Alyssa Vavra earns Big Ten Swimmer of Championships honor

Panther Valley grad Allysa Vavra claimed her third school record on the final day of the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships at the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center in Iowa City, Iowa.

Vavra was the high-point scorer for the Hoosiers, who finished second in team points to Minnesota. She was also named Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships and made first-team All-BigTen.

Vavra finished third in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:08.79. That bettered her previous school record of 2:09.25, set at last year's Big Ten meet. She also swam on the 400-freestyle relay team that finished sixth with a time of 3:19.50 (NCAA B Cut).

On Saturday, she topping the runner-up by an incredible 10+second margin to win the Big Ten title in the 400 individual medley, earning her three medals (two gold and one bronze) for the meet.

Vavra smashed her own Big Ten record and won the race by more than 10 seconds with a time of 4:01.41 in the 400 individual medley, giving her a second-straight Big Ten title in the event and her second individual crown of the 2012 meet. Vavra's time is the third fastest in the NCAA this season, trailing only Florida's Elizabeth Beisel and USC's Katinka Hosszu. It is the 15th-fastest time ever and makes her the eighth-fastest individual.

Vavra finished fourth in the 400 IM at the 2011 ConcoPhillips National Championships earning her a spot on the 2011-12 USA Swimming National Team.