Dec. 30, 2003
MILWAUKEE -
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Bring On The Sun
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men and women's swimming and diving program are trading in their winter jackets for some shorts and t-shirts for the next couple of weeks as they head off for a warm-weather training session in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. During the two week session, the Panthers will be a part of two meets, the Ed Kennedy Relays and the Time Trial 100's.
Up first on the schedule is the Ed Kennedy Relay Meet. The Panthers coaching staff recognizes that this trip and a relay meet can really create some positive team chemistry for the second half of the season.
"This trip will allow us to train better because the athletes are getting a break away from the pressures of school and their outside jobs," Panther head coach Dave Clark said. "The meets that we'll compete in give us a chance to train consistently and as a team. Being together away from home with just your teammates really creates some great team spirit and we're going to need that if we want to be a championship team."
The Panthers will compete on Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 9:00 a.m. and will return to action again on January 5, 2004 when they will swim in the Time Trial 100's.
Always Time To Make UWM History
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Swimming teams drove home a point, at the Wheaton Invitational, that they will settle for nothing less than success. The women sustained a strong first day by finishing the competition off on Saturday, while the men's team rebounded from a second-place standing Friday night to storm back and capture the title on Saturday. The victories marked the first time in school history that the Panthers have won the Wheaton Invitational for men and women. Both teams also tallied eight top-3 finishes during the finals.
The men found themselves in second after the first day of competition due to inconsistent performances and a few disqualifications. The second day would be a complete turn-around for the men. Right out of the gates, the men came out with intensity and a renewed sense of vigor. Opening with the 200 medley relay, the combination of Matt Howard, Kyle Fyock, Rob Vergeer and Josh Baseheart set the tone for the Panthers. Needing a good opening performance would be key and the relay team answered by finishing second with a time of 1:33.99. From there, the men's team seemed to have new life breathed into them and completed the comeback by winning the meet.
The women defined dominance during the Wheaton Invitational. By breaking several school and freshman records on the first day of competition, the women returned on day two to win the meet title for the first time since the 1996-97 season. Pacing the way for the UWM women were Lindsay Caldwell, Sarah Caldwell, Bridget Fargen, Jen Kedinger, Kari Kinney, Julie Olson and Heather Sawatzki.
Julie Olson and Lindsay Caldwell both achieved school records on day one and added more on the day two. Olson entered Saturday's competition with the 200 backstroke record in her back pocket and was looking to best her record time in the 100 backstroke (58.29) that she set in 2002. Olson did exactly that by swimming a school, pool and meet record time in the 100 backstroke of 57.83. Olson added another school record with her time of 58.49 in the 100 butterfly, breaking the old time of 58.5 set in 1985 by Connie Wright. Caldwell set three records on Friday and returned to be a part of three more records on Saturday. Caldwell swam to a first-place finish in the 50 freestyle with a UWM freshman and school record time of 24.12. Her time was also good for a pool and meet record at Wheaton College. Caldwell also teamed up with Olson, Bridget Fargen and Jen Kedinger to break the school record in the 400 freestyle relay. The relay team swam a school-record best time of 3:33.83, breaking the old time of 3:35.18.
The Wheaton Invitational wasn't the only place the Panthers made an impact. The divers competed in the Notre Dame Diving Invitational that same weekend and came away with some strong performances. Joel Mauer and Jeff Jasinowski scored top 10 finishes in the men's 1-meter competition and Jasinowski and Corey Kupfer placed in the top 10 on the 3-meter board. For the women, the trio of Becky Rubel, Hannah Burgard and Erin Blemberg scored top 10 finishes on both the 1 and 3-meter boards. Rubel finished the highest of the panthers on the 1-meter board by placing fourth. Burgard finished the highest on the 3-meter board by placing fourth.
Records Were Meant To Be Broken
"Records were meant to be broken," is a statement coaches whisper to teams that have record-breaking potential. Dave Clark must've been whispering in the ears of his women's team throughout the Wheaton Invitational because the women were breaking records like windows trying to stop falling rocks. The team set new records for the UWM program, the meet and Wheaton College pool. When all the results were in and every sheet had been checked, the Panther women had broken an astounding seven school records, set three new freshman records and attained two Wheaton Invitational meet records and pool records.
League Honors
After nearly a three week layoff and then returning to take meet victories for men and women for the first time in school history at the Wheaton Invitational, one would think that there were many solid performances throughout the day. One would be right. Senior captain Josh Baseheart helped lead the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee men's swim team to a come-from-behind victory and Julie Olson swam to five school records (three individual and two relay) to lead the Panther women to their first Wheaton Invitational victory since the 1996-97 season. With performances like that, league recognition is sure to follow. It has followed as Josh Baseheart has been named co-Performer of the Week with Warren Vickers of Cleveland State. Julie Olson has garnered the award for the women for the week of December 8, 2003.
Diving In
Jeff Jasinowski won the Diver of the Year award after finishing seventh on both 1m and 3m at the league championships, despite missing a good portion of the season due to injury. He is back to lead a strong group of divers in 2003-04. Hannah Burgard was named Diver of the Year for the women 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.
Last Year At The Championships
The UWM men finished fourth at last year's Horizon League Championships in Cleveland, while the UWM women claimed a 3rd-place finish. At the championships, five school records, two freshman records and one Horizon League record were set by the Panthers. The Panthers lose just seven seniors from the two squads that competed at the championships a year ago.
Smart Kids
Three Panthers were named Academic All-District last season by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Peter Clark, who completed his eligibility last season, was joined by senior Josh Baseheart and Sarah Caldwell on the team. The only other Panther recognized with this distinction is now-assistant coach Heather Czappa, who was academic all-district in 1999.
Academics Are A Team Effort
The UWM men's and women's swimming and diving teams were named Academic All-American by the College Swim Coaches Association of America this past spring. This marks the 29th-consecutive semester the women's team has made the list, while the men's team made the list for the fourth-straight semester. The women's team finished the spring semester with a cumulative grade point average of 3.021, placing them 60th in Division I. UIC and Wright State also made the list out of the Horizon League. The men's team tied with Alabama for 15th among all Division I schools, posting a grade point average of 3.083.
Up Next
The Panthers will compete in the Time Trial 100's on January 5, 2004 to finish off their training session in Florida. After that, the team will get set for a two-week practice period to prepare for the Bill Ritter Memorial Invitational. The two-day event will begin on Friday, January 23.
