Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Southern Illinois University
Washington/Lindenwood
Swimming and Diving starts new year with a bang
01/08/2011 | 12:00:00 | Swimming & Diving
Jan. 8, 2011
SIUSalukis.com
ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Southern Illinois swimming and diving teams returned to competition for the first time in the new year on Friday night, testing their skills against Washington and Lindenwood.
The Saluki men and women combined for 24 first-place victories en route to decisive team wins over both schools.
To start the night, the women's 400 medley relay team of Isabela Castro, Kristin Geppert, Marcela Teixeira and Luisa Silveira cruised to victory with a time of 4:02.42. The men's team, which was ranked eighth among mid-majors in the most recent CollegeSwimming.com/CSCAA poll, followed up with a victory of their own from Cesar Perez, Steve Wood, Justin Wolfe and El Badrawi (3:27.83).
Jennifer Kwok took first place in the 1000 free by nearly 25 seconds, while Susan Minkel finished third. Mazen Aziz swam a close second to Washington's Chris Valach at 9:59.38, and Jeff Chen and Evan Wiedeman finished third and fourth, respectively.
Jill Weckbach and Matt Parsons posted victories for SIU in the 200 free before Rachael Barry and Wolfe followed with wins in the 50 free while Silveira and Badrawi finished in third place.
Kirsten Groome swam the meet's best time in the 400 IM at 4:37.11, and Csaba Gercsak won it for the men with a time of 4:10.93. Wood finished closely behind at 4:14.36.
Michelle Bell and Justin Ruszkowski handily swept the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events for the Salukis.
Groome and Kwok delivered a one-two punch in the 100 fly, and Wolfe and Tony Bousquet finished first and third on the men's side. In the 100 free, Barry and Badrawi recorded wins at 54.16 and 46.83, before Castro and Perez won the 100 back at 1:00.36 and 52.55.
Weckbach and Gercsak won their second events of the night in the 500 free, Weckbach's margin at nearly 10 seconds. In the 100 breast, Geppert, Teixeira and Jessica Anderson finished first, third and fourth, while Wood and Chen clocked in at first and third for the men.
Southern finished the meet the same way it started, as the team of Groome, Weckbach, Kwok and Barry won the 400 free relay with a time of 3:39.02. The men's team of Jared Bradd, Matt Kruse, Parsons and Bousquet also finished first at 3:11.96.
The Salukis will return to the pool when they host Ball State in Mid-American Conference competition Saturday, Jan. 22 at 10 a.m.
Final Team Scores
Women
Southern Illinois 179, Lindenwood 37
Washington 179, Lindenwood 29
Southern Illinois 157, Washington 80
Men
Southern Illinois 179, Lindenwood 57
Lindenwood 117, Washington 105
Southern Illinois 181, Washington 50
Players Mentioned
