Contact: Julie Farr DeLima
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - - SETTING THE SCENE: Cleveland State will send four swimmers to compete at the Ohio State Last Chance NCAA Qualifier on Sunday, March 8 in Columbus, Ohio. Preliminary races begin at noon with the final heats getting underway one hour after the preliminaries end.
FOUR VIKINGS TRY FOR NCAA INVITATIONS: The Horizon League Championships may be finished but four Viking men's swimmers are still very much alive in their seasons. Juniors Jakub Dobies, Todd Winchell, Stephen Grove and freshman Mark deSwardt will all compete in this weekend's Ohio State Last Chance meet with the hopes of qualifying for the 2009 NCAA Division I Championships later this month.
The four will head to Columbus aiming to improve their best times of the season and prove that they deserve to compete with the nation's best swimmers for top national honors.
Jakub Dobies will compete in his third-straight NCAA Championships after a school-record 52.94 in the 100 breast to win his third straight Horizon League title last weekend. At Ohio State he will also attempt to qualify in the 50 free, His best time of 20.18 is 0.16 off the "B" cut time of 20.02.
Stephen Grove is also trying for a qualifying time in the 50 free after a school-record 20.09 in the preliminary heat during last weekend's Horizon League Championship. His time of 20.09 just missed the "B" cut time of 20.02 and the event's automatic qualifying time is 19.35.
In the distance events, Mark deSwardt has proven to be the best the Horizon League has to offer in 2009 and aims to carry that momentum into the NCAA Championships. He picked up his second NCAA "B" cut of the season during his mile victory of 15:02.06 at the Horizon League Championships, dropping more than 18 seconds off the first "B" cut he swam in December (15:20.75) at the Ohio State Invitational. This year's automatic qualifying time for the 1,650 free is 14:51.15.
Todd Winchell will give it a go in the 100 fly after recording a season-best time of 48.61 in the league championships. He will need to reach at least "B" cut status of 47.65 to be in contention for an invitation.
MORTON ON THE CSU MEN: We want to give these young men the chance to swim in the greatest and fastest meet in the world - the NCAA Division I Swimming Championship. Dobies and deSwardt have an excellent chance to qualify, but all four of them belong in the meet as they are attempting to swim at the elite national level.
MORTON ON JAKUB DOBIES: Jakub will go to the NCAA Championships in the 100 breast with the intent to make the final eight and win the event.
DOBIES BACK TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: One of the top breaststrokers in Cleveland State history and a two-time NCAA participant, Dobies will make his third-straight appearance at the NCAA Division I Championships this spring after swimming a 52.94 to win his third straight 100 breast title at the Horizon League Championships. The first Viking since Harold Wagner (100 fly, 1987) to swim at the NCAA Championships, he finished 28th in the 100 breast as a freshman and finished 22nd and earned Mid-Major All-America honors as a sophomore.
THIRD WIN JOINS ELITE COMPANY: Jakub Dobies joined elite company with his third-straight 100 breast title in 2009. With the win, he became just the sixth Cleveland State Viking to win the same event three times in his career. The win, which head coach Wally Morton called "CSU's Swim of the Meet," also came in new CSU record time (52.94) and was a Horizon League record as well. Dobies was a three-time podium finisher in individual events, finishing third in the 100 free in CSU record time (44.53) and third in the 200 IM (1:51.58). His 52 points in the four days were also the fourth-most in the Horizon League Championships. Prior to 2009, Dobies also won a 200 breast title in 2007 and was the 200 IM champion in 2008.
MORTON ON Mark deSwardt: Mark will attempt to better his mile swim and give himself a better chance of qualifying for the meet. We believe he needs to go under 15 minutes by shaving 1/100 of a second of each 50. The Ohio State facility is a very fast pool and will give him optimum conditions. It is very touch to swim the longer events in a small meet, but Mark is up to the challenge.
deSWARDT UNANIMOUS PICK AFTER THREE WINS: Freshman Mark deSwardt keeps getting better and he put on a clinic in his first conference championship appearance. deSwardt won all three of his individual events and was unanimously selected as the league's Swimmer of the Meet, Swimmer of the Year and Newcomer of the Year after leading the meet in points scored (60). deSwardt won the 500 free in 4:26.00, the second-fastest time in school history and he improved as the distances got longer. During the mile swim, he set a new league and CSU record at the 1,000 mark with a time of 9:01.64, seven seconds faster than the 9:08.01 he won the event in earlier in the meet. He also finished the 1,650 with a new school and league record and an NCAA "B" cut time of 15:02.06.
MORTON ON Stephen Grove: Steve's goal is to break 20 seconds, improving his time by a few hundredths of a second, and giving him a chance to qualify for the national meet.
TWO RECORDS FOR GROVE: Junior Stephen Grove swam the fastest preliminary time and a new CSU and Horizon League record in the preliminary heat of the 50 free (20.09) and came back in the finals to grab a third-place finish in 20.33 after winning the event in 2008. He also set a new CSU record in the 100 fly, winning the event in 48.60. His time of 45.82 in the 100 free also earned him an 11th-place finish while his 42 points at the championships were tied for the 18th most on the men's side.
MORTON ON Todd Winchell: Todd Winchell's goal are two-fold. Not only does he want to improve his 100 fly time and make the NCAA Championships, but he is also looking to qualify for the USA Senior Swimming Championships in the event.
WINCHELL SWIMS TWO TOP-10 TIMES: In the final meet of his junior season, Todd Winchell came out and swam two of the fastest times in school history during the 100 fly and 100 back. In the prelims of the 100 fly, he swam the second-fastest time in school history (48.61) before coming to back finish fourth in the finals in 48.83. In the 100 back, he swam the school's sixth-fastest time during preliminaries (50.87) and finished fourth in the event in 50.98.
CSU BOASTS SIX OF LEAGUE'S 20 BEST SWIMMERS: The Vikings ended last week with six swimmers in the Top-20 point scorers for the championship meet. On the men's side, Mark deSwardt was the league's leader with 60 points. Jakub Dobies was fourth (52) followed by Deni Gasparin (Tied 10th, 46), Marko Milenkovic (13th, 45) and Stephen Grove (Tied 18th, 42). For the women, Carys Behn's 50 points ranked her the league's eighth top scorer. On the men's side, only conference champion UIC had more of the league's Top-20 point scorers (seven) than Cleveland State (five).
NCAA "B" CUTS ABOUND FOR MEN: The CSU Viking men had a spectacular season and five NCAA "B" qualifying times are the result. Jakub Dobies' time in the 100 breast (52.94) will guarantee him a third trip to the NCAA Division I Championships. Hoping to join him are freshman Mark deSwardt in the mile (15:02.06 on Feb. 28) and Deni Gasparin, also in the 100 breast (54.46 on Feb. 27). Other "B" cut qualifiers for the men are the 200 free and 200 medley relay teams which both set new CSU records at the Horizon League Championships. The 200 free relay team of Dobies, Stephen Grove, Keith Everhart and Mike Marsico won the event in a new CSU and Horizon League Championship record (1:19.50). The 200 medley relay of Todd Winchell, Dobies, Grove and Marisco also won their race (1:27.58) in new CSU and Horizon League Championship time.
DOBIES, MARSICO, GROVE LEAD RECORD RELAY SWEEP: In addition to their individual successes, Jakub Dobies, Mike Marsico and Stephen Grove were also a significant part of the relays that dominated the CSU record book this season. Dobies swam the leadoff of the winning 200 free relay which not only set a CSU and Horizon League record, but his leadoff leg was also the second-fastest 50 free time in school history (20.18). Dobies swam the second leg of both the winning 200 and runner-up 400 medley relays which broke CSU and Horizon League records, and he swam the leadoff of CSU's 400 free relay which also broke a school record (3:00.45) to finish fourth. Grove swam the second leg of both the 200 and 400 free relays and was the third leg of both medley relays. Marsico swam the anchor leg in all four events.
OTHER PERFORMANCES OF NOTE: n Todd Winchell was a member of both the 200 and 400 medley relay teams which broke CSU and Horizon League records. He swam the leadoff leg of both races, helping the 200 medley to victory (1:27.58) and the 400 medley to a runner-up finish (3:16.72).
VIKING POINT LEADERS AT THE HL CHAMPIONSHIP: Rank Athlete Points 1 Mark deSwardt 60 4 Jakub Dobies 52 T10 Deni Gasparin 46 13 Marko Milenkovic 45 T18 Stephen Grove 42 T33 Nedim Nisic 32 T36 Todd Winchell 30 T43 Zvonimir Androic 28 46 Pieter Ritz 27 T54 Colin Hanner 21 T56 Mike Marsico 20 T65 Matt DiMasso 17 T82 Travis Lombardozzi 7 T82 Keith Everhart 7 T90 Volkmar Baur 5 T98 Derek Butts 1
MEN'S & WOMEN'S HEAD COACH: Wally Morton (Miami, OH, '70) AT CSU: (as men's coach): 251-138-1 (28 years); (as women's coach): 12-19 (2nd year) Morton, who wrapped up his second season as the head coach of the women's program and is in his 28th season as the head men's coach, has led the Vikings to 12 conference championships and 25 winning seasons in his 28 years at the helm of the men's program. Morton, who also serves as CSU's Director of Aquatics, has led the Vikings to eight straight seasons of 10 or more dual meet victories and one of his men's swimmers has earned the league's Male Swim Athlete of the Year award in six of the last seven seasons.
NEXT UP: NCAA qualifiers will compete for national titles from March 26-28 at Texas A&M.
Current Viking Top-10 Marks
50 Free Rank Name Time Year 1. Stephen Grove 20.09 2009 2. Jakub Dobies 20.18 2009 3. Mike Marsico 20.48 2009 4. Keith Everhart 20.71 2009
100 Free Rank Name Time Year 1. Jakub Dobies 44.53 2009 5. Nedim Nisic 45.41 2009 9. Stephen Grove 45.78 2008
200 Free Rank Name Time Year 5. Marko Milenkovic1:40.08 2009
500 Free Rank Name Time Year 2. Mark deSwardt 4:26.00 2009
1,000 Free Rank Name Time Year 1. Mark deSwardt 9:01.46 2009
1,650 Free Rank Name Time Year 1. Mark deSwardt 15:02.062009
100 Back Rank Name Time Year 2. Nedim Nisic 49.60 2009 3. Todd Winchell 50.31 2008 9. Zvonimir Androic51.06 2009
200 Back Rank Name Time Year 2. Zvonimir Androic1:48.87 2009 6. Colin Hanner 1:50.80 2009 10. Todd Winchell 1:52.54 2008
100 Breast Rank Name Time Year 1. Jakub Dobies 52.94 2009 2. Deni Gasparin 54.46 2009 6. Marko Milenkovic56.44 2009
200 Breast Rank Name Time Year 1. Jakub Dobies 2:00.43 2007 2. Deni Gasparin 2:01.02 2008 4. Marko Milenkovic2:02.42 2009
100 Fly Rank Name Time Year 1. Stephen Grove 48.60 2009 2. Todd Winchell 48.61 2009 T5. Nedim Nisic 49.26 2008
200 Fly Rank Name Time Year 4. Mark deSwardt 1:50.16 2009 7. Nedim Nisic 1:50.76 2006
200 IM Rank Name Time Year 2. Jakub Dobies 1:49.82 2008 5. Deni Gasparin 1:51.21 2008 6. Marko Milenkovic1:51.79 2009 9. Nedim Nisic 1:52.69 2006
400 IM Rank Name Time Year 2. Mark deSwardt 3:57.41 2009
2008-09 MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING TOP TIMES
Men's 50 Free Stephen Grove 20.09 26-Feb Jakub Dobies 20.18 25-Feb Mike Marsico 20.48 26-Feb
Men's 100 Free Jakub Dobies 44.53 28-Feb Nedim Nisic 45.41 28-Feb Stephen Grove 45.82 28-Feb
Men's 200 Free Mark deSwardt 1:40.08 5-Dec Todd Winchell 1:43.36 10-Jan Jakub Dobies 1:43.77 15-Nov
Men's 500 Free Mark deSwardt 4:26.00 26-Feb Pieter Ritz 4:38.61 25-Feb Zvonimir Androic4:55.63 7-Nov
Men's 1,000 Free Mark deSwardt 09:01.46 28-Feb Pieter Ritz 09:37.65 25-Feb Colin Hanner 09:57.83 25-Feb
Men's 1,650 Free Mark deSwardt 15:02.06 28-Feb Pieter Ritz 16:11.73 25-Feb Derek Butts 19:25.87 6-Feb
Men's 50 Back Nedim Nisic 23.31 5-Dec Todd Winchell 23.27 25-Feb Colin Hanner 24.79 5-Dec
Men's 100 Back Nedim Nisic 49.60 27-Feb Todd Winchell 50.87 27-Feb Zvonimir Andrioc51.06 27-Feb
Men's 200 Back Zvonimir Androic1:48.87 28-Feb Colin Hanner 1:50.80 28-Feb Todd Winchell 1:53.00 16-Jan
Men's 50 Breast Jakub Dobies 25.78 25-Nov Deni Gasparin 26.52 25-Nov Marko Milenkovic26.57 25-Nov
Men's 100 Breast Jakub Dobies 0:52.94 27-Feb Deni Gasparin 0:54.46 27-Feb Marko Milenkovic0:56.44 27-Feb
Men's 200 Breast Deni Gasparin 2:01.09 28-Feb Marko Milenkovic2:02.42 28-Feb Jakub Dobies 2:08.99 25-Oct
Men's 50 Fly Stephen Grove 22.95 25-Nov Todd Winchell 23.52 25-Nov Nedim Nisic 23.55 25-Nov
Men's 100 Fly Stephen Grove 48.60 27-Feb Todd Winchell 48.61 25-Feb
Men's 200 Fly Mark deSwardt 1:50.16 7-Feb Zvonimir Androic1:53.08 28-Feb Volkmar Baur 1:55.75 28-Feb
Men's 200 IM Jakub Dobies 1:51.34 25-Feb Marko Milenkovic 1:51.79 26-Feb Deni Gasparin 1:52.70 26-Feb
Men's 400 IM Mark deSwardt 3:57.41 6-Feb Volkmar Baur 4:15.15 27-Feb Zvonimir Androic4:24.62 6-Feb
Men's 1-meter Diving Matt DiMasso 252.90 (6) 31-Oct Matt DiMasso 235.30 (11) 25-Feb
Men's 3-meter Diving Matt DiMasso 242.85 (6) 24-Jan Matt DiMasso 212.90 (11) 25-Feb
