Oct. 30, 2006
Contact: Josh Rattray
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Cleveland State Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving
Meet 3 - at St. Bonaventure
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Site: St. Bonaventure, N.Y.
SETTING THE SCENE: The men's and women's swimming and diving teams travel to defending Atlantic 10 champion St. Bonaventure for their third meet of the year on Saturday (Nov. 4) at 1:00 p.m.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The Viking men defeated UW-Green Bay, 206-94 while the women's team lost a 179-97 decision to the Phoneix on Saturday (Oct. 28). Here is a recap of the meet:
Men - CSU 206, UW-Green Bay 94 (Oct. 28, 2006, Green Bay, Wis.)
Senior Bjorn Schantz won the 200, 500 and 1,000 free events and Cleveland State won 13 of the meet's 16 events. Sophomores Nedim Nisic (100 free, 200 fly) and Stef Potgieter (100. 200 breast) and senior Chris Dalman (one- and three-meter dives) each won two events.
Women - UW-Green Bay 179, CSU 97
Sophomore Katie Bellew won the 100 and 200 fly events and senior Marianne Lionell won the 200 breast to lead the Vikings against the defending league champion. UWGB won 13 of the meet's 16 events.
PREVIEWING THE WOMEN'S TEAM: The CSU women have their sights set on competing for a Horizon League championship after scoring a school-record 358.5 points en route to a fifth place finish at last year's championship. The squad is loaded with young but experienced swimmers, including 10 returning letterwinners on the roster. Marianne Lionell is the team's only senior and is the top returning swimmer in five events. She posted team bests last year in the 50, 100- and 200-meter freestyle events. She is also the team's leader in the 100 breast (1:06.13) and 200 breast (2:27.19) and swam on four of CSU's five relay teams.
Sophomore Katie Bellew holds the school record in the 100 fly (:57.50) and is the also the team's top swimmer in the 200 fly (2:08.92) and the 200 IM (2:11.89). CSU's sophomore twins, Kristine and Sandra Bunker, also return after each posted a solid freshman campaign. Kristine will add depth to the Viking sprint corps (50 and 200 free, 100 and 200 fly) while Sandra is the team's top returning distance swimmer, leading in the 1,650 Free (18:16.80) and 1,000 Free (10:55.35). Junior Lesley Jones and sophomore Jen MacLauchlan each are coming off solid seasons and can challenge the top times in the sprint events.
After battling a host of injuries leading up to the season, MacLauchlan has returned to the lineup in the 100 back (:59.40) and Jones is among the team's best 50 and 100 free swimmers and swam on four relay teams last year. Redshirt freshman Lauren Bullard and freshman Meagan Seaman give the squad a chance to capture diving points.
LEHTO ON THE WOMEN: "We accomplished what we set out to do at Green Bay. We wanted to post some good times and swim well on the road, and I believe we did that. St. Bonaventure is also a very tough team and we just need to keep improving to get the results we want."
PREVIEWING THE MEN'S TEAM: The CSU men's squad takes aim at defending its Horizon League championship with 15 returning letterwinners from last year. Headlining the returnees is senior Bjorn Schantz, last year's Horizon League Swimming Athlete of the Year. Schantz, who was also named the Men's Outstanding Swimmer at the league championships, set school records in the 200 free (1:39.15) and 500 free (4:24.65) last year while his time in the 500 was also good for the Horizon League Championship record. He was also the anchor leg of CSU's championship 800 free relay team that also posted a school-record time.
Several Vikings provide support, including sophomores Marko Milenkovic and Nedim Nisic. Milenkovic is among the team's top sprinters while Nisic is the team's top returnee in the butterfly, posting team-best times last year in the 100 (:49.86) and 200 fly (1:50.76).
Sophomore Stef Potgieter, along with Milenkovic and junior Dave Duecker, leads the team in the breaststroke events. Potgieter's time of :57.68 was the team's best in the 100 breast, and he was just a second behind Milenkovic (2:05.05) at the top of the 200 breast list with a time of 2:06.19. Despite losing two-time league diving champion Thatcher Carr to graduation, theVikings still have two talented divers that can defend the league title. Senior Chris Dalman has yet to lose a diving event this year. He set the one-meter school record with a score of 415.40 on Feb. 4 last year against UIC. Junior Dan Baiko also returns and the two divers will push each other toward league diving supremacy.
MORTON ON THE MEN: "Every day we focus on the process of what it takes to be good. I am impressed with what I have seen from our team so far. Everyone is working hard and getting into good shape. We are currently swimming at a high level, but I feel we can still move from good to great."
`BJORN' TO SWIM... : Bjorn Schantz has won five events in the season's first two meets including two apiece in the 500 and 1,000 free. He posted season-best times in the 500 free (4:38.47) and in the 1,000 free (9:36.35) against the Phoenix on Saturday, while also competing for the first time this year in the 200 free (1:44.03).
...BUT THAT'S NOT ALL: Schantz, an international business major who owns a 3.9 GPA, was named the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Oct. 24 after winning the 500 and 1,000 free against on Oct. 21 against Valparaiso.
LIONELL THE LEADER: Marianne Lionell led the Vikings with wins against Valparaiso in the 200 free (2:00.09) and the 200 breast (2:32.80) while also swimming the second leg for the winning 400 medley relay team. Lionell placed first 10 times in individual events last year, including five freestyle events and three times in the breaststroke.
THE 14TH LETTER: Nedim Nisic turned in victories in the 100 free (47.79) and 200 fly (1:55.19) at Green Bay, with his effort in the 100 free tying his season-best time. His time in the 200 fly narrowly missed his standard of 1:55.17. Nisic has won every fly event in which he has swam.
MARKO...POLO: Marko Milenkovic placed second in both the 50 free (21.94) and the 100 breast (59.34) against the Phoenix on Saturday. A week earlier against Valparaiso, Milenkovic won the 100 and 200 free and was a part of the winning 400 medley relay team.
COMPLETE `DALMANATION': Chris Dalman has placed first in the one- and three-meter dives in both of CSU's meets. Dalman, the defending league champion in the one-meter, sports season-best scores of 323.78 in the one-meter dive and 344.63 in the three-meter. Both of those marks came on Oct. 21 against Valparaiso.
BELLEW CAN FLY: Katie Bellew has won all three of her fly events this season. After winning the 200 fly against Valparaiso with a time of 2:14.09, Bellew recorded a season-best 2:12.38 in the 200 fly against UWGB on Saturday and added a 1:00.37 in her first appearance in the 100 fly.
WELCOME BACK, MAC: Jen MacClauchlan notched a second place finish in the 200 back and also placed third in the 100 back in her season debut against the Phoenix. MacLauchlan, the women's team's fastest backstroke swimmer, was kept out of the Valparaiso meet by injury.
Women's Head Coach:
Mike Lehto (Cleveland State `85)
At CSU: 85-89 (13th Year)
Overall: Same
Lehto, the winningest women's swimming coach in Cleveland State history, has mentored the Vikings to five straight seasons at .500 or better. Under his tutelage, Samantha Jones became the school's first Horizon League Female Swim Athlete of the Year in 2005.
Men's Head Coach:
Wally Morton (Miami (OH) `70)
At CSU: 221-126 (26th Year)
Overall: Same
Morton has led the Vikings to 12 conference championships and 22 winning seasons in his 25 years at the helm of the men's program. Morton, who also serves as CSU's Director of Aquatics, has led the Vikings to five straight seasons of 10 or more dual meet victories and for four straight years, a Vikings has claimed the league's Male Swim Athlete of the Year Award.
