May 6, 2003

MILWAUKEE - Junior Sarah Walby was named the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming and diving team most valuable performer at the team's annual end-of-season awards banquet, held Sunday at Western Lakes Golf Club in Pewaukee.

Walby finished sixth in the women's mile at the league championships, and set a record in the 1000 freestyle in the process. Walby also finished seventh in the 200 freestyle and in the 500 freestyle at the league meet. Her record in the 1000 freestyle was later broken at the championship meet by fellow junior Jen Kedinger.

Nicole Rosinski and Patricia Frank were both named Rookies of the Year. Rosinski was sixth in the 100 freestyle and eighth in the 50 freestyle at the league meet. Frank set the only women's freshman record during the season at the Horizon League Championships in the 200 individual medley, finishing in 2:11.74. She also finished sixth in the 100 backstroke and fifth in the 200 backstroke at the league meet.

Hannah Burgard was named Diver of the Year after picking up a pair of top-three finishes at the league championships. Burgard was third on 1m and second on 3m, the highest finishes by a Panther diver at the meet.

Kedinger and Kristin Lewis both received the Coaches' Award at the banquet. Other honorees included Kari Kinney winning Most Improved and Cathy Honeyager receiving the Captains' Award. Kim Bach won the Strength and Conditioning Award and Sarah Caldwell was named Scholar-Athlete, both winning the respecive award for the second year in a row.

The captains for the 2003-04 season were also named Sunday. Walby will again be a captain, after serving as one this year. She will be joined by Kedinger, Bach and diver Becky Rubel.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming and diving team finished third at the Horizon League Championships, held on Feb. 26-Mar. 1 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Panthers, winners of the 2001 Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now Horizon League) title, also excel in the classroom, having been named Academic All-America as a team for 28 consecutive semesters by the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America.