Nov. 6, 2004

Results

CHICAGO, Ill. - Five Panthers won two events, while three competed with a pair of first-place relays, as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team topped the University of Illinois at Chicago, 179-118, in dual meet action Saturday afternoon in Chicago. UWM won 14 events on the day to move to 3-3 in dual meet action this year.

"I thought they were very good and very consistant against a very good conference team," head coach Dave Clark said. "Our women's team is certainly one of the premier teams in this league and tonight just helped to prove that."

Leading the way was sophomore Lindsay Caldwell and freshman Kristin Skiba. The duo each swam legs on the first-place 400 medley and 400 freestyle relays and contributed a pair of individual wins at the meet. Junior Emily Holcomb and Heather Sawatzki joined the pair on the 400 medley relay, which posted a time of 4:03.30. Sawatzki and freshman Heidi Goetsch rounded out the winning 400 free relay, completing the distance in 3:39.81.

Caldwell posted wins in the 100 (1:07.29) and 200 breaststroke (2:25.32), as Skiba was victorious in the 100 (54.50) and 200 free (1:58.95) events. Holcomb was another dual winner, winning both backstroke events. She completed the 100-meter event in 1:01.42 and touched the wall in 2:12.85 to complete the 200 back.

"Kristin Skiba in the 200 and 100 frees swam very well," Clark said. "She pulled off each of those wins in the last five to 10 meters."

Sophomore Crystal Szymanski won both diving events, as the Panthers dominated diving from both boards. From the one-meter board Szymanski led four UWM divers among the top-five with a score of 264.00. Junior Erin Blemberg was second with 253.58. A pair of freshmen finished fourth and fifth as Kayla Szymanski scored 219.83 points and Jenna Kotlarz posted 214.58.

From the three-meter board it was much of the same, as Crystal Szymanski topped the field with 280.80 points to lead Panthers in the top three positions. Blemberg was once again second with 259.88 as Kotlarz rounded out the top three with 239.70 points.

"Crystal Szymanski reached her zone qualifier from the three-meter board," Clark said. "Our depth really showed tonight. We are at the top of the league in diving and that really showed tonight."

Freshman Emma McKeith and sophomore Susan Harmsen went 1-2 in both the 500 and 100 free. McKeith was victorious each time, posting times of 5:19.35 and 10:56.33, respectively. Harmsen was close behind in both events, with times of 5:23.08 and 11:04.82.

Sawatzki also won the 100 butterfly in 1:01.25, edging freshman Briana Fergusson who took second (1:01.50), and took second in the 200 fly. In the 200 fly, freshman Kaite Caucutt won the event in 2:15.37, just ahead of Sawatzki (2:15.92). Caucutt came through with a second-place finish of her own in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:53.84.

Milwaukee has next weekend off before returning to the pool at the Ball State Invitational, Nov. 19-20, in Muncie, Ind.