Oct. 7, 2002
CLEVELAND - Cleveland State's Robert F. Busbey Natatorium was recognized in the October 7 issue of Sports Illustrated as the sixth-fastest pool in the nation. The national publication included the ranking in an article entitled "America's Best Sports Colleges." IUPUI's pool took top honors, followed by Texas, Auburn, Texas A & M, Stanford and CSU.
"It's a great honor to be listed among the top pools in the country," noted Wally Morton, who has headed up the men's team at Cleveland State for the past 22 years. "I've always thought that at 25 yards we still might be the fastest based on the amount of U.S. Open and American records set at that distance."
The Busbey Natatorium was built in 1973 and is 50 meters long and 25 yards wide and includes a diving platform and one- and three-meter diving boards. The facility hosted the NCAA Division I Championships in 1975, '77, '79 & '84. The 1977 meet saw 16 NCAA records broken, prompting the NCAA to proclaim that year's finals as "the greatest swimmers in the fastest pool at the greatest meet in history."
Cleveland State opens the 2002-03 season on Oct. 26 at UW-Green Bay. The Vikings' first home meet is slated for Nov. 9 against St. Bonaventure.