Nov. 16, 2002

NORMAL, Ill. - Beth Watt and Amanda Chan each collected a victory, though the out-numbered Panthers fell to the host Redbirds of Illinois State Saturday afternoon in Normal, Ill., by a 184-112 count. Chan won the 200 breaststroke, while Watt won the 200 butterfly for the second meet in a row, after also finishing first in the event last Sunday against Western Kentucky at the Klotsche Center.

The Panthers were only competing with 20 athletes, short of the 30 women on the roster, due mainly to injuries. Of the 20 that made the trip to Illinois, five were divers, leaving the Panthers just 15 swimmers to fill 14 events.

Chan, the school-record holder in the event, finished the 200 breaststroke in 2:26.82. She also finished second in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.40, and added another second-place mark in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 2:19.43.

Watt, meanwhile, collected her victory in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:11.71, bettering her season-best mark of 2:12.02. She also added a pair of second-place finishes, taking runner-up honors in the 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. Her time in the fly was 1:00.78, while she finished the 100 free in 55.41.

Jen Kedinger and Cathy Honeyager finished second and third in the 1000 freestyle, with Kedinger finishing in 10:48.66 and Honeyager finishing in 11:10.82. Kedinger would later add a seond-place finish in the 500 freestyle in 5:21.81. Sarah Walby added a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle in 2:00.72, while Patricia Frank, the lone Panther swimmer in each of the backstroke events, managed third in the 100 back in 1:02.83 and second in the 200 back in 2:16.57. She would also finish third in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:19.56. Kristin Cefalu also chipped in with a second-place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:30.83.

Nicole Rosinski also added a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle, just being edged out of second place by her sister, Dana, from Illinois State. Nicole's time was 26.00, with her sister finishing just .03 seconds ahead.

Becky Rubel finished second on 1m with a score of 225.53, while Erin Blemberg finished third on the same board with 220.85 points. Rubel also took third on 3m with 227.10 points.

The Panthers are off until the early part of December, when the swimmers will compete at the Wheaton Invitational on Dec. 6-7, with the divers competing at the Notre Dame Invitational on Dec. 5-7.