Nov. 1, 2003
CLEVELAND - Freshman Marianne Lionell broke the school record in the 200 breaststroke on Saturday at the Busbey Natatorium in the women's swimming team's 152.5-70.5 loss to UW-Green Bay.
Lionell's swim of 2:22.72 broke the old mark of 2:23.93, set by Jenny Lumley in 1993. Lionell also won the women's 50 freestyle in a time of 24.36.
"We knew she was an excellent talent, but she came in here as more of a sprinter," head coach Mike Lehto said of Lionell. "We've been working on the longer races, but I thought she'd break the 50 free or 100 breast record before she got the 200 breast."
Kirsty McKechnie had the only other win for the Vikings on the day, winning the 1000 freestyle in 10:40.35. McKechnie added a second-place finish in the 200 butterfly in 2:12.22, while Samantha Jones added a pair of second-place showings. Jones was second in the 200 individual medley in 2:14.24 and was the runner-up in the 200 backstroke in 2:08.19.
"I was very happy with our swims today," Lehto said. "This is the first step toward the end goal of the Horizon League championships, and now we know what to expect out of Green Bay. Our lack of depth is a bit of problem, but we know that our top swimmers can compete with the best swimmers on any team we'll see this year."
The women will next head to St. Bonaventure on Saturday, Nov. 8, for a dual meet with the Bonnies.
