devils
Since Stanford and Arizona State resumed meeting on an annual basis in the 1996-97 season, the Cardinal has won all 12 dual meets - including a 184-110 victory on Jan. 25, 2008 at the Avery Aquatic Center. The teams last met in Tempe on Jan. 13, 2007, when the top-ranked Cardinal knocked off the No. 23 Sun Devils, 170-122.
Cardinal vs. the Wildcats
Stanford has won the last five dual meet matchups with Arizona. In fact, the Cardinal handed the 2008 NCAA champion Wildcats their only dual meet loss last year with a 174-126 victory at the Avery Aquatic Center on Jan. 26. It was a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup the last time the teams swam in Tucson, with top-ranked Stanford rolling to a 143-94 victory on Jan. 12, 2007.
Stanford Remains at No. 2 in the Latest CSCAA Poll
Stanford kept its stranglehold on the No. 2 spot in the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) dual meet rankings, released on Jan. 15th. The Cardinal, which has been ranked second in thelast three polls, compiled 261 points - just nine shy of top-ranked Georgia (270) and 11 more than No. 3 Texas (252). Stanford had been third in each of the first two polls of the campaign (Oct. 16 and Oct. 30).
Getting it Done Against Ranked Teams
When Stanford competes against No. 7 Arizona on Saturday, it will be the Cardinal's first test against a ranked opponent since defeating both No. 4 Florida and No. 14 Michigan on Oct. 17 in Ann Arbor, Mich. Since head coach Lea Maurer took the reigns prior to the 2005-06 season, Stanford is an impressive 18-3 (.857) against ranked teams, including a 12-2 mark (.857) against ranked Pac-10 opponents. Taken a step further, the Cardinal has gone 8-3 (.727) vs. top-10 squads - a figure that includes a 5-2 ledger (.714) against conference foes.
14-Straight in the Pac-10
Stanford has won its last 14-consecutive Pac-10 dual meets, a streak which dates back to the opening of the 2006-07 season. The Cardinal went 6-0 in dual meets with conference foes in both 2006-07 and 2007-08, then extended the run during the fall campaign with a 151-102 victory over Oregon State on Oct. 10 and a 143-114 triumph over Washington on Oct. 31. Stanford has not lost a Pac-10 dual meet since dropping a 169-131 decision to California in the 2005-06 regular season finale.
Dual Meet Success
With a 15-0 start to the 2008-09 campaign, Stanford has defeated 36 of its last 37 opponents in head-to-head competition, with the only setback in that time a tightly-contested 156-144 loss on Nov. 9, 2007 at Georgia. In her three years on the Cardinal pool deck, head coach Lea Maurer has guided her teams to a 45-3 (.938) dual meet record.
Reunited
Stanford's swimmers and divers will compete together this weekend for only the fourth time in the 2008-09 season. The Cardinal opened the season with a full squad victory over San Jose State on Oct. 3, defeated No. 4 Florida and No. 14 Michigan on Oct. 17 and went 9-0 en route to a team victory at the Anteater Shootout on Nov. 7-8.
Swimmers Cruise to 109-82 Victory Over Pacific; Divers Compete at the Bruin Invite
The Cardinal opened the 2009 spring season on Jan. 10 with a 109-82 victory over visiting Pacific in a non-conference dual meet at the Avery Aquatic Center. Stanford received several strong efforts from its impressive freshman class, as Sam Woodward won both the 100 free and 200 IM, while Jessica Rodriquez captured the 200 free. Other individual event winners included junior Whitney Spence in the 1,000 free, sophomore Kate Dwelley in the 50 free and junior Julia Smit in the 100 fly. Junior Elaine Breeden, sophomore Liz Smith, Woodward and freshman Betsy Webb swam Stanford to victory in the 200 medley relay.
Carmen Stellar led the way for the Cardinal divers at the Bruin Invitational in Pasadena, Calif. Competing against divers from USC, UC Irvine and host UCLA, the junior finished third in both the platform (NCAA "B" standard score of 237.00) and the 3-meter (234.50). Sophomore Meg Hostage placed second on the 1-meter with an NCAA "B" score of 256.40. Senior Sarah Ohr finished fourth on the 1-meter and fifth on the 3-meter, while freshman Mary Beth Corbett was sixth and fourth, respectively.
Welcome Back, Nilasha! One of the highlights of Stanford's victory over Pacific was the return of junior Nilasha Ghosh, who competed for the first time since the 2008 Pac-10 Championships. After being sidelined by injury throughout the entire fall season, she finished second in both the 50 free and 100 fly, while also swimming the anchor leg for the Cardinal's second-place 200 medley relay.
See You in the Lone Star State
Stanford enters this weekend with five swimmers and one diver having already combined for nine automatic "A" qualifying standards (including one relay), thereby assuring their participation in the 2009 NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships.
The following Cardinal swimmers and divers have punched their tickets to College Station, Tex.: junior Elaine Breeden (100 fly, 200 fly and 400 free relay), sophomore Kate Dwelley (400 free relay), sophomore Meg Hostage (3-meter diving), junior Julia Smit (200 free, 200 back, 200 IM, 400 IM and 400 free relay), sophomore Liz Smith (400 IM) and freshman Sam Woodward (400 free relay).
Stanford athletes have also logged 34 NCAA "B"standards, including: Breeden (100 free and 200 IM), freshman Jamie Bruce (200 breast and 400 IM), freshman Mary Beth Corbett (1-meter diving), freshman Angela Duckworth (400 IM), Dwelley (100 free, 200 free, 500 free and 200 fly), Hostage (1-meter), junior Kelley Hug (100 fly and 100 back), freshman Jessica Rodriquez (200 free, 500 free, 1,650 free and 400 IM), Smit (50 free, 100 back and 200 breast), Smith (100 breast, 200 breast and 200 IM), junior Whitney Spence (200 free), junior Carmen Stellar (1-meter and platform diving) senior Laura Wadden (200 fly, 100 back and 200 back) freshman Betsy Webb (100 free and 100 back) and Woodward (50 free, 100 free, 100 fly and 200 fly).
Leading the Way
Stanford athletes have posted the fastest times in NCAA Division I women's swimming in four events, while occupying a total of 20 places in the top-16 across 11 events.
Julia Smit has the country's best time in the 200 free (1:43.56), 200 IM (1:53.33) and 400 IM (3:58.21), while Elaine Breeden paces all NCAA DI swimmers in the 200 fly (1:52.75). Smit also ranks third in the 1,000 free (9:40.86), fourth in the 200 back (1:52.88), seventh in the 100 free (48.48) and 12th in the 200 breast (2:12.21), while Breeden is fourth in the 100 fly (51.86) and eighth in the 200 IM (1:57.57). Kate Dwelley is in the top-10 nationally in a trio of freestyle distances, ranking sixth in the 500 (4:40.13), seventh in the 200 (1:44.82) and 11th in the 100 (48.67). Another sophomore, Liz Smith, finds herself amongst the country's top-10 in both the 400 IM (3rd - 4:06.05) and the 200 breast (8th - 2:10.60).
Laura Wadden has enjoyed an outstanding senior campaign thus far, as her efforts rank her ninth in the 200 back (1:54.62) and 12th in the 200 fly (1:56.42). Kelley Hug currently ranks 11th in the 100 fly (52.92).
Finally, freshman Sam Woodward has the nation's eighth-fastest time in the 100 fly (52.48) and the 12th-best in the 50 free (22.39).
Smit Sets World Record and American Record During Sensational November
Stanford junior Julia Smit was simply amazing over her two November meets, as she recorded five NCAA "A" standard times, set a world record in the 400-meter individual medley and an American record in the 200-meter IM.
Competing at the 2008 Canada Cup on Nov. 28, Smit established the world record for short-course meters in the 400 IM with a time of 4:25.87, which was .65-second better than the previous mark of 4:26.52 set by two-time Olympic gold medalist Kirsty Coventry of Zimbabwe. However, her record was broken on December 14 by Spain's Mireia Belmonte Garcia, who swam a 4:25.06 at the European Short Course Championships held in Rijeka, Croatia.
Despite having her world record broken, Smit still owns the American record in both the 400 IM and the 200 IM. She broke a 15-year old U.S. record in the 200 IM on Nov. 29, finishing with a time of 2:06.49.
In a league full of high-quality swimmers, Smit was named the Pac-10 Swimmer of the Month for November. The monthly award was the second of Smit's career (also in November 2006) and the fifth all-time for Stanford. She also captured a pair of Counsilman Hunsaker National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week honors, earning the accolades for the weeks of November 2-9 and November 24-December 7.
2008-09 Fall Season Recap
Stanford enjoyed a successful fall season by defeating all 14 opponents it faced in head-to-head competition, including a pair of ranked opponents on the same day (Oct. 17) in then-No. 4 Florida and then-No. 14 Michigan at Ann Arbor. The Cardinal also swept all nine head-to-head meetings at the Anteater Shootout hosted by UC Irvine, and finished atop the 56-team Canada Cup - a short-course meter competition held at the Etobicoke Olympium in Toronto, Canada.
Maurer Power
Stanford head women's swimming coach Lea Maurer is in her fourth year at the helm of her alma mater, having presided over a Cardinal squad that has improved one spot at the NCAA Championships in each of her first three campaigns (fifth in 2006, fourth in 2007 and third in 2008). Under her guidance, 17 Cardinal swimmers have combined for 73 All-America honors, while Stanford has won 12 individual Pac-10 championships and a pair of NCAA individual crowns.
Awesome at Avery
Swimming at arguably the nation's finest outdoor facility, Stanford has established home dominance at the Avery Aquatic Center with a streak of 14-consecutive dual meet victories since the 2006-07 season opener. The Cardinal is an impressive 18-1 (.947) at home in dual meets during the Lea Maurer era, including an 8-1 (.889) mark against ranked opponents.

All-Americans and Accolades Aplenty
The 2008-09 Stanford women's swimming and diving roster boasts a collective 56 All-America selections, four NCAA championships and 17 Pac-10 titles.
Back for More
The starting blocks and diving boards of the Avery Aquatic Center will be loaded with experience this season, as Stanford returns nine of its 11 swimmers that competed in the 2008 NCAA Championships and two of the three divers.
In the pool, the Cardinal welcomes back the following group that led Stanford to a third-place finish in March: junior Elaine Breeden, senior Caroline Bruce, sophomore Kate Dwelley, sophomore Kerry Kraemer, senior Fiona O'Donnell-McCarthy, junior Julia Smit, sophomore Liz Smith, junior Whitney Spence and senior Laura Wadden.
Sophomore Meg Hostage and senior Sarah Ohr return after advancing to the 2008 NCAA Diving Championships.
Cardinal Champions
Stanford continued its storied championship tradition in 2007-08, winning one individual NCAA title and four Pac-10 crowns.
Julia Smit capped off an incredible sophomore season by winning her first NCAA championship when she finished first in the 400 yard individual medley.
A quartet of Cardinal swimmers and divers won individual titles as Stanford finished second at the 2008 Pac-10 Championships. Elaine Breeden took home her second consecutive crown in the 200 yard butterfly, while Kate Dwelley served notice by winning the 200 yard freestyle as a freshman. Meg Hostage was the Pac-10 champ on the 3-meter as a freshman, while Sarah Ohr won her first title on the 1-meter.
Best of the Best
The Stanford program has one of the most storied traditions in all of collegiate women's swimming. Cardinal fans should be in for a treat in 2008-09, as nine members of this year's team have already etched their names among the program's all-time top-10 times.
This prestigious list includes: senior Andrea Axtell (200 Back - 8th, 1:56.80), Elaine Breeden (100 fly - 2nd, 51.44; 200 fly - 1st, 1:52.27; 200 IM - 4th, 1:56.30), Caroline Bruce (100 breast - 2nd, 59.55; 200 breast - 2nd, 2:08.67; 200 IM - 8th, 1:57.66; 400 IM - 6th, 4:10.31), Kate Dwelley (50 free - t-7th, 22.54 relay; 100 free - t-2nd, 48.38 relay; 200 free - 3rd, 1:44.98; 500 free - 5th, 4:41.67; 100 fly - 10th, 53.66; 200 IM - 5th, 1:57.27), Kerry Kraemer (100 breast - 5th, 1:01.32; 200 breast - 9th; 2:12.50), Fiona O'Donnell-McCarthy (100 back - 9th, 53.89), Julia Smit (50 free - 4th, 22.39 relay; 100 free - 5th, 48.48; 200 free - 2nd 1:44.52; 500 free - 6th; 4:41.74; 100 back - 6th, 53.77; 200 back - 2nd, 1:53.39; 200 IM - 1st, 1:54.97; 400 IM - 2nd, 4:02.41), Liz Smith (100 breast - 3rd, 1:00.29; 200 breast - 3rd, 2:08.73; 200 IM - 6th, 1:57.45; 400 IM - t-4th, 4:09.70) and Laura Wadden (200 fly - 7th, 1:57.04).
Current Cardinal swimmers have also swam on three Stanford record-holding relay teams: Dwelley, Smit and Breeden in the 200 free relay (1:28.59); Dwelley, Smit and Breeden in the 400 free relay (3:13.77); and O'Donnell-McCarthy, Smith and Breeden in the 200 medley relay (1:37.57).