The Observer, February 2, 2007
Volume XXXIX, Issue 15
Spartan swimmers fall to Wittenburg but look ahead to UAA's
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The women's and men's swim teams fought hard against Wittenburg last Saturday, but both came up short in the dual meet. The women lost by a score of 132-81, while the men lost by a closer margin, 135-102.
Despite not earning a victory, head coach Chris Conlon was positive about the results of the meet.
"This meet was a great dry run for the conference meet for us," he said. "We were able to put the swimmers in events that were going to help them get ready to be really fast at the UAA championships."
Conlon was particularly pleased with the performances from some of his younger swimmers.
"I was really happy to have some of our freshman stepping up and having great races," he said. "Chrissy Petzold had a super 500 free, and Drew Swartz won the 200 IM and 100 back, which gave the team a real boost."
Junior Lauren Preyss won the 200-yard Freestyle (1:53.96, NCAA "B" cut) and the 100-yard Butterfly (1:00.69), while sophomore Janine Machala won the 100-yard breaststroke (1:11.79). Machala was not the only Spartan woman who finished well in this event, as she was followed closely by second-place finisher Carrie Stoila and third-place finisher Camilla Cullis.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Preyss, sophomore Lisa McHale, junior Becca Winarski, and freshman Petzold won with a time of 1:42.27, putting nine more points on the women's side.
For the men, Pat Rodjom won the 100-yard butterfly (54.64) and the 100-yard breaststroke (58.51, NCAA "B" cut), while freshman Jerry Lin came in second in the breast as well as second-place finish in the 100 free. Freshman Drew Swartz won the 200-yard IM (2:03.80) and the 100-yard backstroke (56.38). The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Swartz, freshman Dan Wolak, sophomore John Somerville and sophomore Brian Grady also won with a time of 1:32.48.
Conlon and his teams are anxiously awaiting the UAA championships, which they host at Veale next weekend.
"Having the meet at home this year will be a special part of our championship experience," he said. "Having so many friends and family to cheer us on will be fantastic. Our goal is to be as fast as we can be as a team on this one weekend. I am looking forward to a great team effort."
The action begins Thursday, Feb. 8 with the men's diving preliminaries. The championships conclude on Saturday, Feb. 10. A complete schedule can be found at http://www.case.edu/athletics/varsity/uaaswim.htm.
