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Dec. 3, 2002

MILWAUKEE - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's and women's swimming and diving teams return to action this weekend after a lengthy layoff, with the swimmers competing at the Wheaton Invitational and the divers heading to Notre Dame, Ind., for the Notre Dame Invitational. Both invitational meets are all-day events.

Looking Back
The women's team last competed at Illinois State on Nov. 16, falling to the Redbirds by a 184-112 margin. The Panthers were far from full strength, with only 15 swimmers to fill 14 events, but still managed to keep the meet close until the final few events. The men, meanwhile, haven't competed since falling to Western Kentucky, 140-88, on Nov. 10 at the Klotsche Center.

Wheaton Revisited
The Panthers have competed at the Wheaton Invitational for the past eight seasons, with the men collecting four titles in that span. The women have finished first once, in 1996, and taken second five times.

Last Year At Wheaton
The women's team took second at Wheaton last season, while the men finished third. The women finished just 24 points behind the host Thunder, with the men finishing behind Wheaton and Hope College. Josh Baseheart collected two individual wins in the 50 and 100 freestyle, while David Faust won the men's 1650 freestyle. On the women's side, Kristin Cefalu collected the only win for UWM, winning the 200 breaststroke.

Panther's Revenge
UWM got a little payback when it hosted Wheaton in a dual meet earlier this season at the Klotsche Center. The men won by a 127-91 margin, while the women won 127-108. The wins served as a little measure of revenge after losing to the Thunder both at the invitiatonal last year and at the dual meet earlier in the 2001-02 season.

Perfection!
Josh Baseheart won all seven events he entered during the weekend of Nov. 9-10 against UIC, Evansville and Western Kentucky. On Nov. 9 in Chicago, he won the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles, along with anchoring the winning 200 freestyle relay team. He followed that up on the next day with a pair of individual wins in the 50 and 100 freestyle and the anchor leg of the winning 400 freestyle relay team. Baseheart has only lost one individual race on the season, to Northwestern's All-American Tony Swanson in the 100 freestyle on Oct. 25 in Evanston, Ill.

Athlete of the Week
The Panthers had a pair of athletes honored by the league for their performances on the weekend of Nov. 9-10. Josh Baseheart and Krystina Herzog were named league Athlete of the Week after several strong performances in Milwaukee and Chicago. Baseheart won all seven events he entered on the weekend, while Herzog captured first place on both boards on Nov. 9 against UIC, Evansville and Northern Iowa. She also added a second-place finish on 3m Nov. 10 against Western Kentucky.

From The M.A.S.H. Unit
Coach Dave Clark is almost halfway to filling out a championship roster from the list of women's team members who have missed a meet already this season due to various injuries and illnesses. Kim Bach, Danielle Bradley, Kristin Cefalu, Amanda Chan, Emily Holcomb, Megan Linville and Nicole Rosinski have all missed at least one meet so far this season. Combined, the seven have missed the equivalent of 24 meets, with Bradley and Holcomb missing six meets apiece. Things are starting to look up for the Panthers, however, as Bach, Bradley, Chan, Linville and Rosinski are all expected to compete this weekend, while Holcomb should return in time for the start of the second semester.

Another One Bites The Dust
As if it wasn't enough that junior Josh Baseheart already held the Horizon League, UWM and freshman records in the 100 freestyle, he has penciled his name in yet another spot in the Panther record book. On Nov. 3 against Wheaton, Baseheart claimed the Klotsche Center Pool record in the 100 freestyle, setting the new mark at 46.23. Baseheart set the UWM and league marks last season at the league championships, becoming the first Panther in UWM's Division I history to claim a provisional time for the NCAA Championships.

Miss Consistency
Senior Jenny Behr has been nothing if not consistent during the first part of the 2002-03 season. In the 50 freestyle, Behr has finsihed the event on eight occasions, with all eight of her times coming within .25 seconds of each other. Behr's best time in the event is 26.75, coming as the leadoff leg of the 200 free relayNov. 9 at UIC, while her slowest time in the event is 26.97, which she swam on the same day in the 50 freestyle.

A Pair of Streakers
An impressive streak of victories came to an end Oct. 25 at Northwestern. Entering the dual meet, Milwaukee had claimed victory in the 200 breaststroke at 15 consecutive meets, including the Horizon League Championships in 2001 and 2002. Amanda Chan was the top UWM finisher in the event at Northwestern, placing fourth in 2:26.94. Chan had taken the first four victories in the streak, while Kristin Cefalu grabbed 10-straight last season. The other victory in the event was taken by former Panther Erin Pollyea against Butler last January. Cefalu picked up her first win of the season in the event Friday against Wheaton, winning in 2:28.15.

Sharing the Records
Amanda Chan and Kristin Cefalu have had a stranglehold on the school's record book when it comes to the 200 breaststroke. Chan holds the school and league marks in the event, setting both at the 2001 league championships, while Cefalu holds the UWM Freshman and Klotsche Center Pool marks in the event.

It's a Family Affair
This year's edition of the UWM men's and women's swimming and diving teams have a distinct family flavor to them. Two sets of siblings grace the current roster, as senior Beth Watt is joined by her freshman brother, Tim, and junior David Faust welcomes his sister, Erin, a freshman, to the squad. Siblings on the Panther roster haven't been rare, as Claire and Leslie Brock and Andrew and Daniel Babcock were the last siblings to swim together, in 1999-2000. But, having a brother-sister pairing has been a far less common occurrence. The last set of brother-sister teammates was Mike and Tammie Burmeister in the 1992-93 season. The 1988-89 season saw three sibling teammates, with sisters Karen and Lisa Ragland teaming with their brother John.

Home Is Where The School Is
This year's team also features a pair of student-athletes who were primarily home-schooled throughout high school. Johannan Raatz and Patricia Frank, who could both make their debuts this weekend at Notre Dame, are both home-school students. Though home-schooled, Frank did compete for Milwaukee Washington last year, and, despite competing on the boy's team, was named City Conference Most Valuable Swimmer last year, winning two events.

A Distinct Local Flavor
Of the 23 swimmers on the men's roster, 17 make their home in the state of Wisconsin, while 23 of the 29 swimmers on the roster are from within Wisconsin's borders. Of the 11 student-athletes from outside the state, seven are from Minnesota, and two are from Illinois. Danielle Bradley is from Fishers, Ind., while Jason Procto has the longest trip to the UWM campus from Cambridge, England.

Excelling In The Classroom
The UWM swimming and diving teams also excel in the classroom in addition to the pool. The women's team was named Academic All-American by the collegiate Swim Coaches of America after the spring semester, making Spring 2002 the 27th- consecutive semester the team has been named to the list. The men's team, meanwhile, was named to the list in the spring of 2002 for their second-straight semester.

More Academic Honors
Sarah Caldwell was the recipient of the Athletic Director's Award at last spring's Scholar-Athlete Awards reception. The Athletic Director's Award is given to the student-athlete with the highest grade point average among all athletic teams. In addition, Josh Baseheart earned Academic All-America honors by having attained the minimum grade point average and reaching a NCAA provisional qualifying mark. Baseheart is the first swimmer in UWM history to earn Academic All-America honors. Also, nine swimmers were named to the Academic All-League team after last season. The nine were departed Panthers Leslie Brock, Kelly Goetsch, Adam Hanson and Erin McCauley, seniors Peter Clark, Rachel Smith and Beth Watt, and juniors Josh Basheart and Sarah Caldwell.

Up Next
The Panthers will head to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., for their annual training trip. UWM will compete on Dec. 31 at the Ed Kennedy Relays, and again on Jan. 4 at the Time Trial 100s. UWM will resume collegiate competition on Jan. 24 with the Bill Ritter Invitational.