Dec. 4, 2004

Results

WHEATON, Ill. - After setting three school records on day one, sophomore Lindsay Caldwell won the 200 breaststroke to lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming team to a second-place finish at the Wheaton Invitational. The Panthers finished with 600 points, as host Wheaton took top honors with 801.50.

"We finished at the meet very strongly," head coach Dave Clark said. "People learned to do some really good racing. That was what this weekend was about, not the personal records and school record at this time of the year. But, they came."

Caldwell posted a time of 2:22.39 in winning the event while also competing with the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays. In the 200 medley relay, she was joined by junior Emily Holcomb and freshmen Briana Fergusson and Kristin Skiba in taking fourth with a time of 1:50.45. Caldwell and Skiba teamed with sophomore Heather Sawatzki and freshman Jessica Kelly in the 400 free relay, taking third in 3:36.10.

In the 1650 free, Milwaukee placed three swimmers in the championship heat. Freshman Emma McKeith led the way with a second-place finish and time of 17:51.95. Sophomore Susan Harmsen took fourth in 18:09.42, while Holcomb was fifth in 18:20.62.

"Our distance is a strength for us, the distances are where we shine" Clark said.

The Panthers posted multiple championship finalists in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. In the 100 back, Holcomb finished fourth with a time of 1:01.25 and sophomore Katie Green took sixth in 1:02.14. Sawatzki led in the 100 fly with a sixth-place finish (59.98) and sophomore Breanna Ballweg took eighth (1:00.62).

Milwaukee and Wheaton were followed by Washington University in third with 591 points, while UW-Stevens Point with 587, Grand Valley State with 491.5 and Hope College with 352 points took fourth through sixth-place. Albion College (45 points), North Central College (43) and Benedictine College (42) rounded out the field.

A trio of freshmen put together solid performances in Michel Hawker, Kelly and Skiba. Hawker was third in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:49.32, while Kelly took sixth in the 200 free (1:59.48) and Skiba took seventh in the 50 free (25.28).

"Our freshman had some pretty solid performances," Clark said. "Stepping up and doing things they might not have expected, there were some PR's and overall some very nice racing."

UWM is idle until its annual Florida trip over Winter break. The Panthers will compete at the Ed Kennedy Relays on Dec. 31.