Seeking School Bests
Swim Teams Eye Best Finishes at This Weekend's MAC Championships
Indoor Track & Field Teams Have Final Tune-Ups Before Their MACs
SELINSGROVE, (Pa.) - After completing some of their best dual meet seasons since 1990-91, both the Susquehanna University men's and women's swimming teams will now try and at least equal their highest finishes ever at the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships, which take place this Friday through Sunday, February 19-21, at Widener University in Chester.
The Crusader men were sixth last season at MACs, while the women were seventh.
Under 20th-year head coach Ged Schweikert, the women equaled their 1990-91 dual meet record of 7-4 with last Saturday's 89-78 win at Widener. While the men dropped a 101-72 decision to the three-time defending MAC champion Pioneers, their 5-5 dual meet record was still their best since 1990-91.
While Elizabethtown posted a school record 15-2 mark in dual meets and is favored to repeat as MAC women's team champion, young Susquehanna will probably join with Albright, Drew, and Scranton as teams which will vie for second. The Crusaders are optimistic they can better their best team finish of fifth at an MAC Championship event.
"Certainly the class of the conference on the women's side would have to be Elizabethtown. They're very strong and very deep - and fortunately for us, they're also very old with a lot of seniors," said Schweikert. "Beyond them, you look at Albright, Susquehanna, Drew and Scranton making it a real dog fight for second through fifth. I think whoever is swimming best those days will finish in second place, although there probably won't be much of a point spread between second and fifth."
The host Widener men are favored to win their fourth-straight MAC team title, and fifth in six seasons, after finishing 10-1 in the dual meet season. Susquehanna hopes to finish in the upper echelon of the nine-team event and Schweikert is even optimistic that his men can contend for equaling their best finish at conference championships, placing fourth in 1996-97.
"The men finished fourth two years ago and we're sort of shooting for that again. We have more top swimmers in the conference then we did then," said Schweikert. "We score through 12 places, so depth becomes very important."
The Susquehanna men's and women's indoor track and field teams will also have their final tune-ups before their respective conference championships next weekend as they compete at the Kutztown Invitational Friday evening. Both teams once again had some very good individual performances last Saturday against upper division competition at the Bucknell Winter Classic.
The MAC Indoor Track and Field Championships will be next Saturday, February 27, at Lebanon Valley.
MEN'S SWIMMING REPORT
Freshman Ben Voelker (Mechanicsburg/Trinity H.S.) appears to have the best shot of providing the Crusader men's program an MAC champion as he is seeded first in the 100-yard butterfly (:55.75). He is also seeded third in the 200-butterfly (2:11.89), sixth in the 50-freestyle (:22.95), ninth in the 100-free (:51.08) and 13th in the 200-free (1:55.80). Voelker was one of two individual winners for the team last week at Widener, taking the 200-fly (2:13.21).
Junior Steve Fischer (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood H.S.) could also contend for an individual championship after coming close in past years. The school record holder in both the 200 and 400-yard individual medley events (2:05.07, 1998; 4:37.58, 1997 respectively), he set the 200 record while finishing fourth at MACs last season. He was also fourth at MACs in both the 100 (:56.00) and 200-yard butterfly (2:07.91) a year ago. This season, he is seeded second in the 200-yard individual medley (2:05.72), third in the 100-breaststroke (1:04.34), is fourth in the 200-breast (2:25.44), and sixth in the 200-butterfly (2:13.93).
Senior Zach Murray (Corning, N.Y./Corning East H.S.) also appears in position to get some big team points as he is seeded sixth in the 200-backstroke (2:12.09) and eighth in the 100-back (1:00.68).
Fellow senior and co-captain Brett Shank (Carlisle/Carlisle H.S.) was fifth in the 400-yard IM at the MACs last season with the third fastest time in school history in that event (4:40.01), but has a much slower qualifying time this season (5:11.69). He also was seventh in the 200-yard freestyle last season (1:52.58) and will have to better his qualifying time (1:59.73) considerably to finish there again. His highest seeding is 15th in the 200-breaststroke (2:30.90). He is also 18th in the 1,650-free (11:33.55).
WOMEN'S SWIMMING REPORT
Freshmen and sophomores are also top hopefuls on the women's side, where the all-freshman 400-yard medley relay team of Michelle Badorf (Lancaster/Penn Manor H.S.), Kristy Truitt (Shamokin/Shamokin Area H.S.), Val Bodam (Phoenixville/Phoenixville H.S.) and Kim Allen (Allentown/Parkland H.S.) set a new school record last week while winning the race (3:56.91).
Of that group, Badorf is the highest seed individually, ranking third in both the 100 (1:04.91) and 200-yard (2:18.11) backstroke events. She is also seeded sixth in the 200-freestyle (2:03.41), seventh in the 400-IM (5:04.53), 10th in the 50-free (:26.65) and 11th in the 200-IM (2:23.01). She was a triple-winner last week at Widener, taking both 200 back and 200 free in addition to swimming on the relay.
Allen won the 50-free last Saturday and is seeded 12th in the event this weekend (:26.76). She is seeded sixth in the 500 (5:32.16) and eighth in the 100-yard free (:57.75).
Bodam took the 200-IM at Widener and is seeded ninth for the conference championships in that event (2:21.96). She is also seeded 10th in the 200 (2:40.28) and 11th in the 100-yard breast (1:14.55).
Truitt was a winner in the 200-yard butterfly last Saturday, and is ranked 10th in the conference in that event (2:34.78), and 14th in the 100-fly (1:07.24).
Speaking of freestyle, sophomore Charlotte Murray (Hummelstown/Hershey H.S.) was third in the conference in the 200 (2:03.59), 500 (5:30.40) and 1,650-yard (18:51.96) freestyle events last season - setting school records in both the 500 and 1,650 at MACs, as well as the 1,000-free (11:22.35) earlier in the season. Murray won the 1,000 last week and is seeded fifth in the 1,650 (11:23.61), seventh in the 500 (5:32.79) and 14th in the 200 (2:05.65) this season.
INDOOR TRACK & FIELD REPORT
Junior Matt Fenstermacher (Watsontown/Warrior Run H.S.) continues to be the dominant Crusader performer indoors. Against NCAA Division I and II competition, Fenstermacher won the long jump (22-9 1/2) last week at Bucknell. He also was fifth in the triple-jump with a season best jump (44-6 1/2), and fifth in the 100-meter dash (:06.64).
Freshman Trever Fike (Millerstown/Greenwood H.S.) also continues to impress as he finished third in the 55-meter high hurdles with a new season best time (:07.84). Senior Charles Barley (Temple Hills, Md./Suitland H.S.) also was fifth in the event (:07.95).
Susquehanna's women were led by junior Sarah Costello (Palmyra/Palmyra H.S.), who won her heat of the 3,000-meter run with a new season best time of 11:14.55). Freshman Kim Owen (Hummelstown/Lower Dauphin H.S.) also set season best standards in both the mile (5:52.55) and the 1,000-meter run (3:32.50).
New sprinting team bests were all established by sophomore Emily Dugan (Athens/Athens H.S.) in the 55-meter dash (:08.19), junior Jen Becker (Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury H.S.) in the 200 (:28.67) and senior Tonya Wolfe (Turbotville/Warrior Run H.S.) in the 400 (1:03.08).
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