Panthers Eye First Horizon League Championship Since 2001Feb. 23, 2007
CHICAGO, Ill. - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team enjoyed a stellar day at the Horizon League Championships Friday, claiming four league titles overall. Seniors Lindsay Caldwell and Crystal Szymanski, sophomore Molly Finn and freshman Shannon Berndt all earned victories, moving the Panthers into second place. Two-time defending champion UW-Green Bay leads the way with 601 points, followed closely by Milwaukee at 584.5. Wright State will make it a three-team race, sitting in third with 553.5 points. "The kids have been fighting the whole week and now we have just one day left," UWM head coach Dave Griffore said. "They are really stepping it up every night. In a situation like this you want to be in the mix, and we are definitely in the mix." Caldwell won the first 200 freestyle league title of her career and nearly established a new school record as well. Her time of 1:52.34 was just behind the standard (which she also owns) of 1:52.22. Two Panthers swam in the consolation final, with sophomore Kristina Hansen placing 11th in 1:56.82 (after a career-best 1:56.39 in preliminaries) and junior Jess Kelly touching the wall in a season-best 1:57.24 for 13th. In the one-meter diving event, Szymanski won the first league title of her UWM career, adding to the second team honors she recorded on the three-meter Wednesday. She won with an NCAA Zone qualifying score of 273.45 points. The Panthers had three divers in the finals, as senior Emily Duesler was fifth (258.60) and junior Megan McLoone eighth (221.90).
"I couldn't ask for more by having three in the finals," Milwaukee diving coach Todd Hill said. "I am also tremendously happy that Crystal could do this [she missed half of the season with an injury]. It was a gutsy performance and a great way to end a career." Finn defended her league title in the 400 IM, winning in a season-best time of 4:30.14. All three UWM swimmers in the finals posted season-best times, with freshmen Ali Winius taking fifth in 4:39.76 and Bailey Nennig finishing sixth in 4:40.61. Milwaukee pulled off the top two finishers in the 100 breaststroke, with two freshman earning all-league honors. Berndt capped her impressive first season with the title, setting a new Horizon League and school record with a time of 1:03.81. In the process, she also lowered the school freshman mark she broke earlier this season. Teammate Kerry Rossow earned second team honors with a time of 1:04.55. Rossow actually broke Berndt's freshman mark in the race (which was 1:05.74) with a time of 1:04.71 in the morning preliminaries. Freshman Jamilla Edwards was touched-out of a victory in the consolation final, taking 10th in a season-best 1:08.48. "Shannon and Kerry were outrageously fast," Griffore said. "To have them finish one-two as freshmen is outstanding." Senior Heather Sawatzki earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors in the 100 butterfly with a season-best time of 58.65. The award was the first individual one for Sawatzki, who has three relay all-league honors to her credit prior to this year. Junior Briana Fergusson was fifth in 58.93, which was also a season-best time. In the consolation finals, senior Katie Green placed 12th in 1:01.45. The final day of the championships is tomorrow, with preliminaries getting underway at 10:30 a.m. and finals starting at 6 p.m. at the UIC Natatorium. |
