The men's team, which managed a run-of-the-mill 7-5 record in dual meets last season, improved to 9-1. With junior Andrew Hancock (Cambridge, Australia/St. Mary's Senior) again leading the way, the Vikings grabbed nine of a possible 11 first-place finishes. Sophomore diver Chris Jones (Brookpark, Ohio/Berea) continued his superb season, winning both the 1-meter and 3-meter events.
Hancock nabbed top honors in the 200-yard butterfly (1:57.76), the 500-yard freestyle (4:48.11) and the 1,000-yard freestyle (9:39.30). Sophomore Lyle Wilkens (Bloemfontein, South Africa/Midland CC), who has begun to shine as of late, won two more events: the 200-yard IM (1:59.97) and the 200-yard backstroke (1:55.47). Junior Brett Thomas (Berea, Ohio/Berea) was in fine form as well, taking first in the 50-yard freestyle with a :21.86.
The women swimmers took home five first-place finishes as they improved to 7-4 in 2001-02 (after going 5-8 last year).
Super freshman Helene Vorster (Senekal, South Africa/Oranje Girls School) won both the 200-yard freestyle (1:58.07) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:14.25). Senior Georgian Peric also had a strong meet for the Vikings. Gigi won the 200-yard IM with a 2:15.27 and grabbed a second in the 200-yard breaststroke with a 2:34.72. The team also received a first-place finish from freshman Samantha Jones (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa/Pietermaritzburg) who won the 200-yard backstroke (2:11.52).
As the young corps of women's divers matures, the team stands even greater chances of knocking off top-notch opponents like Bowling Green.
The Vikings hit the road for a Horizon League battle with Wright State on Saturday, Jan. 26 at 1:00 p.m.
