Dec. 4, 2006

Contact: Josh Rattray

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Cleveland State Men's and Women's Swimming & Diving

IDLE UNTIL JAN. 6, 2007

at Florida Gulf Coast Holiday Invitational

Date: Jan. 6, 2007

Time: TBA

Site: Fort Myers, Fla.

SETTING THE SCENE: After a fast-paced three days at the Miami (OH) Invitational that saw the men and women combine to set 15 new team top times, the Vikings will take the rest of the month off before heading to Florida for a multi-team invitational on Jan. 6, 2007. The Viking men finish the calendar year at 7-2, while the women are 3-6.

RECAPPING LAST WEEK: The CSU men placed sixth of nine teams and the women placed 10th of 11 teams this past weekend at the Miami Invitational. Here is a brief look at how the Vikings fared:

                Men - 6th place (903.5 points) (Nov. 30-Dec. 2, Oxford, Ohio)

                Six new team top times were set, one each by four different Vikings and the 200 medley and 400 free relay teams. Senior Bjorn Schantz posted a 4:30.42 in the 500 free and also placed fourth in the mile swim, while sophomores Stef Potgieter (2:03.84 in 200 breast), Marko Milenkovic (46.01 in 100 free) and  Nedim Nisic (49.64 in 100 fly) each posted league-best times.

                Women - 10th place (237 points) (Nov. 30-Dec. 2, Oxford, Ohio)

                Senior Marianne Lionell set three new team top times and sophomores Katie Bellew and Sandra Bunker each added two new top marks and the Vikings also added new top marks in the 200 medley and 400 free relay events.

PREVIEWING THE WOMEN'S TEAM: The CSU women's squad is a very young one, with seven freshmen and sophomores on the roster, although the team has 10 swimmers with collegiate experience prior to this year. Marianne Lionell is the team's only senior and is currently CSU's top swimmer in six events (50, 100 and 200 free, 100 and 200 breast and 200 IM).

Sophomore Katie Bellew holds the school record in the 100 fly (:57.50) and is the also the team's top swimmer in the 200 fly (2:08.92) and 400 IM (4:49.80). Sophomore twins Kristine and Sandra Bunker are also among the team's top swimmers, with Kristine second in the 200, 500 and 1,000 free and Sandra leading the squad in the 500 and 1,000 free and 100 back.  Along with Lionell, junior Lesley Jones is among the team's top sprint swimmers, ranking in the top three in the 50, 100 and 200 free.

The Vikings lost sophomore Jen MacLauchlan, the team's top backstroke swimmer, to illness for the fall semester, but her return should spark the Vikings in both sprint swims and backstroke events. Once redshirt freshman Lauren Bullard and true freshman Meagan Seaman are able to dive, the duo will give the squad a chance to capture diving points.

LEHTO ON THE CSU WOMEN: "We had some people post some really good times at Miami. The meet was a very fast one with a lot of good teams and it was good for us to face tough competition."

PREVIEWING THE MEN'S TEAM: The CSU men's squad takes aim at defending its Horizon League championship with 15 returning letterwinners, including three seniors, from last year. Headlining the returnees is senior Bjorn Schantz, last year's Horizon League Swimming Athlete of the Year. Schantz, who was also named the Men's Outstanding Swimmer at the league championships, is currently at the top of the league leaderboard in the 200, 500 and mile free and is second in the 1,000 free. Schantz holds school records in the 200 (1:39.15) and 500 (4:24.65) and his time in the 500 was also good for the Horizon League Championship record. He was also the anchor leg of CSU's championship 800 free relay team that also posted a school-record time.

Several Vikings provide support, including sophomores Marko Milenkovic and Nedim Nisic. Milenkovic is the team's top sprint swimmer, holding a league-best time of 46.01 in the 100 free. Nisic is the team's top butterfly swimmer in the league, posting top times in both the 100 (49.64) and 200 fly (1:52.08).

Sophomore Stef Potgieter, along with Milenkovic and junior Dave Duecker, leads the team in the breaststroke events. Potgieter's time of 2:03.84 is the best 200 breast time in the league. Despite losing two-time league diving champion Thatcher Carr to graduation, the Vikings still have two talented divers that can defend the league title. Senior Chris Dalman is among the top divers in the nation, placing first in every diving event save one (three-meter vs. Ohio State) this year. He currently is tops on the league leaderboard in both the one-meter (365.00) and three-meter (375.45) and he holds the CSU one-meter dive record with a score of 415.40 on Feb. 4 last year against UIC. Junior Dan Baiko also returns and the two divers together give the Vikings a huge edge in diving points.

MORTON ON THE CSU MEN: "We were in the hunt to win some races at the Miami Invitational, but we had some different goals than the other swimmers. It was a great rehearsal for the league championship. We had some good times considering how early it is in the season, and we can still get better."

LORDS OF THE RINGS: The members of last year's Horizon League champion men's squad received their league championship rings at halftime of Cleveland State's 66-59 men's basketball win over Kent State on Wednesday (Nov. 29) at the Wolstein Center. The ceremony also included the men's golf team, which won a league championship in 2006.

`BJORN' TO WIN: Bjorn Schantz, the reigning Horizon League Swim Athlete of the Year, posted league-best times in the 500 free (4:30.42) and mile (15:53.98) at the Miami Invitational and now is the league's top performer in three events. Schantz won eleven individual events in the season's first six meets, including five in the 500 and four in the 1,000 free and has scored a team-leading 178.75 points in dual meets. The Loddekopinge, Sweden native is second in the league (by just 0.92) in the 1,000 free and also swims the anchor leg of the 400 free relay team that currently stands third in the league (3:08.09 on Nov. 11).

...BUT THAT'S NOT ALL: Schantz, an international business major who owns a 3.9 GPA, was named the Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week on Oct. 24 after winning the 500 and 1,000 free against on Oct. 21 against Valparaiso.

LIONELL THE LEADER: Marianne Lionell now holds the team's top times in six events after posting a team-best 53.30 in the 100 free on Saturday (Dec. 2) at the Miami Invitational. The Sodertalje, Sweden native is also the leader in the 50 free (24.59 on Dec. 1), 200 free (2:00.09 on Oct. 21), 100 breast (1:07.59 on Dec. 1), 200 breast (2:32.80 on Oct. 21) and the 200 IM (2:18.52 on Nov. 10). She is CSU's only female swimmer ranked in the Horizon League top five, as her time in the 100 breast is third in the league, and she is fourth in the league in the 50 and 100 free.

`DALMAN-ATION': Chris Dalman has been named Horizon League Male Diver of the Week four times in the last six weeks. The senior from Auburn, Washington holds the  league's top scores in both diving events and is undefeated in 11 trips off the one-meter boards and has placed first 10 of 11 times in the three-meter dive. Dalman's diving prowess, along with solid performances by Dan Baiko, has given the Vikings a big lift in dual action, as CSU has outscored its opponents, 221-82, in diving events, including 157 points from Dalman.

NOT BAD FOR A FIRST TIME: Katie Bellew clocked a team-best 4:49.80 in the 400 IM on Dec. 1, the first time she had competed in the event this year. Better known for her performances in butterfly events, she owns top team times in the 100 fly (1:01.71 on Dec. 2) and 200 fly (2:12.38 on Oct. 28) and is second on the team in the 200 breast (2:35.71 on Oct. 21) and the 200 IM (2:18.65 on Nov. 10).

SUPREME NEDIM: Nedim Nisic posted a league-best time of 49.64  in the 100 fly in the final day of the Miami Invitational on Dec. 2. Nisic, who is training to swim for Bosnia in the 2008 Olympic games, also owns the league's top mark in the 200 fly (1:52.08 on Nov. 11) and is in the top 10 in the 100 and 200 free. Nisic has had a big impact in dual meets, standing third on the team behind Bjorn Schantz and Chris Dalman in points with 145.

Women's Head Coach:

Mike Lehto (Cleveland State `85)

At CSU: 88-93 (13th Year)

Overall: Same

Lehto, the winningest women's swimming coach in Cleveland State history, has mentored the Vikings to five straight seasons at .500 or better. Under his tutelage, Samantha Jones became the school's first Horizon League Female Swim Athlete of the Year in 2005.

Men's Head Coach:

Wally Morton (Miami (OH) `70)

At CSU: 226-128 (26th Year)

Overall: Same

Morton has led the Vikings to 12 conference championships and 22 winning seasons in his 25 years at the helm of the men's program. Morton, who also serves as CSU's Director of Aquatics, has led the Vikings to five straight seasons of 10 or more dual meet victories and for four straight years a Viking has claimed the league's Male Swim Athlete of the Year Award.

UP NEXT: Both the Viking men and women return to action at their holiday invitational at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla. on Sat., Jan. 6, 2007.