Swimming Release #1

Oct. 22, 2008

iNDIANAPOLIS -

Complete Release in PDF Format

SWIMMER OF THE WEEK

Carys Behn
Cleveland State
Freshman
Westville, South Africa


Behn won three events and recorded two CSU all-time Top-10 finishes in a dual meet against St. Francis (Pa.). She swam the second-fastest time in school history in the 200-yard freestyle (1:53.48) and the fourth-best time ever in the 100-yard butterfly (58.92). She also won the 500-yard freestyle (5:15.41), after posting the fifth-best time in the event earlier in the year against Notre Dame (5:08.71)

OTHER TOP PERFORMERS

David Sivak
Valparaiso
So., Hobart, Ind.
Against Evansville and Saint Louis, Sivak won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:57.50, and 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:16.91. His breastroke time was the eighth best in school history. He also finished second in the 100-yard freestyle (47.80). Against Xavier, Sivak swam to first-place in the 200-yard breastroke (2:18.13) while finishing second in both the 200-yard freestyle (1:49.76) and the 800-yard freestyle relay.

Kurtis Malone
Valparaiso
So., Pekin, Ill.
Malone finished second on the one-meter board against Saint Louis and Evansville with a score of 221.90. He also finished fourth in the three-meter event (188.70). In the Xavier dual, Malone was victorious on the one-meter board with a score of 236.50.

Sarah Lynne Gates
Butler
Sr., Lexington, Ky.
Gates picked up two victories against IUPUI and Centre on Oct. 17. Gates touched out the runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke by .75 seconds (1:02.77) and won the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:15.40. She also swam the lead-off legs of the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay as both teams placed third. The previous week against Valparaiso, Evansville and Saint Louis, Gates placed fifth in two events- the 1,000-yard freestyle (11:37.44) and 200-yard backstroke (2:16.25).

Amy Andracki
Valparaiso
So., Arlington Heights, Ill.
Andracki earned a victory in the 200-yard breaststroke against Butler, Evansville and Saint Louis by .36 seconds with a time of 2:30.81. She also placed sixth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:21.56) and was a member of the winning 400-yard medley relay team (4:04.30). Against Xavier, Andracki was on the second-place 200-yard medley relay, after posing runner-up finishes in both the 100 (1:09.37) and 200-yard (2:34.41)breaststroke events.

2008 Men's Swimming and Diving Horizon League Championships

The Wright State University men's swimming and diving team nabbed their second-straight title at the 2008 Horizon League Swimming & Diving Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. The Raiders (794) were followed by runner-up Cleveland State University (675), third-place University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (632), the University of Illinois at Chicago (572), University of Wisconsin-Green Bay (545.5) and Valparaiso University (193.5).

Wright State was led by sophomore Nathan Demchuk, whose victories in the 1000-yard freestyle and 400-yard individual medley earned him Co-Swimmer of the Meet and Co-Athlete of the Year honors. Senior Warren Thompson also won two individual events for the Raiders, and head coach Sion Brinn earned Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season.

Cleveland State earned runner-up honors for the second-straight year after winning the championship in 2006. Led by Co-Athlete of the Year Jakub Dobies, who won the 100-yard breastroke and 200-yard individual medley, the Vikings were tough competitiors for Wright State. Diver Dan Baiko swept the springboard events and was named Diver of the Meet, while key performers Stephen Grove (50-yard freestyle), Newcomer of the Year Deni Gasparin (200-yard breastroke), and Todd Winchell (100-yard backstroke) each contributed an individual victory. The Vikings also won both medley relays and the 200-yard freestyle relay.

2008 Women's Swimming and Diving Horizon League Championships

The Phoenix women won their fourth-consecutive Horizon League championship with a score of 832 points, followed by Wright State (771), Milwaukee (732) and UIC (393). Coming in fifth was Youngstown State University (295), followed by Valparaiso (260), Cleveland State (187), and Butler University (143).

Green Bay boasted strong performances all around, as stroke specialists Danielle DeGrand (100-yard backstroke) and Ashley Warzon (100 yard butterfly) each contributed individual victories, while divers Lauren McGraw and Kari Helland combined to sweep the springboard events. McGraw's victory on the one-meter board and second-place finish in the three-meter event earned her Diver of the Meet honors. Head coach Jim Merner earned his fourth-straight Coach of the Year honor, and diving coach Tom Stover won his first Diving Coach of the Year accolade.

Swimmer of the Meet and Athlete of the Year Jessica Weidert led Wright State to its runner-up finish by winning both individual medley events and the 200-yard breastroke, while Newcomer of the Year, Krystyna Wieczerzak won the 200-yard backstroke and the 500-yard freestyle. The Raiders also swept the freestyle relay events, and added another win as Mabel Fernandez took the 200-yard freestyle.