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UWM Women Host Final Home Meet Of Regular Season Saturday

Team has not lost a dual since Oct. 14, going 5-0 since

Jan. 23, 2007

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team remains at home this week, hosting Western Illinois in its final home competition of the regular season. The Panthers will be taking on the Westerwinds in non-conference action Saturday, starting at 2 p.m. at the Klotsche Natatorium.

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SCOUTING THE MEET:
After hosting the four-team Bill Ritter Invitational last weekend, UWM returns to dual meet action against the Westerwinds. The all-time series is a yearly one dating back to the 1992-93 season, with UWM leading by a count of 9-5. Included in that mark is four-consecutive wins by the Panthers, including a 157-84 victory a season ago. The meet will be the final home appearance for seniors Lindsay Caldwell, Emily Duesler, Katie Green, Susan Harmsen, Heather Sawatzki and Crystal Szymanski.

Western Illinois will swim at UW-Green Bay Friday before coming to Milwaukee Saturday. It sports a 4-5 dual record, losing to Iowa, 123-56, in its last outing Jan. 19. The team does have wins over UIC and Valparaiso to its credit.

Sophomore Amanda Smith was named Mid-Continent Athlete of the Week after wins in both the 50 and 100 freestyle against Saint Louis Jan. 13. Other athletes to watch include junior Erin Carl (backstroke), sophomore Steph Roley (diving) and freshman Lauren Trondle (individual medley).

RITTER CHAMPIONSHIP:
Milwaukee continued its run of great success at the Bill Ritter Invitational, winning the championship in the 16th annual event last week. That gives the team back-to-back crowns, four in five years, and titles in 11 of the 16 seasons it has been held. UWM also had a five-year stretch of championships get snapped in 2002.

IN THE POLLS:
UWM keeps rising in the polls, as they have broken into the Top 10 in the most recent NCAA Division I mid-major collegeswimming.com poll. After starting the year at No. 10, the Panthers now sit at No. 8 with 169.18 points. Navy is first with 179.02 points.

LAST YEAR:
Milwaukee won nine of 13 events in defeating Western Illinois University by the final score of 157-84. The win was also the fourth-straight dual meet victory for the Panthers on the season.

Heidi Goetsch and Crystal Szymanski each won two events to pace UWM. Goetsch won the 100 freestyle in a time of 55.39 and the 200 freestyle in a time of 2:00.25. Szymanski won both diving events for UWM, scoring 264.38 points on the three-meter board and 248.10 on the one-meter.

Both relay teams came out victorious for Milwaukee. The 400 medley relay squad of Molly Finn, Katie Green, Julie Olson and Kristin Skiba touched the wall in 4:08.74, just ahead of Western Illinois' time of 4:08.91. In the 400 freestyle relay, Bridget Fargen, Goetsch, Jess Kelly and Heather Sawatzki edged WIU again, recording a time of 3:43.96, just ahead of the second-place time of 3:44.38.

Susan Harmsen won the 1000 freestyle for the Panthers in another close race, finishing 0.30 seconds ahead of WIU's Erin Hall in a time of 11:01.53. Emma McKeith (third) and Michael Hawker (fourth) gave UWM three of the top four finishers. Sawatzki did more than help the 400 free relay team, as she won the 100 butterfly in a time of 1:01.56. The other winner for Milwaukee was Finn, who won the 100 backstroke in a time of 1:01.53 and also placed second in the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:10.44.

LAST TIME IN THE POOL:
Led by three wins from senior Lindsay Caldwell, two from freshman Shannon Berndt and a 1-2-3 finish on both boards, the Panthers won the championship at the Bill Ritter Invitational for the second-straight season and the fourth time in the past five years. The Panthers finished with 1,086 points, beating UW-Green Bay (1,057), Illinois State (818) and UIC (528). Green Bay is the defending league champion and had entered the meet at 9-1 in duals this season.

Caldwell won the 100 and 200 freestyle, topping the field in the 100 in 52.24 and the 200 in 1:54.61. That gave her three wins on the weekend, having claimed the 50 free on Friday. She also played a key role on the Milwaukee relay teams, swimming with the first-place 400 free and 400 medley relays, the second-place 800 free relay and the third-place 200 free relay team.

Berndt started the day helping UWM take second in the 200 medley relay and then won the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.74 and the 200 breaststroke in 2:27.55. Her time in the 100 breast was a pool and UWM freshman record.

Personal highlights included a first-place showing from sophomore Molly Finn in the 200 butterfly, and close second-place finishes from junior Briana Fergusson in the 100 butterfly (first place was a pool-record effort from GB's Ashley Warzon) and sophomore Kristina Hansen, who was touched out in the 100 backstroke (1:01.31 to 1:01.05). Finn also took second in the 400 IM.

The Panthers dominated the diving competition, finishing 1-2-3 on both boards. Senior Emily Duesler won the one-meter board with a score of 246.40, followed by senior Crystal Szymanski in second with 240.35 and freshman Rachel Grimm in third with a season-best 238.00. On the three it was Grimm adding another season-best, winning with 246.50 to top her previous-best of 233.70 set in November. Duesler was in second with 245.45, with Szymanski close behind with 237.60 points.

STREAKING PANTHERS:
After starting the dual season 0-2 with losses to Big Ten foes Iowa and Wisconsin, the Panthers have been on a serious roll. The squad topped Wright State for its first dual win Oct. 20 and have not lost since - defeating Wheaton, Valparaiso, Butler and UIC in that stretch. The last time UWM won five straight was during the 2003-04 season.

FIRST THE VETS:
With well-over half of the season in the books, the team is being led by key returners. Senior Lindsay Caldwell has won 18 times in 24 races this season, and went over a month (Oct. 13 to Nov. 18) without losing a race - a streak of 10-consecutive. Sophomore Molly Finn has also been impressive, winning 13 of 22 races on the season - and also had that same winning streak that Caldwell did (Oct. 13 to Nov. 17). Junior Jess Kelly is not far behind, claiming seven top-three finishes - including four wins - on the year. It's not just the swimmers, as senior Emily Duesler has recorded eight victories (and five seconds) in 17 attempts on the season.

Caldwell holds Horizon League top times in the 50 free, 100 free and 200 free, while Finn is tops in the 200 IM and 200 fly. Duesler has the highest total on the three-meter board. Additionally, four of the five UWM relay teams have the fastest times this year.

AND THEN THE ROOKIES:
The newcomers have also arrived for UWM, with freshmen Shannon Berndt (10 individual victories and the school freshman record in the 100 and 200 breaststroke), Alex Nelson (3), Megan Skiba (3), Rachel Grimm (1) and Jenny Westfall (1) all recording wins already this season. Berndt has excelled in the breaststroke events, Nelson in distance, Skiba in the backstroke, Grimm on the diving board and Westfall in distance events.

Berndt has not only led Milwaukee, but has the best times in the league in both the 100 and 200 breast as well.

ON TAP:
The women will be travel north to compete in their final dual of the regular season, taking on Horizon League champion UW-Green Bay at 1 p.m. Feb. 3.