Jan. 12, 2012
Contact: Tim Ertle
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SETTING THE SCENE: The Vikings (women: 9-3, men: 7-3) will compete head-to-head with Xavier and Oakland at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday (Jan. 14) in Rochester, Mich., marking the first dual for Cleveland State since Nov. 29. After 10 student-athletes participated in the AT&T Winter National Championships Dec. 1-3, the swimmers competed at the Bob Mowerson Sprint Meet in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. last Friday (Jan. 6). Fans can follow the action with live results available for free at OUGrizzlies.com by clicking on the live results tab on the calendar on the right side of the page.
Saturday's Schedule of Events:
1. 400 Medley Relay
2. 1,000 Freestyle
3. 200 Freestyle
4. 50 Freestyle
5. 200 IM
6. 200 Butterfly
7. 100 Freestyle
8. 200 Backstroke
9. 500 Freestyle
10. 200 Breaststroke
11. 400 Free Relay
(1-meter and 3-meter diving will run concurrently with the beginning of the swimming events.)
WE MEET AGAIN: Cleveland State and Oakland have seen each other before as they both opened the season Oct. 8 at the Michigan State Long Course Invitational. The Grizzlies edged CSU on the men's side 194.5-137.5 while OU won the women's by a count of 215-88.
WELCOME HOME: The Vikings took their annual training trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. from Jan. 3-11. Diving coach Rich Karban elected to stay home with the divers to utilize the familiar first-rate facilities available at Cleveland State while the swimmers went through grueling workouts in the Florida sun. Temperatures were in the high-70s when they left the Sunshine State and they returned to Cleveland which greeted them with mid-40s weather and rain.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings participated in the Bob Mowerson Sprint Meet at the International Swimming Hall of Fame's outdoor aquatic facility in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Jan. 6. Below is a brief synopsis:
MEN - First
The Vikings won the meet with a score of 209.5, edging out Tufts who finished with 203 to top the 13-team field. Graham Thoresen won the 400 meter free with a time of 4:21.35 with teammates Alex Cohara (4:25.18) and Pieter Ritz (4:25.50) placing second and third, respectively. Berry Thompson won the 100 meter free with a 53.89 while Alex Lewis was just behind him with a 55.99. The Vikings had another one-two-three sweep in the 200 meter IM as Justin Kermack, fresh off his performance at the AT&T Winter National Championships, won the event with a 2:15.35. Brian Ferro was next in 2:15.67, and Nathan Grant rounded out the trio with a 2:22.00. Brad Bielak and Travis Lombardozzi were third and fifth, respectively, in the 50 meter fly. Bielak was clocked at 28.07 while Lombardozzi touched in 28.40. Colin Hanner was second in the 50 back with his time of 30.16 while Ryan Blankenship touched in 31.71. Pedrom Kheirandish added a top-three finish in the 50 breast when he placed third after turning in a 33.45. Justin Hill won the final event of the meet, the 50 meter free, in 25.00. Freshman Jon Querciagrossa was sixth with a 27.01.
WOMEN - First
The Cleveland State women's swimming team won the 17-team Bob Mowerson Sprint Meet with a score of 231 with Bloomsburg the next closest opponent finishing with 206.
Nikki Kolis won the 400 meter free with a time of 4:46.98 while teammates Amanda Pallija, Ashley Rossi and Erin Jajtner were the next three to touch. Carys Behn won the 100 meter free with a 1:00.95, just ahead of Alexandra Johansson (1:03.56) and Jamie Puls (1:04.17). The Vikings had another one-two-three sweep in the 200 meter IM as Joanna Olsson won the event with a 2:31.54. Gretchen Hestley was just off the pace with a 2:35.17 and Megan Splain was third with a 2:41.55. Emily Splain (31.98), Hannah Morris (33.52) and Liz Tamas (33.65) all cracked the top-eight in the 50 meter fly.
Newcomer Hayley Smith, swimming in her first meet with the Vikings, was second in the 50 meter back with a 33.99 and Erin Bender was fifth when she touched in 35.33. Allison Pallija and Emily Simard finished third and fifth, respectively, in the 50 meter breast. Pallija was clocked at 38.07, just a split second ahead of Simard's 38.46. Christine Kopacko won the final event, the 50 meter free, in 28.22.
AWARDS ALL AROUND: While the goal remains to win the team titles at the Horizon League Championships, the Vikings have received numerous outstanding individual performances that have been rewarded with athlete of the week honors. Below is a look at CSU student-athletes who have been recognized by the Horizon League:
CSU Athletes of the Week
Josh Gonzalez - Oct. 3-9 (Diver of the Week)
Kacey Cummings - Oct. 10-16 (Diver of the Week)
Justin Hill - Oct. 10-16 (Swimmer of the Week)
Josh Gonzalez - Oct. 17-23 (Diver of the Week)
Joanna Olsson - Oct. 17-23 (Swimmer of the Week)
Kacey Cummings - Nov. 7-13 (Diver of the Week)
Nathan Grant - Nov. 7-13 (Swimmer of the Week)
Alice Sommerville - Nov. 7-13 (Swimmer of the Week)
Josh Gonzalez - Nov. 14-20 (Diver of the Week)
Alice Sommerville - Nov. 14-20 (Swimmer of the Week)
Berry Thompson - Nov. 14-20 (Swimmer of the Week)
Kacey Cummings - Nov. 28-Dec. 4 (Diver of the Week)
Student-athletes from Cleveland State, Milwaukee, UIC, and Wright State have won the Men's Swimmer of the Week award, while the Vikings and Milwaukee lead the way with three different winners. The Vikings and Milwaukee have had the Women's 'Swimmer of the Week' a league-best three times while CSU's Alice Sommerville is the only female in the league to win the award more than once.
Entering this weekend, three different student-athletes have been named Men's 'Diver of the Week'. Cleveland State's Josh Gonzalez and Green Bay's Daniel Pogue have each won it a league-high three times. With three weekly awards this season, Kacey Cummings has received the honor seven times in her career. She is tied with Youngstown State's Casey Hill for the most 'Diver of the Week' honors so far this season.
MID-MAJOR MIGHT: The Cleveland State University men's and women's swimming and diving teams were each ranked in the CollegeSwimming.com Mid-Major Dual Meet Rankings that were released on Thursday (Dec. 15). The men's team was ranked 15th, while the women were slotted 19th.
Milwaukee is ranked ninth on the men's side and 11th in the women's poll, making the Panthers the only Horizon League team ahead of Cleveland State in either poll.
Now in its 10th year, the Mid-Major Rankings serve to provide an objective point system to compare teams' relative strength in a traditional dual meet lineup. The ranking is available to those institutions that a) are not members of a BCS conference or Mountain West Conference, or b) provide fewer than one-half of the allowable scholarships under the NCAA rules.
The rankings will be released again on Feb. 3 before conference meets and the final rankings will be issued on March 6.
HOMECOMING: For Cleveland State's senior standout diver Kacey Cummings, Saturday's meet will be a homecoming of sorts. She attended North Farmington High School, about a half-hour away from the Oakland University campus where she dove for the Legacy Diving Club. She dove for OU diving coach Larry Albright while in high school.
NEXT UP: The Viking men will compete at home for the first time since Nov. 29 when they host Wally Morton's alma mater - the Miami Redhawks - at 4:00 p.m. on Friday (Jan. 20). On Saturday (Jan. 21), both the men and the women will battle league foe Wright State at 1:00 p.m. in Fairborn, Ohio.
