Feb. 27, 2010
Contact: Renee Adam
Chicago, Ill. - Two more Cleveland State records fell on day three of the Horizon League Championships, as Alice Sommerville set the record in the 100 fly and the 800 free relay team bested the old record. The Vikings ended day three in fifth place with 273 points.
"This team is ending the season on a high note at the Horizon League Championships, having the most number of finalists in the past decade," head coach Wally Morton said. "Having so many people in the finals already bodes well for the final day of the competition and I am expecting that we will go out on a very strong note with the races that we have coming up tomorrow."
Sommerville's first record came in the finals of the 100 fly, when she finished in a personal best time of 56.81 and in fifth place. She topped teammate Whitney Hickey's previous record of 57.03 that she set last season.
Sommerville was also part of the record setting 800 free relay team that finished fifth with a time of 7:41.56. Sommerville teamed with Joanna Olsson, Jamie Puls and Carys Behn for the relay. The previous record was set in 2005, when the Vikings recorded a time of 7:43.38.
Behn had her best swim of the year in the 200 free, with an outstanding second place finish in a time of 1:50.87. Behn barely missed topping her own CSU record that she set last season (1:50.22).
Olsson was the lone Viking to swim in the 400 IM finals, finishing sixth with a time of 4:31.31.
Emily Simard swam the third fastest time in CSU history in the finals of the 100 breast, finishing eighth with a time of 1:06.87. Simard's time was also a personal best. Allison Pallija swam a personal best of 1:08.16 to finish sixth in the consolation final of the 100 breast.
The strongest final event for CSU came in the 100 back, with Michelle Ferro, Hickey and Emily Splain all competing in the finals. Ferro had the highest finish for the Vikings, finishing second in the consolation final with a time of 59.68, while Hickey (59.73) and Splain (1:01.08) both swam their best times of the season to finish third and sixth respectively.
Green Bay ended the day on top of the standings with 558 points with Wright State in second place with 472.5 points, Milwaukee in third (451), UIC in fourth (389), CSU fifth (273), Youngstown State sixth (164.5), Butler seventh (91) and Valparaiso eighth (73).
The final day of the Horizon League Championships begins tomorrow morning at 11:30 a.m EST and finals beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST. Fans can watch the finals action live via live streaming on the Horizon League network, and can also follow along with the Horizon League's live blog.
