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Contact: Chris Urban
Nov. 9, 2004
Setting the Scene: Cleveland State heads to Ypsilanti, Mich. on Friday (Nov. 12) for a dual meet with Eastern Michigan beginning at 7:00 p.m. The Vikings will then return to Busbey Natatorium the following Monday (Nov. 15) for the City College Quad Meet with Baldwin-Wallace, Gannon and John Carroll beginning with diving at 2:00 p.m. and swimming events taking place at 3:30 p.m.
Canisius Added to Slate: The Jan. 28 dual meet with the Notre Dame men's team will now become a tri-meet with the addition of the Canisius men's team to the event. The meet is still scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Busbey Natatorium.
Wilkens Named Swimmer of the Week: After a record-setting performance at UW-Green Bay on Oct. 30, CSU senior swimmer Luke Wilkens was named the Horizon League Men's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Week for the week ending Nov. 2.
Wilkens earned the honor after winning the 200 butterfly in a Phoenix Sports Center Pool-record time of 1:52.35. He added a second win in the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:42.57 and helped the men's team to a 135-90 win over the Phoenix.
Women Win at Youngstown State: Cleveland State won all but two swimming events in the meet, topping Youngstown State 124-113 in Youngstown last Friday (Nov. 5).
Three Vikings recorded a pair of wins on the night, with senior Samantha Jones winning the 200 IM (2:12.19) and the 200 back (2:10.67), sophomore Marianne Lionell taking the 50 free (24.78) and the 200 breast (2:24.12) and junior Kirsty McKechnie claiming the 500 free (5:16.74) and the 1,000 free (10:40.25).
A pair of freshmen added top times as well, with Deanna Raedel winning the 200 free (1:59.81) and Lesley Jones earning her first career win in the 100 free (55.43).
Additionally, senior Tina Abbott and junior Wendy Peel helped to add to the Viking point total, with Abbott finishing second in the 500 free (5:22.60) and 1,000 free (10:57.54) and Peel claiming runner-up in the 200 free (2:00.80) and the 200 back (2:17.37).
CSU Holds Home Opener Against St. Bonaventure: In the first home meet of the season on Saturday (Nov. 6), the Cleveland State men's and women's swimming and diving teams combined for seven wins and 11 second-place showings against St. Bonaventure at Busbey Natatorium. Senior Luke Wilkens and sophomore Bjorn Schantz picked up two wins a piece in a 140-103 loss to the Bonnies, while senior Samantha Jones and sophomore Marianne Lionell each added a win of their own before the women's team fell 160-71.
Wilkens, last week's Horizon League Swimmer of the Week, posted a first-place 1:42.76 in the 200 freestyle and a best 1:51.98 in the 200 butterfly. Meanwhile, Schantz out-swam his closest opponent in the 1,000 freestyle by over 25 seconds (9:27.19 to 9:52.35) and swam to the 500 freestyle win in 4:38.20. Junior Pieter Pelser registered a first-place 1:53.76 in the 200 backstroke.
"We're seeing a lot of improvement in our younger swimmers and our veterans are pushing themselves in practice to be at their best," men's head coach Wally Morton said. "I feel like we've made a lot of progress, but we have a long way to go to be where we want."
Jones swam to a win in the 200 back for the women's team, completing the trip in 2:06.98. She recorded a second-place showing in the 1,000 freestyle (10:52.34) and led off the 400 medley relay with a 100 backstroke time of 57.90, nearly breaking her school record time 57.48. Lionell tallied her win in the 50 freestyle in 24.46 and added time of 2:23.05 in the 200 breaststroke for second place.
"Sam (Jones) is setting herself up to be the 100 and 200 backstroke champion this season," women's head coach Mike Lehto said. "She came out today and swam tough every time in the pool."
Previewing the Eagles: The Eastern Michigan men's team enters Friday's meet with 1-1 record after dropping a season-opening meet to Michigan (158-85) before picking up a win against Ohio (168-69).
Last season, Cleveland State tallied a 131-112 victory over the Eagles at Busbey Natatorium. Luke Wilkens posted wins in the 200 free (1:41.30), 500 free (4:38.58) and 200 fly (1:50.35), while Pieter Pelser added a top time in the 200 back (1:48.55).
The EMU women's squad stands at 1-1 overall and in the Mid-American Conference after dropping a 129.5-113.5 decision to Ohio on Nov. 5 before rebounding for a 167-133 win over Marshall on Nov. 6. The Eagles opened up their season at the Tom Stubbs Relay hosted by Bowling Green on Oct. 15.
The Vikings fell to Eastern Michigan last season at Busbey Natatorium on Nov. 15, 2003 by a score of 165-72. Kirsty McKechnie swam to a team season-best 2:10.26 in winning the 200 fly. Marianne Lionell added a win in the 50 free (24.25) while Samantha Jones tallied a top time in the 200 back (2:07.74).
Looking Ahead to the City College Meet: Cleveland State traditionally does exceptionally well against area schools Baldwin-Wallace and Gannon. Last season, the men's and women's team both picked up a pair of wins over the Yellow Jackets and Knights on Nov. 12. In fact, both the men's and women's teams have recorded wins against the tandem of schools in each of their last eight meetings dating back to the 1996-97 season.
The Vikings will face John Carroll this season for the first time since 1996-97. The women's team picked up a 102-50 win over the Blue Streaks at Busbey Natatorium on Nov. 12, while the men earned a 152-45 victory.
Better Lehto than Never: Women's head coach Mike Lehto is in his 11th season with Cleveland State, compiling a 69-73 career record as the winningest Vikings' mentor in history.
Last season, Lehto guided the squad to its third-straight season at .500 or better, compiling a 7-6 dual meet mark. Under his guidance, the Vikings broke six school records, won two Horizon League Championship events and featured the school's first league newcomer of the year (Marianne Lionell) since 1999.
With every top swimmer from last season returning, this year has the potential to be one of the program's finest. "This could be the most talented team that I've coached during my tenure here," Lehto commented. "We have to continue to work hard in practice and remain focused throughout the year so that, when the championship rolls around, we will be swimming at our best."
Wally World: Cleveland State men's swimming has certainly become synonymous with head coach Wally Morton. Morton enters his 24th season at the helm of the Vikings with a school-record 198 dual-meet wins under his belt, as well as nine Penn-Ohio Championships, a pair of MCC titles and 21 winning seasons.
Morton led the Vikings to their third-straight 11-win season and saw CSU swimmers claim nine titles in the Horizon League Championship. In his fourth and final year under Morton, Warren Vickers was named the league's Swimming and Diving Athlete of the Year for the second straight season. Additionally, Chris Jones was named diver of the meet in his senior season, while diving coach Rich Karban was tabbed as Diving Coach of the Year.
Cleveland State's goal remains the same year in and year out: to continue the tradition of producing top caliber student-athletes for this season and for years to come. This 2004-05 edition of the Vikings is no exception, featuring a core of veteran leadership complimented by the youth of a deep recruiting class which will strive for success both in the pool and the classroom.
