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The Lincoln College men nearly
duplicated the finish of the women, finishing third with 345 points,
just four points behind Vincennes University in second. Indian River
also won the national title for men with 688 points. LC and
Vincennes were tied going into the final relay, and Vincennes
finished one spot ahead of the Lynx to place second overall.
The Lynx swimmers broke 12 school
records in the national tournament. Leslie Seago, Katie Robison,
Jill Doxsie and Erin Nelson placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle
relay with a time of 1:45.37 to set a record.
Robison was fourth in the 200 IM with a
time of 2:17.45, for a new record, while Doxsie placed sixth in
2:24.55. Rachel Willenborg, Doxsie, Seago and Angela Couch combined
to place second in the 200-yard medley relay with a school record
time of 1:56.59.
Couch, Willenborg, Robison and Doxsie
also finished second in the 400-yard medley in 4:12.72, another
school record. Seago swam the 400-yard IM in 4:54.60 to finish
second with a school record, while Couch placed fourth with a time
of 4:56.61. Willenborg placed fourth in 1:02.09 in the 100-yard fly,
while Rachel Seida placed 11th.
Doxsie placed sixth with a time of
1:14.42 in the 100-yard breast stroke, another LC record. The
800-yard free relay placed second in 8:14.54. Team members were
Seago, Couch, Willenborg and Robison. The same foursome teamed up to
place third in the 400-yard free relay in a school record time of
3:46.62. Doxsie also established a school record in the 200 breast
with a time of 2:42.88, placing seventh at nationals.
Among the male record holders, Scott
Sampson finished second in the 500-yard free in a time of 4:38.94.
Sampson also placed second in the 1,650-yard freestyle, with a
school record time of 16:15.81.
Placings
for the LC men
Three-meter diving -- 5. T. J. Rietveld,
694.65
200-yard free relay -- 5. Brandon
Davidson, Jonathan Gentry, Bryan Sherman, Jared Sexton, 1:30.95.
500 free -- 2. Sampson; 6. Ryan Poss,
4:56.99; 8. Gentry, 4:58.68; 10. Sherman, 5:02.69; 11. Bostrom,
5:05.06.
200 IM -- 7. Hierman, 2:01.46; 10.
Ronald Kestner, 2:09.78.
400 medley relay -- 2. Hierman, Sexton,
Sampson, Poss, 3:33.43.
200 medley relay -- 2. Hierman, Sexton,
Sampson, Poss, 1:37.85.
400 IM -- 3. Sexton, 4:21.26; 7.
Kestner, 4:21.89; 8. Sherman, 4:33.42; 10. Bostrom, 4:54.43.
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100 fly -- 8. Davidson, :55.16.
200 free -- 4. Sampson, 1:44.01.
100 breast -- Sexton, 1:00.69
100 back -- 4. Hierman, :53.87, 5. Poss,
:54.20.
800 free relay -- 3. Gentry, Hierman,
Poss, Sampson.
One-meter diving -- 5. Rietveld,
845.70.
1,650 free -- 2. Sampson, 16:15.81; 6.
Gentry, 17:22.65; 7. Sherman, 17:34.64; 9. Bostrom, 17:44.12; 14.
Girard, 19:05.32; 15. 19:20.45.
200 back -- 2. Hierman, 1:54.72; 3.
Poss, 1:58.02.
200 breast -- 3. Sexton, 2:11.31.
200 fly -- 7. Gentry, 2:08.27; 8.
Kestner, 2:09.01; 10. Davidson, 2:16.66.
400 free relay -- 4. Sampson, Hierman,
Sexton, Poss, 3:14.57.
Placings
for the LC women
200 free relay -- 4. Seago, Robison,
Doxsie, Nelson, 1:45.37.
500 free -- 4. Rachel Willenborg,
5:21.93; 5. Seago, 5:25.40.
200 IM -- 4. Robison, 2:17.45; 6.
Doxsie, 2:24.55.
50 free -- 8. Erin Nelson, :26.20.
400 medley relay -- 2. Robison, Doxsie,
Willenborg, Couch, 4:12.72.
200 medley relay -- 2. Willenborg,
Doxsie, Seago, Couch, 1:56.59.
400 IM -- 2. Seago, 4:54.60; 4. Couch,
4:56.61.
100 fly -- 4. Willenborg, 1:02.09.
100 breast -- 6. Doxsie, 1:14.42.
100 back -- 3. Robison, 1:01.88; 6.
Nelson, 1:08.70.
800 free relay -- 2. Seago, Couch,
Willenborg, Robison, 8:14.54.
1,650 free -- 2. Seago, 18:41.44; 3.
Couch, 19:13.76; 10. Seida, 21:13.49; 11. Megan Conlon, 21:20.16;
13. Anna Ahlstrand, 21:37.58; 16. Jenine Mills, 23.42.41.
200 back -- 3. Robison, 2:16.62.
100 free -- 5. Couch, :55.67.
200 fly -- 3. Willenborg, 2:16.01.
400 free
relay -- 3. Couch, Seago, Willenborg, Robison, 3:46.62.
[Bill
Martinie,
Lincoln College
sports information director]
Links to results on the NJCAA website
Men
Women
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But this story is about Brian Cook.
Talk about a kid who did it right. First of all, he took care of
business in high school. He even told us before his senior year in
Lincoln that he was a little bored and was probably ready for Big
Ten ball. I wish when we were bored we could lead our school to the
IHSA Elite Eight just for something to do! For his efforts he was
crowned Mr. Basketball in Illinois, which is no small accomplishment
for ANY downstate player.
He followed that up with a nice showing
in the McDonald's all-American game. There everyone was talking
about the Duke players and virtually everyone else but Cook. They
were in for a big surprise. It's worth noting here that several of
us were not one bit surprised. If you ever watched some of the
things that Cook could do in practice, you knew from the start that
this kid would some day be a very rich man toting his wares for,
hopefully, a close by NBA team.
As Cook was making his final
preparations to attend Illinois, he was still legally able to make
official visits to at least six other schools that knew HE was the
franchise. We enjoyed talking to him about those options, but we
were also very glad when he decided NOT to make those visits! And
the rest, as they say, is history.
How 'bout leaving this legacy for any
Illini to follow? He was selected Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He
made coaches and media all-Big Ten squads his sophomore and junior
years. And we think he might squeak in on some of those all-star
teams again this year. Unless he is robbed, which could happen, as
NOTHING that happens in the Big 10 surprises us, he should walk away
with player of the year honors. He will probably make and deserves
to be on several all-American teams. He might even win a few senior
awards and at least has a shot at some national player of the year
awards.
Here's a stat for you… What college has
the best home-court winning percentage over the last four years? How
'bout Brian Cook's Illini with a 50-2 mark during his career! With
his 22 points yesterday, he becomes the first Illini player since
Kendall Gill in 1990 to average 20 or more points in league games
and the first to lead the league in scoring since Gill did it that
same season. Whenever he scores his next point, he will amazingly be
tied for fifth place on Illinois' all-time scoring list! That is a
feat that we find just incredible. He will leave Champaign-Urbana
seventh on the career rebounding chart. He will also have claimed
fourth place on the blocked-shots list.
He had no idea how important those last
two buckets were on Sunday to these individual records. We're guessing
that someone on the bench knew, but he and Self had already gotten
what they came to get… the "W."
This is a more important factor when
considering Cook's legacy. He should've broken every record! On a
great, smart team, teammates would've realized that sacrificing some
personal glory to get the ball in the hands of the guy who can take
us to the dance would probably have been a good idea. But Cook
didn't pout. He didn't demand the ball and take the glory away from
guys like Williams, Johnson, Griffin or McClain. He didn't sulk that
the offense that should've gone through him oftentimes froze him
completely out. And furthermore, those teammates probably didn't
even realize how much better the Illini could've been! For instance,
how far do you think they could've gone had they played with the
energy that THIS year's team played with? At least one trip, maybe
two, to the final weekend?
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[photos by Tom Seggelke]
But if you just look at numbers,
figures and stats as a basis for your opinion on Brian Cook, you
will have missed the most compelling aspects of his presence and his
nature. And that is the person of Brian Cook. As hard as it will be
to replace his numbers, it will be even harder to replace his
persona, his charisma and his personhood. Brian has been a
tremendous representative of Lincoln to not only the UIUC campus and
the Big Ten but to the nation as well.
Several of our friends who got to see
the Illini when we didn't said that Cook ALWAYS stayed around to
sign autographs and take pictures with kids. It's easy to do that
when you win; he did it many times when we lost! He is the kind of
kid that you would want hangin' around your kids -- not because of
his celebrity status but because he is so fun to be around and hang
out with.
His mother, Joyce, has done an
excellent job raising this young man through extraordinary
circumstances. We're here to tell you that they're due EVERYTHING
that may soon come their way. Through it all this kid has remained
polite, good-natured and a tribute to his community upbringing.
We will miss seeing Lincoln or Illinois
stamped across his chest, but it will ALWAYS be stamped on his
heart. Why? Because he's one of us; albeit, a little taller and
maybe a little more talented at least in this arena.
His coaches should also be commended
for the way they molded him for his future. His Lincoln junior high
coaches and several even before got him off to a good start.
Then there are Neil and Denise
Alexander. When he wasn't at home, he was probably with Gregg at the
Alexanders' house. Probably why yesterday was a bittersweet time for
them as well. Do you have ANY idea how much those kids eat? Or how
many summer games, practices and trips these people took him to? It
is a staggering number. We think it is safe to say that coach Al may
have filled that father role for Brain on several occasions. We know
a lot of kids who haven't fared nearly as well. And from what we can
tell it was a mutually beneficial relationship. We do know that
Brian wouldn't be nearly as far along as he is without the
Alexanders' influence on his life on or off the court!
Then there was coach Kruger and his
staff, especially assistant coach Rob Judson. They went to great
lengths to recruit Brian, but we always felt that they treated the
Lincoln coaches and Brian with great respect and dignity. Lon's
quiet confidence was helpful in Brian's early development. Lon
protected Brian and knew that he would need time to learn the Big
Ten game. He didn't throw him to the wolves until it was really
necessary.
Though it was a shock and a huge
disappointment when Kruger left, NO ONE could have foreseen what
Bill Self would add to the equation. He didn't baby or pamper Brian;
he toughened him up. And before this campaign got under way, Self
placed the huge burden of leadership squarely on Cook's shoulders.
And Brian Cook delivered! As a matter of fact he delivered in a way
that shocked many of the doubters and skeptics. If you know Brian
well, YOU probably weren't surprised.
We were
going to make this a REALLY long column. We were going to show
conclusive proof and evidence, because it does exist, on why Brian
Cook is one of THE most CONSISTENT Illini players ever! But we're
just going to let Brian's walk be his talk. We are going to say
this: Thanks Brian for representing us all so well -- more off the
court than on it. Good luck in both remaining tournaments. And
always remember that no matter where you go or what you do, we are
proud of you!
Your friends in Lincoln
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