CSUN’s Ballard 3rd in Freestyle Event

Heather Ballard, a Cal State Northridge freshman, finished third in the 1,650-yard freestyle Saturday in the Speedo Collegiate Cup West at Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach. Ballard completed the 66-lap race in 17 minutes 3.57 seconds. The event was won by Northern Arizona’s April Diez in 16:23.13. Lori Walker of UCLA was second in 16:44.15.

Ballard, who now has the fastest times on the Matador team in seven of 14 individual events, also swam the second leg of the fifth-place 400 freestyle relay team. Ballard, Nicole Hudson, Jill Ogden and Denise Lamoureaux clocked 3:41.33.