Swimming & Diving Weekly Release #17

Feb. 22, 2006

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Horizon League Swimmers of the Week

Brian Heinz

UW-Milwaukee, Freshman, Madison, Wis.

Heinz had a great weekend in the pool at the Midwest Invitational, claiming championships in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events. He set season-best times in both, winning the 100 back in 56.19 and the 200 back in 2:00.17. He also swam a season-best time to place fourth in the 500 free and helped Panther relay teams to a win in the 400 free relay and a second-place showing in the 400 medley relay.

Monica Loy

UW-Milwaukee, Freshman, New London, Wis.

Loy led the way for the UWM women at the Midwest Invitational by winning the 100 freestyle in a time of 56.04. She nearly had two victories, placing second in the 200 free in a time of 2:01.51. She rounded out her weekend with a fourth-place showing in the 50 freestyle.

Horizon League Championship Notes

Cleveland State University

- The Viking men's squad currently holds 11 top times and scores, including the top times in the 200, 500, 1,000 and 1,650 free, 100 and 200 backstroke, 200 butterfly, 800 freestyle and 400 medley relays and the top scores on both boards.

- The CSU women's team finished with a 9-7 record, the most wins since the 2001-2002 season.

- The Viking men look to return to the top of the League more than six years after winning back to back championship titles. The squad that claimed the 1999 Horizon League (then MCC) title was the last CSU team to earn a League championship in any sport.

Swimmer to Watch: Bjorn Schantz

Schantz broke the longest-standing school record with a league-best time of 1:39.15 in the 200 free against UIC this season. He also holds the top times in the 500, 1,000 and 1,650 free, in addition to being named Horizon League Men's Swimmer of the Week three times this season.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

- Diving will be a strong event for the Panther women, as they hold the top three spots on the 1-meter board (1. Erin Blemberg, 2. Crystal Syzmanski, 3. Emily Duesler) and three of the top five on the 3-meter board (1. Blemberg, 3. Duesler, 5. Syzmanski).

- Freshman Robby Leibold hopes to make a splash at the championships after setting UWM freshman records in both the 1000 and 1650 free this season, He also holds top-five times in the 500, 1000 and 1650 free across the League.

-The 2005 Horizon League Champion women's 400 free and 400 medley relay teams from last season return intact for the Panthers. UWM squads  hold the top times in the League this season for both events.

Swimmer to Watch: Lindsay Caldwell

Caldwell, the women's Swimmer of the Meet at last year's championships, is set to return and improve on the three records she broke and five titles she won a season ago. She has won 26 of the 29 races she has entered this season, has earned Horizon League Swimmer of the Week honors twice and has been recognized in Sports Illustrated.

Youngstown State University

-Freshman Olivia Arnold set the school record in the 1,000 free with a time of 10:42.17 and ranks second in both the 500 and 1,650 free in school history. Arnold was also named Horizon League Swimmer of the Week twice this season.

- YSU defeated League-foe Cleveland State in a dual meet on Nov. 10, marking the first time the Penguins had defeated the Vikings since joining the Horizon League.

- Led mostly by underclassmen like Arnold and sophomore Julia Darling, the Penguins look to improve upon their sixth-place finish at last year's championship. YSU has never finished higher than sixth at the championship meet.

Diver to Watch: Kelly Reese

Freshman Reese ranks third all-time at YSU on the 3-meter board (254.40) and fourth in the 1-meter (254.80). She was twice named Horizon League Diver of the Week this season.

University of Illinois at Chicago

- The UIC men's 200-yd freestyle relay set a Horizon League record last season with a NCAA `B' Standard time of 1:20.80. All four swimmers from that record relay (LeRoy Stevens, Bill Hare, Athanasios Lamprou and Blake Booher) return this season to defend their crown.

- After finishing third at the 2005 Horizon League Championships for the first time since 1994, the UIC men's team looks to go where no Flames squad has ever been before: a Top 2 finish.

-The UIC women hope to end a streak of fourth-place finishes with a strong performance at the 2006 Championships. UIC has finished just outside the top three in every season since 2001.

Swimmer to Watch: LeRoy Stevens

Stevens earned All-Horizon League honors in four events last season and seeks to cap  his career with wins in the 100 and 200 freestyle races. He also looks to challenge teammate and reigning Horizon League Champion Blake Booher in the 50 free.

Wright State University

- The reigning three-time men's swimming and diving champions look to add to the tradition of winning League titles at this year's meet.  Both the Raider men and women have won six Horizon League titles apiece.

- The Raiders return 11 former Horizon League Champions, including seven on the men's team and four on the women's. Senior Rafael Candido boasts four League titles, having earned wins in the 100 and 200 breaststroke in each of the last two seasons.

- The Wright State women hope to rebound from last year's second-place finish, after wining three straight titles from 2002-2004. This year's Raider squad boasts three individual top times, leading in the 500 free (Tina Pandza), 100 backstroke (Amy Cron) and 200 breaststroke (Jessica Weidert).

Swimmer to Watch: Alex Dolgov

After claiming the 200 Individual Medley last season and the 400 IM in both 2004 and 2005, Dolgov seeks to add to his three League titles at this year's championship. In addition to setting the top time of 4:08.09 in the 400 IM at the Miami Invitational, Dolgov earned Horizon League Swimmer of the Week honors on Dec. 14.

University of Wisconsin- Green Bay

- The Phoenix are out to defend its 2005 Horizon League Women's Swimming Championship, finishing the regular season with a 9-2 overall record in dual meets, including a 4-0 record against League teams. The men, on the other hand, look to improve upon last year's fourth-place finish. The Phoenix men compiled a  6-3 record in dual meets, going 3-1 against Horizon League competition.

- Four different Phoenix earned Horizon League Women's Swimmer of the Week honors this season, tying UW-Milwaukee for the most of any team.  Danielle DeGrand (Oct. 26), Kristin Carlson (Jan. 18), Molly Cox (Feb. 1) and Allison Kreb (Feb. 15) were all recognized this season.

- Freshman Danielle DeGrand enters the meet with the league's top times of the season in the 1000-yard freestyle and the 400-yard IM. She is ranked in the top four in seven different individual events.

Diver to Watch: Phillip Zumstein

Zumstein claimed Horizon League Diver of the Week honors five times this season, tying Cleveland State's Thatcher Carr for the most on the men's side. He was recognized by the League on Oct. 12 and 26, Jan. 18 and 25 and Feb. 15. Zumstein also qualified for the NCAA Zone Diving competition on both boards this season.

Butler University

- Butler is the youngest team in the Horizon League with 11 swimmers taking part in their first championship meet. The Bulldogs boast only one senior, Amanda Walter.

-Raj Duggal set a Butler record in the 500 freestyle at last year's championships, finishing sixth with a time of 4:37.66. Duggal finished in the top five in the 1000 free (third) and the 1650 free (fifth). This season, Duggal ranks in the League's top ten for the 1650.

-Both the men's and women's teams hope to improve upon last season's last-place finishes.  The Bulldog women have not finished higher than seventh since 2003, when they finished sixth ahead of Youngstown State, while the Butler men have not finished higher than sixth since the 1993 season. That year, the Bulldogs finished fifth ahead of former members Duquesne and Xavier.

Swimmer to Watch: Mary Beth Arnold

Butler's only Horizon League champion, Arnold claimed the League title in the 200-yd breaststroke at the 2004 championship meet. Her time of 2:22.80 set both a personal and a school record. This season, Arnold ranks in the top five for the 100-yd breaststroke and is seventh in the 200 on the season.

Horizon League Swimming & Diving Championship Page