Feb. 1, 2011
Contact: Dan Carr
Complete Release in PDF Format 
SETTING THE SCENE: Both of Cleveland State's swimming and diving teams will conclude their respective seasons this weekend as the Vikings travel to UIC this Saturday (Feb. 5) for a 2:00 p.m. EST meet. The women (14-4) will be attempting to win their 15th dual meet of the season, which would set a new school record. The men (11-3-1) have gone undefeated against Horizon League competition this season (3-0), and a win over the Flames would give them their first perfect conference record since the 2003-04 campaign.
LAST TIME IN THE WATER: The men were off from competition last week while the Viking women travelled to Bowling Green, Ohio, on Wednesday (Jan. 26) to swim against BGSU. Below is a brief recap of that meet:
Women (14-4)
BGSU 170, CSU 124 (Jan. 26, Bowling Green, Ohio)
Alice Sommerville took first in the 50 free (24.01) and the 100 fly (56.91) and Carys Behn won the 20 free (1:54.92) and the 500 free (5:10.18), but Bowling Green won nine of the meet's 16 events to beat the Vikings, 170-124. Alexandra Johansson won the 100 back in 58.43 and Kacey Cummings swept the diving events, including scoring a Horizon League-high 281.70 points in the 1-meter dive.
PREVIEWING THE MEN: Mark de Swardt leads a balanced group of swimmers that expect to win CSU's first conference championship since the 2005-06 season. The junior's best times lead the conference in five events this season: the 1,650 free (15:23.90), 1,000 free (9.18.49), 500 free (4:29.05), the 400 IM (4:00.89) and the 200 fly (1:51.08). de Swardt has also won 22 individual events this year. Sophomore Berry Thompson has emerged as one of the team's top sprinters, having been honored as the conference swimmer of the week three times this fall. His wins in the 50 free (20.88) and 100 free (45.70) at Green Bay set Phoenix pool records. Justin Kermack has led the squad in the butterfly events, setting a CSU record in the 200 fly (1:48.65) in the Vikings' home finale. Senior Deni Gasparin and freshman Brian Ferro have combined to win 12 breaststroke events while senior Zvonimir Androic has led the team in the backstroke events with five wins. Junior Josh Gonzalez, a three-time Horizon League Diver of the Week selection this year, won the 1-meter (303.65) and 3-meter (328.15) dives on Jan. 22, recording the best scores of his career.
PREVIEWING THE WOMEN: Sophomores Alice Sommerville and Joanna Olsson have been on a tear this season, giving the Vikings reason to believe that the program's first Horizon League championship could come this season. The two have broken one Horizon League and five Cleveland State relay records this year and have combined to set four individual school records. Both were on the 400 free relay squad that set the conference record (3:24.51) at the Northwestern TYR Invitational. Olsson also broke the Horizon League record in the 400 IM that weekend and set new school marks in the 500 free and 200 IM, while Sommerville broke the CSU record in the 100 fly in the opening meet of the season. Juniors Carys Behn and Kacey Cummings have also been strong this year. Behn was a member of all five record-breaking relays and winning 11 individual events while Cummings is a three-time conference diver of the week selection this season The Vikings have also benefited from a strong freshman class, highlighted by Alexandra Johansson and Christine Kopacko. Johansson was a member of the record-setting 200 free, 400 free, 800 free and 400 medley relays while Kopacko helped set a new CSU mark in the 200 medley.
MEN'S AND WOMEN'S HEAD COACH
Wally Morton (Miami, OH, '70)
At CSU: As men's head coach, 276-145-2 (30th Year); As women's head coach, 40-28 (4th Year)
With 14 seasons of double-digit victories under his belt, and over 300 wins overall, Wally Morton has had nothing but success during his lengthy tenure with Cleveland State.The 2009-10 season resulted in 14 victories, tying the school record for the second time in his 29 years as head coach of the men's swimming and diving team. For the past three years, Morton has also added the women's program to his head coaching resume and has led the team to the most wins in CSU history (14). With the men, Morton has compiled over 250 victories including a second place finish at the Horizon League Championship last year. His successful tenure includes 14 Penn-Ohio Championships, a pair of Midwestern Collegiate Conference (MCC) titles, a Horizon League Championship and an astounding 27 seasons with a .500 or better record. Morton has turned around the women's program, leading the Vikings to back-to back 14-win seasons. This year marks their fifth .700 or better season. The 14 wins are a school record, surpassing the previous record of 10 which was set during the 1982-83 season.
FOURTH IN THE (MID-MAJOR) NATION: The men's team has been ranked fourth by the College Swimming Coaches Association of America in its most recent Division I mid-major poll, released on Dec. 20. The Vikings, with 229.8 points, trail first place Navy (253.6), Princeton (250.7), and Cal State Bakersfield (230.1). The only other Horizon League team ranked is Milwaukee, who is 11th with 224.4 points. Denver (243.3) rounds out the top five.
WOMEN EARN FIRST MID-MAJOR RANKING: For the first time ever the CSCAA's Division I Women's Mid-Major Top 25 Poll includes Cleveland State. The Vikings, with 227.4 points, are ranked 15th, with Miami of Ohio (259.6), Princeton (250.7), Harvard (244.3), Denver (243.3) and Navy (241.9) holding the top five spots. Ranked just ahead of CSU is Milwaukee (14th) who, with 228 points, is the only other ranked Horizon League squad.
GOING FOR PERFECTION: The men's swimming and diving team has a chance to finish the season with a perfect conference mark for the first time since the 2003-04 campaign. With a win over UIC on Saturday, the Vikings would be 4-0 in the Horizon League, as the team already owns wins over Valparaiso (131-69), Green Bay (147-96) and Wright State (191-107). The men have come close to perfection in each of the past six seasons, dropping exactly one HL meet each year.
WOMEN TIE WIN RECORD: The women's 204-96 victory over Youngstown State on Jan. 22 was the team's 14th win of the year, tying the school record for dual meet wins in a season set by last year's squad. The Vikings will have a chance to break the record this week when they wrap up the regular season at UIC.
BACK-TO-BACK: The 14 victories mean that the women's team will finish with back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since having four winning years in a row from 1986-87 to 1989-90. CSU went 9-3, 8-6, 8-5 and 8-7 in those seasons, respectively. This will also mark the first time the women have ever finished consecutive seasons with double digit wins.
10 OF 10 (PLUS): With a 191-107 victory over Wright State on Jan. 22, the men's team now has 11 wins on the year, marking the squad's 10th consecutive season with double digit dual meet victories. The Viking men have also clinched their 13th consecutive winning season. Cleveland State has finished every year since 1998-99 with more wins than losses, the longest such streak in program history. The second longest stretch is 10 seasons of winning records, set from 1973-74 to 1982-83.
2010-11 HORIZON LEAGUE AWARDS: Cleveland State's swimmers and divers have been honored by the Horizon League nine times this season, with nine different Vikings being selected for athlete of the week awards. Below is the complete list of Vikings who have earned the honor this season:
Alice Sommerville - Oct. 18 (swimmer of the week)
Berry Thompson - Oct. 18 (swimmer of the week)
Josh Gonzalez - Oct. 18 (diver of the week)
Carys Behn - Oct. 26 (swimmer of the week)
Berry Thompson - Oct. 26 (swimmer of the week)
Mark de Swardt - Nov. 2 (swimmer of the week)
Deni Gasparin - Nov. 9 (swimmer of the week)
Josh Gonzalez - Nov. 23 (diver of the week)
Berry Thompson - Nov. 23 (swimmer of the week)
Joanna Olsson - Nov. 23 (swimmer of the week)
Kacey Cummings - Dec. 7 (diver of the week)
Matt DiMasso - Dec. 7 (diver of the week)
Mark de Swardt - Jan. 18 (swimmer of the week)
Josh Gonzalez - Jan. 18 (diver of the week)
Alice Sommerville - Jan. 18 (swimmer of the week)
Kacey Cummings - Jan. 18 (diver of the week)
Kacey Cummings - Jan. 25 (diver of the week)
Kacey Cummings - Jan. 31 (diver of the week)
VIKINGS IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: The best times of CSU's top swimmers stack up well against the rest of the country. Mark de Swardt's 15:23.90 mark in the 1,650 free is the 37th best among NCAA swimmers while his 9:18.49 time in the 1,000 free ranks 38th. Justin Kermack's 1:48.65 time in the 200 fly ranks 69th while Brian Ferro is 81st in the 200 breast with a time of 2:02.34. Joanna Olsson rates 89th in the 400 IM (4:20.09). The women's best time in the 400 free relay (3:24.51) also ranks as the 47th best finish in the country and their top time in the 200 free (1:34.00) is tied with Clarion for 52nd.
SENIOR SUCCESS: Jan. 22 was Senior Day, the final regular season home meet for Deni Gasparin, Mike Marsico and Zvonimir Androic, and the three made the most of the occasion. Gasparin swept the breaststroke events, winning the 100 in 58.48 and the 200 in 2:06.75, and helped the 200 medley (1:34.58) and 400 free (3:07.15) relay squads to first place finishes. Marsico was also on the winning 400 free relay team and helped his 200 medley unit to a second place finish (1:36.35), recording the fastest split of the day (20.98) in the process. Androic won the 200 back (1:52.74) and recorded a time of 1:54.32 in the 200 fly, the third best time of anybody on the team in that event this season.
FAST STARTS: Alasdair Shillito and Gretchen Hestley joined the swimming and diving teams this semester and have not wasted any time helping the Vikings win. Shillito helped the 200 medley relay team to victory on Saturday and also won the 100 back. His time in the 100 back against Oakland (51.84) is the fourth best in the Horizon League this season.Hestley has helped relay teams to two first place finishes this month and her time in the 200 free last Saturday (1:56.08) ranks as the 10th best in that event in CSU history.
TAKING A DIVE: While Josh Gonzalez and Kacey Cummings have been leading the Vikings in the diving events all year, they've recently taken their performances to a new level. Gonzalez swept the diving competition against both Oakland and Wright State, with his scores in the latter being personal bests (303.65 - 1-meter, 328.15 - 3-meter). Cummings has been named the Horizon League Diver of the Week in each of the past three weeks. She also won the 3-meter and 1-meter dives at Bowling Green, recording the best score in the league in the 1-meter this season. (281.70).
NEXT UP: With the regular season concluded, both Viking swimming and diving teams will be off from competition for the next two weeks, leading up to the 2011 Horizon League Championships, which will be held at Cleveland State from Feb. 23-26.
