Feb. 3, 2002
CLEVELAND, OH - On Super Bowl weekend, sports fans love to talk about the underdog pulling the upset and shocking the better team. Valparaiso visited Cleveland State Saturday hoping to surprise the heavily favored Vikings, but with as much talent as the CSU swim teams have, the upset just wasn't meant to be.
The women's team received strong performances from some of its newcomers and won eight events while cruising to a 117-86 victory, pushing its record to 8-5.
Three freshmen paced the Vikings.
Helene Vorster (Senekal, South Africa/Oranje Girls School) continues to show veteran swagger, winning the 200-yard freestyle (1:56.04) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:16.11).
Marlene Przykling (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll Collegiate District Institute) showed impressive form while winning the grueling 400-yard IM in 4:51.21.
And the third freshman to win for CSU was Samantha Jones (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa/Pietermaritzburg), who grabbed first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:01.18).
The men's squad, while improving to 10-2, showed just how deep the team is as six different Vikings won events on Saturday.
Sophomore Jason Rothacker (Brookpark, Ohio/Brookpark) was strong in the distance events, winning the 500-yard freestyle (5:03.29) and the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:31.51).
Another sophomore, Warren Vickers (Durban, South Africa/Durban), rung up wins in the 50-yard freestyle (:25.50) and the 100-yard butterfly (:51.98).
The teams are home again in Busbey Natatorium on Friday at 4:00 p.m. when they host Horizon League rival Illinois-Chicago.
