Swimming 'Birds end weekend with win    

[DEC. 5, 2005]  AKRON, Ohio -- At the end of the three day SummaCare Invitational in Akron, Ohio, the Illinois State swimming and diving team was victorious. The first day of the meet, Friday, ended with the Redbirds sitting in first-place position, and the team held on to first, not letting it go for the rest of the weekend. The swimming and diving team ended the weekend with an overall score of 1,588 points. Other schools that participated were the University of Akron, scoring 1, 298; Clarion University, 1,275; Duquesne University, 1,137.5; Ohio State University, 1,084.5; Xavier University, 991; and University of Buffalo, 937.

The ISU team accomplished its goals in the morning: preliminary rounds allowing members to advance to the final round in good position. The night opened with four swimmers placing in the top 12 of the 1,650-yard freestyle. Head coach Steve Paska felt that this event set the tone for the evening, and it was contagious and spread as each event went on.

"It was a total team effort," Paska said. "The whole team worked to get us in position to win this invitational. The team has gained confidence. We are really proud and have a lot to be thankful for. This was a great achievement and fun to witness."

Christine Steinbach had another successful night, starting out the finals with a second-place finish in the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:35.26, earning herself another personal best. Emily Richardson competed in both the preliminary and final round in the 1,650-yard freestyle, earning a personal best time of 18:15.38.

The 100-yard freestyle was a great event for the team and sparked much enthusiasm in the water. Kyle Pullman placed second with a time of 52.19, which was another personal best for the weekend. Monique Witkowski, Valerie Zaleski and Jenna Allie all earned personal best times in this event as well.

Freshman Allison Fishbein earned a personal best in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:29.47.

So, the weekend consisted of personal best achievements for many of the girls.

"The newcomers got a great three-day experience," Paska said. "This invitational will be able to assist them in future competitions. I was pleased with their performances, and they were a big part of our success, along with the others on the team."

The team ended the same way it started two days ago: with a first-place finish in a relay. Pullman, Zaleskie, Kathleen Borkovec and Witkowski swam the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:31.05 -- less than a second off from the Illinois State pool record. The overall team won only two events out of 20 that ISU competed in during the weekend, but the overall consistency and depth put the team in position to win the invitational.

"Our objectives were achieved," Paska said. "The team has been training since August for this, and we were able to end the fall semester in high hopes. Tonight was really a great way to end the weekend. Now we need to put our focus on the Missouri Valley Conference and begin training."

[Illinois State University news release]

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