McEachrane Named C-USA, National Swimmer Of The Week
Dec 8, 2004 | Women's Swimming and Diving
Dec. 8, 2004
NEW ORLEANS, La. - Tulane University swimming standout Linda McEachrane picked up a pair of honors on Wednesday as she was named Conference USA Swimmer of the Week by the league office and National Collegiate Swimmer of the Week by CollegeSwimming.com.
McEachrane, a sophomore from Port of Spain, Trinidad, claimed the weekly recognition after winning three individual events and helping lead four relay squads to another quartet of victories to help lead the Green Wave to the team title at 2004 Giant Eagle Zips Invitational last weekend, hosted by the University of Akron. With seven total wins, McEachrane accounted for 352 of Tulane's 1344.5 points as the Green Wave overcame a 48.5-point deficit on Saturday two win by a margin of 55.5.
"This is a tremendous accomplishment for Linda and for the Tulane swimming and diving program," head coach Daniella Irle said. "The first week of December features the most championship-format meets of any weekend during the year, and that include the U.S. Open, University of Texas Invitational, Auburn Invitational and the University of Georgia Invitational, which are some of the fastest meets in the country. For Linda to win National Swimmer of the Week speaks volumes of just what kind of talent she has."
The C-USA honor is the third presented to a Tulane student-athlete during the 2004-05 season as freshman Sarah Dicharry was named league Swimmer of the Week on Nov. 2 and fellow rookie Danielle Carrillo claimed Diver of the Week recognition on Nov. 9. The national honor was the first of any kind for a Green Wave swimmer.
"Linda had a great meet," Irle said. "She swam seven events for us, and won all seven. In just a little over a year, Linda has reached levels of accomplishment that some swimmers never achieve. Even though she is only a sophomore, she is a leader and role model, and she understands that. Linda has accepted that role and has flourished in it."
McEachrane set a school-record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:04.31, and helped the 400-yard medley relay team set a Tulane record with a mark of 3:55.32, timing a 1:04.50 split in the breaststroke leg. She also set the top time in Conference USA in the 100-yard freestyle with a 51.89, and in the 800-yard freestyle relay with a time of 7:35.93, including a 1:52.55 anchor split.
In addition, McEachrane won the 50-yard freestyle at 23.60, which is the second-fastest time in C-USA. In relay action, she led the 200 free relay team to a time of 1:36.63, including a 24.00 split in the second leg, and had a 51.44 anchor split in the 400 free relay team that finished with a time of 3:31.62.
The pair of weekly honors are the latest in a long list of accolades earned by McEachrane during her first two seasons at Tulane. Last season, she was named C-USA Freshman Swimmer of the Year after winning the conference titles in the 50 and 100 frees while finishing third in the 100 breast, and participated in the NCAA Championship. Then, during the summer, McEachrane earned a spot on the Trinidad & Tobago National Team and participated in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
McEachrane and the Green Wave return to action on Thursday, Dec. 30, when they travel to Miami, Fla., to take on Florida International at 9 a.m. Three days later, Tulane will join FIU and several other programs in the FIU Invitational before returning to The Big Easy for a Jan. 7 showdown at the UNO Invitational at the Lakefront Arena Natatorium.
Players Mentioned
