Swimming and Diving Take On Michigan, Michigan State – Ohio State Buckeyes
1/17/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
Jan. 17, 2002
COLUMBUS, Ohio–The Ohio State men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams retrurn to Big Ten action this weekend when they take on Michigan and Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The women will face both the Spartans and Wolverines, while the men only square off against Michigan State.
Knowling Named Big Ten Diver of the Week
The Big Ten announced Heath Knowling (Jr., Alexandria, Ind./Anderson Highland) as its diver of the week (Jan. 14). Knowling’s honor is the first of his career as well as the first for an OSU swimmer or diver this year.
“It feels good to receive recognition for what I have done,” Knowling said. “I should have been diving this well since the start of the year but I am glad it is all starting to come together now. How I am performing now is giving me some confidence going into the big meets because I have been able to win against some good competition. Now I have to go out there and try to beat the good divers again.”
OSU diving coach Vince Panzano says that this is only the beginning of better things to come for Knowling.
“He won four events this weekend over some great divers,” Vince Panzano, OSU diving coach, said. “He has gradually improved this year and hopefully that will continue throughout the year in teams of ability and consistency. If he can do that, he has a great chance to win both boards at the Big Ten Championships.”
Men’s Indiana Recap
The OSU men defeated Indiana,133-110, in Bloomington, Ind. Saturday in the Big Ten opener for OSU. Heath Knowling (Jr. Anderson, Ind.) and Travis Carver (Sr., Overland Park, Kan.) led the Buckeyes to victory by winning two events each. The Buckeyes won seven of the 13 events. Knowling finished first in both diving events with the highest scores for a Buckeye this year. He won the 1-meter dive with 356.25 points and outdistanced teammates Chris Monson (Jr., Edmonton, Canada), second with 307.58, and Mitchell Richeson (Fr., Indianapolis, Ind.), third with 306.68. Knowling’s 361.50 captured the 3-meter event by nearly 20 points. Carver joined in the winning with first-place finishes in the 200 individual medley (1:50.53) and the 100 freestyle (45.14). Both times are tops this year for OSU swimmers. Ivan Petrovic (Sr., Zagreb, Croatia) also added his name to the fast list with a 1:49.13 while winning the 200 backstroke. He surpassed the 1:53.79 he recorded Oct. 26 at Ohio.
Petrovic, Carlos Oliva (Sr., Valencia, Spain), Nick Rees (Jr., Nassau, Bahamas) and Nick Cheney (Sr., Lima, Ohio) combined to open the meet by winning the 400 medley in 3:20.33. David Paul (Sr., Holden, Mass.) also secured a first-place finish with a time of 1:40.25 in the 200 freestyle.
Women’s Indiana Recap
The 400 freestyle relay team of Kylie Lancken (Fr., Sydney, Australia), Lindsay Goodson (So., Sam Ramon, Calif.), Katie Kolles (Fr., Edina, Minn.) and Kristin Sander (Sr., Cincinnati, Ohio) were the lone victors for the Buckeyes, placing first with a time of 3:36.30 during their 171-69 loss to the Hoosiers on Saturday.
Second place finishers for the Buckeyes included Stephanie Raezer (So., Newark, Del.) in the 1650 freestyle (17:10.31), Kristin Sendrowski (Sr., Garden City, N.Y.) in the 200 butterfly (2:03.99), Katie Severson (So., Cincinnati, Ohio) in the 100 freestyle (52.55) and Erika Staley (Jr., Piqua, Ohio) in the 200 breastroke (2:27.02).
Melanie Johnson (Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) took third in the 3-meter dive with a score of 295.80.
Scouting The Spartans
The Spartans are under the direction of second year head coach Jim Lutz. Prior to his arrival at Michigan State, Lutz was the head coach of the women’s program at Illinois for eight years (1993-00).
The Spartans are led by Joe Brennan, a junior who competes in the freestyle events and placed 12th at the Big Ten Championships in the 500 and 1,650 freestyle in 2001. Other top performers to watch include seniors Aaron Mahaney and Mike Robbins in the butterfly and freestyle events.
The women are off to a 5-2 start due to the efforts of 12 returning letterwinners and the strong performance of several key freshmen. Junior Katie Duncomb leads the Spartans in the backstroke, while senior Ildiko Szekely heads up the butterfly events. Two key freshmen, Jen Windstein and Alicia Copestick, have routinely finished with strong times in the freestyle races. 2001 Big Ten co-diver of the Year Carly Weiden has performed strongly thus far, earning Diver of the Week honors for her performance in the week of Dec. 4.
Scouting The Michigan Women
Michigan is ranked No. 17 in the most recent CSCAA national Top 25 poll (Dec. 13) despite its 0-4 record. The Wolverines are under the direction of Jim Richardson who is in his 17th season in Ann Arbor. While serving as the head coach at Michigan, the Wolverines have dominated the Big Ten Conference, winning 12 consecutive league titles (1987-98). Since taking over the program in 1985-86, Michigan has finished in the NCAA top ten all but five years. In 1996, the team hosted the NCAA Championships and posted a third place finish.
Women’s Head Coach Jeanne Fleck
Jeanne Fleck is in her third season as head coach with a 11-21 overall dual meet record in her first two-plus seasons. Before coming to Ohio State Fleck served as the head swimming coach at Northern Illinois for eight seasons and was named Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year in 1999. Under Fleck, the Buckeyes doubled their win total last year and are looking for that same type of improvement this season. She also has produced 17 Academic All-Big Ten selections in her first two seasons at OSU.
“We are looking forward to our meet with Michigan and Michigan State and the challenge those teams present,” Fleck said. “We had a lot of top times this past weekend. This meet will really help us prepare for Big Ten Championships.”
Men’s Head Coach Bill Wadley
During the 12-year tenure of head coach Bill Wadley, the Ohio State men’s swimming team has been a staple in the national rankings. In all but one of those seasons, the Buckeyes have cracked the Top 25. Wadley fully expects OSU once again will make a splash in the national ranking and in the Big Ten.
“This weekend will be a typical Big Ten meet with all the races being very competitive. Michigan State’s team is vastly improved and we expect a fun and fast meet,” Wadley said. “It is our hope to continue to improve each meet as the season progresses culminating with some really fast swims at the Big Ten Championships. Each Dual meet provides us an opportunity to check our progress and practice racing moving toword our goals.”
Diving Head Coach Vince Panzano
Now in his 24th year as head diving coach at Ohio State, Vince Panzano’s record speaks for itself. He has produced one world champion, one junior world champion, two Olympic medalists, 22 U.S. diving champions, eight NCAA champions, 14 NCAA runners-up, 66 Big Ten champions and 76 All-Americans. Panzano also has been selected NCAA Diving Coach of the Year three times in 1986, 1987 and 1988, and Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year six times.
Buckeyes Post Top Times
Eight different Buckeyes posted team-best times against Ball State and Indiana last weekend. Severson set top times in the 50 (24.45) and 100 (52.55) freestyle while Sander posted top times in the 200 (1:52.97) and 500 (5:01.50) freestyle. In distance, Raezer posted a time of 17:02.03 in the 1,650 freestyle. Sendrowski set a season best with a time of 2:03.99 in the 200 butterfly and Staley in the 200 breaststroke (2:27.02). Messmer, Barnes, Routson and Raezer set a season-best in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:34.12. The 400 medley relay team of Treleaven, Staley, Sendrowski and Severson set a season-best time of 3:53.97.
A Look at The Buckeye Women
Johnson and Cicione are leading the way for the divers in 2001-02. Both have consistently place in the top five of their events in 2001-02. Johnson and Cicione dominated on the boards last weekend at Ball State. In the 1-meter dive, Johnson took first place (175.50) and Cicione second (159.20). The case was the same in the 3-meter dive as the Buckeye tandem took first and second again. Johnson took first with a 179.40 score and Cicione second with a score of 164.45.
Leading the swimmers are Treleaven and Sendrowski who were both named most valuable swimmers a year ago and are carrying the load in their events once again this season. Treleaven placed first in the 100 backstroke against Ball State with a time of 58.90.
The Buckeyes also will rely on Severson the top newcomer from a year ago. She returns as the top sprint freestyler. Severson has team bests this year in the 50 (24.45) and 100 freestyle (52.55) and the 100 butterfly (57.53).
Co-captain Sander adds veteran leadership and experience to the 2001-02 team. She was voted one of the team’s most inspirational swimmers during last year.
“Kristin provides great leadership for our team,” Fleck said. “She knows what it takes to score at Big Tens. This past summer she spent a lot of time training in Columbus and she should take charge of our middle distance group.”
A Look at the Buckeye Men
Seniors Travis Carver (freestyle), Nick Cheney (freestyle), Ivan Petrovic (backstoke), Dan Vitina (backstroke/freestyle), along with juniors Nick Rees (butterfly), Vladi Dusil (freestyle) and David Paul (freestyle/butterfly), will be counted on to step up their own performances and to guide the newcomers
“Nick Rees’ experience in the NCAA championships and the Olympics will be a tremendous help to achieve our team and individual goals,” Wadley said. “He is capable of winning a Big Ten title and being an All-American if he continues to dedicate himself.”
Next Up
The women return home next Saturday against Big Ten foe, Illinois at 2 p.m. The men will wrap up its regular season Friday, Feb. 1 at home against Louisville at 5 p.m. and Saturday Feb. 2 at home against Michigan at 1 p.m.
