Feb. 16, 2008

Final Stats

CARBONDALE, Ill. - With a second-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke and another broken school-record time of 2 minutes, 21.70 seconds from senior captain Tracy Deyell, the Illinois State women's swimming and diving team held onto its third-place spot at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships, after the third and final day of competition. With 715.5 points, the Redbirds finished behind Missouri State (942) and Southern Illinois (774.5). Trailing the Redbirds were Northern Iowa (346) and Evansville (335). Deyell's time broke the previous school record of 2:23.04, that was set by Angie Rawlins in 2002.

Deyell, senior Katie Janonis, sophomore Liza Perrino and freshman Amy Schaefer were each named to the All-Conference team. Additionally, sophomore Annette Danilowski, Deyell, junior Allison Fishbein, Janonis, sophomore Amy Werkema and senior captain Valerie Zaleski were all named to the scholar-athlete squad for their academic and athletic achievements.

Illinois State head swimming and diving coach Steve Paska was pleased with the outcome of the championship.

"I was very impressed with what we did and we have a lot to be proud of," said Paska. "The team dealt with a lot of illnesses and injuries and I am pleased with how they handled themselves. Emily (Richardson) had a great meet and I am proud of her for swimming and overcoming her injury.

"Missouri State swam and dove fantastically. They were extremely fast and it was well deserved that they won the title. I have to hand it to their head coach, Jack Steck, for how the Bears performed."

After placing first and sixth in the preliminary rounds, Deyell and sophomore Lindsay Dinkelman each had another outstanding night as they placed second (2:21.70) and fifth (2:26.36), respectively, in the 200-yard breaststroke finals. Also participating in the 200-yard breaststroke final heat were sophomores Caitlin Falconer and Catharine Danenhower, who placed eighth (2:31.30) and 10th (2:32.63), respectively.

Werkema started the final round of the weekend off by placing seventh in the1650-yard freestyle event, touching the wall in 18:03.01. Not far behind was senior captain Christine Steinbach, who placed eighth, with a time of 18:03.53 and freshman Ashley Bachler, who placed ninth (18:06.38. Senior Emily Richardson placed 13th with a time of 18:22.03.

Richardson went on to lead the Redbirds in the 200-yard backstroke with an eighth-place finish, recording a time of 2:09.01. Not far behind were freshmen Molly Gomberg and Christine Byron, who placed ninth (2:08.79) and 11th (2:11.23), respectively.

Senior captains Zaleski and Kathleen Borkovec swam in the final round of the 100-yard freestyle event, setting season-best times of 53.29 (fifth) and 53.49 (seventh). Junior Jessica Santi and senior Jena Allie also participated in the event, placing 14th (55.40), and 15th (55.47).

After finishing third in the preliminary rounds (2:07.22), Schaefer finished fourth in the final round of the 200-yard butterfly with a personal-best time of 2:07.14. Junior Allison Fishbein placed 10th (2:14.09), Tiffany Rentner finished 12h (2:15.07) and Alison Wippermann recorded a 12th place tally (2:17.50).

Perrino led the Redbirds on the 3-meter board, as she placed fifth overall in the final round of diving with a score of 224.95. Freshman Corrie Heine and Janonis also competed in the finals, placing seventh (216.35) and eighth (212.10), respectively.

"I am proud of this way the divers competed this weekend," said ISU head diving coach Phil Hoffmann. "I am very happy with what Katie, Liza and Corrie did. They each had great accomplishments. I am looking forward to see how the underclassmen carry the torch that Katie has been holding for the past two years. She has been a great member of the team and is the epitome of a great student-athlete."

The last race of the night was the 400-yard freestyle relay, which consisted of Borkovec, Zaleski, Deyell, and Schaefer. The foursome finished with a season-best time of 3:32.22, placing third overall in the event.

"It was another fantastic day for us and was a great way to finish the season," said Paska. "The senior class has been a joy to coach for the last four years and they are such a special group. I am very proud that they will all be graduating soon and they truly exemplify what it means to be a Redbird swimmer and diver."