Feb. 3, 2012
Contact: Tim Ertle
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THE MATCHUP: The Vikings (women: 11-4, men: 10-4) will close out the regular season with league foe UIC at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at the Robert F. Busbey Natatorium. Cleveland State has been unblemished against members of the Horizon League as the women are 4-0 and the men are a perfect three-for-three. UIC's men's team is 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the Horizon League. The women are 7-4-1 and 3-1-1 in league competition (with the tie coming against Green Bay on Jan. 14) entering Friday night's meet at Youngstown State.
SATURDAY'S SCHEDULE:
Senior Celebration at Noon ... 1. 3-meter diving ... 2. 400 medley relay ... 3. 1,000 Freestyle ... 4. 200 Freestyle ... 5. 50 Freestyle ... 6. 200 IM ... 7. 1-meter diving ... 8. 200 Butterfly ... 9. 100 Freestyle ... 10. 200 Backstroke ... 11. 500 Freestyle ... 12. 200 Breaststroke ... 13. 400 Free Relay
SENIOR DAY: Prior to the start of Saturday's meet, CSU will bid farewell to a group of 11 seniors who have proudly worn the green and white. Six women - Rachel Arzadon, Carys Behn, Kacey Cummings, Whitney Hickey, Emily Splain and Liz Victor - and five men - Matt DiMasso, Josh Gonzalez, Colin Hanner, Travis Lombardozzi and Pieter Ritz will be recognized.
THEY ACCOMPLISHED A LOT: When that group of women stepped on campus, there had only been one 10-win season in the history of the program. This season marks the third consecutive season with double-digit wins, and these women were a part of 48 wins. They were here last season when the women's team went 15-4, earning the most wins in program history.
Since the start of the 2008-09 season, the men's team has put together a very impressive 46-15 record for a .754 winning percentage.
WINNING SEASONS: With the women racking up 11 wins and the men already recording 10 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 THE LAST TIME OUT: The Vikings haven't competed since the weekend of Jan. 20-21 when the men went 2-0 and the women won their lone contest. CSU defeated Miami (OH) 179-120 at home on Jan. 20. The following day, the men beat Wright State 171-123 and the women bested the Raiders 166-134 in Fairborn, Ohio.
MEN -
Cleveland State took 13 of 16 events - including 13 of 14 races - to defeat Miami (OH). CSU took both relays while five swimmers - Brian Ferro, Nathan Grant, Justin Kermack, Al Shillito and Berry Thompson - each won two races. Graham Thoresen picked up the other win when he won the 500 free in 4:41.54.
Against Wright State, it was the Vikings depth that propelled them to victory against the Raiders, evidenced by two relay wins, a pair of victories from Kermack and a sweep of the diving events by Josh Gonzalez.
WOMEN -
The Cleveland State women's swimming and diving team won nine of 16 events against Wright State to defeat the host Raiders 166-134. Alice Sommerville won three individual events and Joanna Olsson chipped in two victories to help CSU improve to 11-4 on the year and 4-0 in the Horizon League.
TOP OF THE CLASS: According to the statistics released by CollegeSwimming.com, Cleveland State has the top men's score/time in the Horizon League in eight of the 21 events and trails only Milwaukee (10) in terms of overall leaders. Berry Thompson has swam the top 50 (20.42) and 100 (44.26) free times in the league while Nathan Grant has the top times in the 100 (56.80) and 200 (2:03.12) breast. Justin Kermack is the leader in the 200 fly (1:48.26) and 400 IM (4:00.15). Graham Thoresen has the quickest 1,000 free time in the league (9:42.35) and the CSU quartet of Grant, Thompson, Jon Querciagrossa and Thoresen has the best 800 free relay time of 6:52.43. On the women's side, Milwaukee leads the way with a share of the top result in 10 events, but CSU is next with six. Alice Sommerville has the top time in the 50 free (23.33) and 100 fly (55.17) while Joanna Olsson is the league leader in the 200 fly (2:02.42) and 400 IM (4:19.57), a time that shattered the previous league record. CSU has the top times in the 200 free relay (1:33.77) - a time equaled by Milwaukee - and 200 medley relay (1:42.82). Green Bay has the league lead in three events while UIC, Wright State and Youngstown State all have one.
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 every school except Valparaiso have won the Men's 'Swimmer of the Week' award, while the Vikings and Milwaukee lead the way with three different winners and CSU's Berry Thompson is one of just two repeat winners, joined by Wright State's Hermanus Botha. With a total of 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, Green Bay's Daniel Pogue and Milwaukee's K.J. Heger 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. UIC is the only school to have two different divers win the Women's 'Diver of the Week' award as Whitney Johnson and Kristi Carling have won it the last two weeks.
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 (Jan. 14), her first meet swimming yards. Last time out against Wright State (Jan. 21), she picked up the first win of her collegiate career in the 200 back (2:07.52). Smith also took second in the 400 IM with a time of 4:47.92. She has swam the second best 100 (1:00.04) and 200 back (2:07.52) times on the team in addition to the third fastest 50 back (28.71) and fifth quickest time in the 400 IM (4:47.92).
HOME SWEET HOME: The Robert F. Busbey Natatorium has been good to CSU this season as both teams are undefeated at home. With the win over Miami on Jan. 20, the men are 7-0 at home while the women are 6-0. The men lost to Oakland on Jan. 15, 2011 but have been a perfect nine-for-nine since then. The women last lost at home on Jan. 22, 2011 against Wright State in their final home meet of the 2010-11 season.
NEXT UP: After Saturday's meet, the Vikings will compete next at the Horizon League Championships which begin on Feb. 22 and continue through Feb. 25. This year, the meet is being held at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, Wis. - about 10 miles north of Milwaukee. Last year, both the men and the women took third at the league meet.
