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Nov. 21, 2002

MILWAUKEE - Four student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and continue their swimming and diving careers with the Panthers, head coach Dave Clark announced today. The four, three swimmers and a diver, all from the state of Wisconsin, will begin competition in the fall of 2003. Joining the Panthers next fall will be Susan Harmsen, Emily Duesler, Heather Sawatzki and Kathryn Green.

Harmsen, a middle-distance freestyle swimmer from Berlin, Wis., finished fourth in the 2002 Wisconsin Division 2 state championships in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:58.34. She also was eighth in the 100 freestyle, finishing in 55.41, and was a member of the sixth-place 200 freestyle relay and the seventh-place 400 freestyle relay teams for Berlin/Green Lake.

Prior to her senior season, Harmsen was named honorable mention All-State as a junior, along with being named her high school team's Co-Swimmer of the Year as a sophomore. She qualified for the state meet in all four years of high school, and is a member of the school record-holding 400 freestyle relay team for Berlin/Green Lake. In addition, as a senior, she set the Portage High School pool records in the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke.

"Susan is a talented student-athlete from a great program," UWM head coach Dave Clark said. "She should make an immediate impact on our team. She is that special blend of student, athlete and teammate that fits our program so well.

"She has made steady progress over the past few years and we are looking for that to continue in the future."

Duesler, a diver from Middleton, WIs., finished 16th in the 2002 Division I state championships on 1m, scoring 328.0 points. She is a three-time state finalist on 1m, with her best score of 358.7. She also has experience on 3m through her club team, the Middleton Gators. An excellent all-around athlete, Duesler also was a member of the two-time state runner-up gymnastics team at Middleton, as well as being a sectional champion and finishing 9th at the state championships in the pole vault in 2001.

"Emily has a great background as a diver," Clark said. "Her talent and experience on the 3m board coming into college will be an asset to our program. Emily will help make an already strong diving team even stronger."

Sawatzki, a butterfly and individual medley specialist from Valders, Wis., will help to replace outgoing butterfly specialist Beth Watt next season. Sawatzki is a four-time state qualifier, finishing as high as fourth in the 100 butterfly as a freshman and again as a senior at Kiel High School. Also at the 2002 Division 2 state championships, she finished sixth in the 200 individual medley. Her time in the medley was 2:13.28, while her time in the butterfly was 59.29, both personal bests.

"Heather is an exciting addition to our student-athletes for next season," Clark said. "Her versatility as an athlete means she should have an impact on all our relays for next season, as well as having an impact at our league championships. She's a very goal-oriented, self-motivated athlete, and I look forward to having her as part of our team."

The fourth member of the recruiting class, Kathryn Green, from Eau Claire, Wis., qualified for the state championships six times in individual events in high school, finishing as high individually as ninth in the 100 backstroke as a sophomore. She also qualified as part of a relay five times, finishing as high as third as a member of the 200 medley relay team as a sophomore. During her sophomore season, she qualified for the state meet in four events, including the 500 freestyle and the 100 backstroke. In addition, Green played softball at Eau Claire Memorial, being named academic all-conference as a catcher in 2001.

"Katie is an excellent student-athlete," Clark said. "She has been a state qualifier in the backstroke and the 200 individual medley, so we know she is very talented and versatile. Katie will make an excellent addition to our program."

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming and diving team currently stands at 3-5 on the season with three more dual meets remaining in the spring semester. The Panthers will next compete on Dec. 6-7 at the Wheaton Invitational in Wheaton, Ill., with the divers competing at the Notre Dame Invitational the same weekend in Notre Dame, Ind. 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 27 consecutive semesters by the Collegiate Swim Coaches Association of America.