Feb. 4, 2012
Contact: Tim Ertle
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The day started with a beautiful rendition of the national anthem sung by siblings Matt and Alex DiMasso and ended with CSU on top of UIC, 138-105, to cap a perfect season at home for the Vikings men's swimming and diving team. The victory also sent the seniors - competing at home for the final time in their careers - out a winner on Senior Day.
With the win, Cleveland State improves to 11-4 on the year. The Vikings finish a perfect four-for-four against Horizon League opponents. UIC concludes the regular season at 7-3 overall and 3-2 in the league.
Seniors Matt DiMasso, Josh Gonzalez, Colin Hanner, Travis Lombardozzi and Pieter Ritz helped the Vikings finish 8-0 at home. CSU hasn't been defeated at the Robert F. Busbey Natatorium since Jan. 22, 2011 when Oakland was victorious.
Cleveland State won seven of the 13 events on Saturday with two of those relay wins garnering 22 team points for the cause.
Alasdair Shillito, Brian Ferro, Justin Kermack and Alex Lewis won the 400 medley relay in 3:24.60 - a time just 0.29 seconds off the top mark for the team this season. The Vikings closed with a victory in the 400 free relay as Justin Hill, Alex Cohara, Berry Thompson and Alex Lewis covered the distance in 3:04.78 - edging UIC's top team by more than three seconds.
Five other individuals won races for CSU, starting with Nathan Grant's victory in the 200 free (1:42.54). In the very next race, Hill followed with a first place finish in the 50 free (20.62). Thompson won the 100 free in 44.82 with Hill (46.04) behind him and Grant (47.77) taking fourth. Thompson is one of just two swimmers in the league to break the :45 mark with Wright State's Hermanus Botha being the other.
Other victories came courtesy of Justin Kermack in the 200 fly (1:51.29) and Shillito in the 200 back (1:51.26). Shillito's time was his best all season and is the third quickest swim in the Horizon League all season.
The race that received the most applause all afternoon was one that didn't even go the Vikings way.
UIC's Zach Van Swol won the 1,000 free in 9:33.80 but CSU's Ritz was hot in pursuit and touched in 9:34.11. Graham Thoresen was third with a 9:37.91 and Alex Cohara was fourth when he clocked in at 9:41.31.
Much of the applause was for Ritz, a Florida native with family and friends on hand, who swam the best race of his life. The top four times on Saturday were the best 1,000 free times in the Horizon League all season.
Gonzalez and DiMasso, both seniors, were second and third, respectively, in the 3-meter diving event won by UIC's Mike Greco (321.60). Gonzalez was awarded a 319.95 while DiMasso scored a 263.93. Greco also took the 1-meter diving event with a 280.13 and DiMasso (259.88) and Gonzalez (253.50) flipped places behind him.
Hanner and Lombardozzi each picked up fifth place finishes in their home finales. Hanner was fifth in the 200 back (1:58.34) while Lombardozzi swam a 22.48 in the 50 free, just .22 behind his top time all season.
They also teamed with Pedrom Kheirandish and Brad Bielak on the 400 medley relay team that took fourth with a 3:37.10.
The Vikings will now amp up their training for the Horizon League Championships which begin on Feb. 22 in Brown Deer, Wis. Last year, Cleveland State took third place.
