Feb. 6, 2010
Contact: Renee Adam
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Cleveland, Ohio - Mark deSwardt paced the Vikings setting a CSU record in the 200 fly and winning three individual events as the men's swimming and diving team posted their 14th victory of the season against UIC (129.5-113.5). The 14 victories is tied for the most dual meets won in a season since the program's existence.
"This meet set us up really well for the Horizon League championships," head coach Wally Morton said. "The team is excited about the championships and this win gets them in the right frame of mind to compete at a high level. Winning is always a lot more fun than almost winning, and it gets everyone's confidence up."
deSwardt won the 200 fly in a record setting time of 1:49.12, beating the previous record by two one-hundredths of a second. He also placed first in the 1,000 free, finishing in 9:24.18 beating the competition by more than 12 seconds. His final victory came in the 500 free, touching in a time of 4:31.87.
Pierre De Waal, Keith Everhart and Josh Gonzalez combined for three victories in the meet, winning the 200 free, 50 free and 1-meter board. De Waal won the 200 free in a time of 1:42.97 while Everhart placed first in the 50 free (21.02).
Gonzalez came back from a third place finish in the 3-meter board to win the 1-meter event with a score of 255.55. "Josh did a nice job of coming back and putting on a strong 1-meter performance after his third place finish in the 3-meter board," diving coach Rich Karban said. "He was frustrated after the first event, but was able to stay focused and work hard to earn the well deserved first place finish."
Two events the Vikings excelled in tonight were the 200 free and the 50 free, sweeping the top three spots in both. After De Waal finished first in the 200 free, Todd Winchell placed second (1:43.19) and Alex Cohara placed third (1:44.71). Berry Thompson and Justin Hill finished second and third respectively in the 50 free following Everhart's first place performance.
"Swimming in UIC's pool for the championships will be difficult for us, but I think we are ready with the great depth that we have on the team this year," Morton said. "We love swimming in our own pool, because it is one of the best in the conference but I think this year we will be able to take that confidence to Chicago with us."
The Vikings will a couple weeks to prepare for the Horizon League Championships that will take place on the UIC campus from February 24-27. All final events for the championships will be available on the Horizon League Network, with live streaming.
