Jan. 19, 2012
Contact: Tim Ertle
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SETTING THE SCENE: The Vikings (women: 10-4, men: 8-4) will return to Horizon League competition on Saturday (Jan. 21), but not before the men host Miami (OH) (4-4) on Friday (Jan. 20) at 4:00 p.m. in what will be the men's first home meet since Nov. 29. On Saturday the Vikings, with the men and women each 2-0 in the Horizon League, will travel to Fairborn, Ohio to take on Wright State at 1:00 p.m. at the WSU Natatorium. CSU split last weekend at the Oakland University Tri-Meet, knocking off Xavier but falling to the host Grizzlies. That performance came after the Vikings annual training trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a journey that culminated in first place finishes at the Bob Mowerson Sprint Meet on Jan. 6. The WSU men started 2-1 and the women went 3-1 at the first meet of the year on Oct. 2 and then each team dropped five straight meets. The WSU men (3-6) and women (4-6) each picked up a win in their last meet against Ashland on Jan. 7.
WINNING SEASONS: With the women racking up 10 wins and the men already recording eight victories on the year, each team has locked up a winning season. The Viking men have clinched their 14th consecutive winning season as they have finished every season since 1998-99 with a winning percentage over .500, the longest such streak in program history. The women have three straight winning seasons and their third consecutive 10-win season. The only other 10-win season in the history of the women's program was in 1982-83.
REVIEWING LAST WEEK: The Vikings participated in the Oakland University Tri-Meet in Rochester, Mich. last Saturday (Jan. 14.). Both the men and the women knocked off Xavier but fell to the host Grizzlies. Below is a brief synopsis:
MEN - A pair of wins from Berry Thompson and Josh Gonzalez as well as a Justin Kermack victory helped the Cleveland State men's swimming and diving team come away with a split at the Oakland University Tri-Meet in Rochester, Mich. on Saturday (Jan. 14). The Vikings, now 8-4, defeated Xavier 165-72, but fell to Oakland 134-103 at the Oakland University Aquatic Center. Thompson won the 50 (20.95) and 100 free (45.55). Neither Oakland nor Xavier had male divers but Gonzalez posted the top scores on both the 1-meter (287.78) and 3-meter (314.93) boards. Kermack won the 200 fly by a full two seconds when he touched in 1:52.19.
WOMEN - Five wins in 13 events helped the Cleveland State women's swimming and diving team come away with a split at the Oakland University Tri-Meet on Saturday (Jan. 14). CSU, now 10-4, defeated Xavier 155-82, but fell to Oakland 142-101 at the Oakland University Aquatic Center. Carys Behn picked up the first CSU win of the day when she won the 200 free in 1:54.05, just .05 ahead of the next finisher. Alice Sommerville became the second Viking winner of the afternoon with a win in the 50 free (24.20). Joanna Olsson won the 200 fly (2:05.17) in addition to a pair of second place finishes while Kacey Cummings won the 3-meter board with a 257.25. The Vikings closed with a win in the 400 free relay as Christine Kopacko, Behn, Gretchen Hestley and Amanda Pallija teamed together to cover the distance in 3:37.29.
IT COMES FULL CIRCLE: The Vikings men's meet with Miami carries special significance as the two programs are intertwined. Only three men have coached the Fenn College/Cleveland State men's team for more than one year since the inaugural 1931 season: Raymond Ray, Robert Busbey and Wally Morton. Ray, a 1938 graduate of Miami, was Fenn's head coach from 1938-43 and then again when the program resumed after World War II from 1946-50. While leading the Foxes, Ray coached Robert Busbey to the first All-American honors ever received by a Fenn College athlete in 1948. Ray left Fenn after the 1950 season to help launch the program at Miami. After Ray left, Homer Woodling and Jodie Graham coached for one season before turning the program over to Busbey, a post he held from 1951-81. Ray started the Miami program in 1952 and led the Redskins to a 148-89-2 record and three Mid-American Conference championships before retiring in 1974. While coaching at Miami, Ray tutored Wally Morton, a 1970 graduate of Miami, and together they won MAC titles in 1966 and 1967. Morton coached for seven years under Busbey at Cleveland State before taking over in 1981. Between Ray, Busbey and Morton, they have combined for over 500 wins as Fenn College/Cleveland State men's head coach.
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)
Berry Thompson - Jan. 9-15 (Swimmer 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 and Thompson is the only repeat winner. With three Women's 'Swimmer of the Week' winners, CSU trails only Milwaukee who has had a league-best four winners. CSU's Alice Sommerville is the only female in the league to win the award more than once.
Entering this weekend, four 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.
WELCOME ADDITION: The Cleveland State women's team added freshman Hayley Smith from Edmonton, Alberta to the roster at the end of the first semester and she has made an immediate contribution. She was third in the 200 back (2:09.53) and fourth in the 200 IM (2:15.38) at the Oakland Tri-Meet, her first meet swimming yards. Her 200 back time was the third quickest by a Viking all season, and the 1:01.05 she swam in the 100 back to leadoff the 400 medley relay was the fourth best on the team this season.
GOOD TO HAVE HIM BACK: Sophomore Alasdair Shillito came back from an offseason wrist injury to compete for the first time all season at the Oakland Tri-Meet last Saturday (Jan. 14). With three top-10 finishes at the 2011 Horizon League Championships already under his belt, Shillito was surely a welcome addition. In his first meet of the season, he swam the best 100 back (51.53) by a Viking all season - a time that was also the third quickest in the league in 2011-12. His 1:52.75 in the 200 back was also tops on the team and third in the league.
HOME SWEET HOME: The Robert F. Busbey Natatorium has been good to the Vikings this season as both the men and women are 6-0 at home. The men have two home meets left and the women have one against UIC on Feb. 4.
NEXT UP: The Vikings will host their final dual of the season when UIC visits the Robert F. Busbey Natatorium at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4. Prior to the meet, the seniors will be honored. The meet with the Flames is the final tune-up before the Horizon League Championships are held Feb. 22-25.
