March 5, 2002
CHICAGO, IL - After finishing fifth in 2001, the Cleveland State women's swimming and diving team passed up a golden opportunity to take another step up the tough conference ladder when the team finished fifth again at the 2002 Horizon League Championships in Chicago this past weekend.
The Vikings, who had one of their best regular seasons in years, came away without a first- or second-place finish all weekend. The team snagged two third-place results, but failed to score when it needed it most.
1. Wright State 755.50 2. UW-Green Bay 722 3. UW-Milwaukee 669.50 4. Illinois-Chicago 461 5. Cleveland State 287 6. Butler 267 7. Youngstown St. 231
With senior Audrey Gray (South Euclid, Ohio/Brush) swimming the first leg, and senior Georgian Peric (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) securing the anchor, CSU took third in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a 1:39.69. Also in the relay were freshman Helene Vorster (Senekal, South Africa/Oranje Girls School) and sophomore Becca Guerra (Canton, Ohio/McKinley).
The other third-place finish for the Vikings came courtesy of one of the team's future stars, freshman Samantha Jones (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa/Pietermaritzburg). Jones took third in the 100-yard backstroke event with a 59.59.
With the likes of Jones, Vorster, and fellow freshmen Tina Abbott (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands/First Baptist Christian) and Marlene Przykling (Ingersoll, Ontario/Ingersoll District Collegiate), Cleveland State head coach Mike Lehto has the talent to make steps up the Horizon League ladder in the future.
