2001-02 WIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Headlines

2001-02 WIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Headlines

Stevens Point's Randall Named Academic All-America

RELEASED: Thursday, June 13, 2002

Stevens Point, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point junior swimmer Jen Randall has been named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-America College Division At-Large Third Team.

Randall, from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (Lincoln), is one of 15 student-athletes named to the third team in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The at-large squad includes all female athletes from Division II, Division III and NAIA institutions in all sports except basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball and track and field.

Randall carries a 3.98 grade point average in actuarial science. She has been a member of six first team All-American and eight conference champion relay teams. Randall has also swam on four honorable mention All-American relay teams and has been a part of two conference championship teams during her three seasons with the Pointers.

This past season, she won conference titles in the 200 yard and 400 yard freestyle relays and the 200 yard medley relay. She anchored the 200 medley team to an eighth-place finish and All-American honor at the NCAA Division III Championships.

The Verizon Academic All-America Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon the national level.

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Four Earn Verizon Academic All-District Women's At-Large Honors

RELEASED: Monday, May 20, 2002

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District V Women's At-Large Team. UW-Eau Claire's Alison Hover and UW-Stevens Point's Jen Randall earned first team honors, while UW-La Crosse's Jenny Moore and UW-Whitewater's Christy Huegerich were second team selections.

Hover, a junior tennis player from St. Cloud, Minn. (Tech H.S.), is majoring in mathematics/finance with a 3.93 grade point average.

Hover led the Blugolds to their ninth-straight WIAC title this season by winning the No. 1 singles crown. She has also claimed league titles at No. 2 and No. 3 singles in her career. Hover has compiled a stellar 26-2 mark this season, including a 17-match winning streak dating back to September 30. She was named the ITA Midwest Rookie of the Year in 1999.

Randall, a junior swimmer from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., is majoring in actuarial science with a 3.98 grade point average. She is a National Merit Scholar and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kapa Phi honor societies.

Randall anchored the 200 medley relay team that finished eighth at the NCAA Division III Championship this season. She has also been a member of six All-American and eight conference champion relay teams during her career. The Pointers have won two conference titles in her three seasons.

Moore, a senior gymnast from Coon Rapids, Minn. (Blaine H.S.), is a nuclear medicine technology major and chemistry minor with a 3.51 grade point average. She was named the 2002 WIAC Judy Kruckman Women's Gymnastics Co-Scholar-Athlete and has earned NCGA All-Academic honors.

Moore helped lead La Crosse to its second straight national title in 2002, claiming All-America honors on the balance beam and the all-around competition. She is a four-year letterwinner and has earned five career All-America honors. Additionally, Moore is a nine-time All-WIAC selection in her career.

Huegerich, a senior golfer from Brookfield, Wis. (East H.S.), is majoring in elementary education with a 3.76 grade point average. Earlier this season, she earned the WIAC's Judy Kruckman Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete Award.

Huegerich recently tied for 31st at the NCAA Division III Championship with a four-day total of 350, including scores of 92, 89, 88 and 81. She tied for 23rd at the national meet last season and finished 27th in 2000. Huegerich is a three-time All-WIAC performer, placing second at the WIAC Championship in 1999 and sixth each of the past two seasons.

A total of 11 student-athletes were named to the first team, while 10 earned second team honors. Individuals earning first team recognition will advance to the national ballot. The at-large squad includes individuals from the sports of golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, swimming and tennis.

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Two WIAC Schools Finish In Top Eleven At
Women's Swimming & Diving NCAA Championship

Oxford, Ohio--Two Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women's swimming and diving teams finished in the top eleven following three-day competition at the NCAA Division IIII Championship held in the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center. UW-La Crosse finished tenth with 99 points, while UW-Stevens Point placed 11th with 92 points. UW-Oshkosh finished tied for 19th with 49 points and UW-Eau Claire placed 46th with 5 points.

Kenyon (Ohio) won its 19th women's swimming title with 577 points. Denison (Ohio) placed second with 418 points, while Emory (Ga.) was third with 368. Williams (Mass.) finished fourth with 257.50 and Johns Hopkins (Md.) was fifth with 233.

La Crosse was led in the individual events by Anna Meyer, Fallon Toomsen and Lisa Tulkki. Meyer finished fourth in the 100-yard backstroke (57.64) and Toomsen placed fifth in the 200-yard backstroke (2:07.56). Both athletes earned All-America honors. Tulkki finished 15th in the three-meter diving competition.

The Eagles also had four relay team participate at the meet. The 200-yard medley relay team of Anna Meyer, Shara Geurts, Anne Melvin and Lexi Fink finished seventh (1:47.70). The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Anne Melvin, Chandra Riberich, Krista Melvin and Fink finished eighth (1:37.33). The 400-yard medley relay team of Meyer, Geurts, Anne Melvin and Krista Melvin finished 10th (3:56.42). The 800-yard freestyle relay team of Karrin Lick, Krista Melvin, Fink and Toomsen finished 13th (7:52.20).

Stevens Point was led by Christine Sammons who finished fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:05.42) and 10th in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:22.89). She earned All-America honors in the 100-yard breaststroke. Mary Thone contributed a 12th-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly (58.09).

The Pointers also had a trio of relays fair well at the national meet. The 400-yard medley relay team of Alissa Bartz, Amy Rockwell, Sammons and Thone finished sixth (3:56.09). The 200-yard medley relay team of Lindsay Correll, Jen Randall, Bartz and Sammons finished eighth (1:48.11), while the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Erica Janssen, Bartz, Randall and Rockwell finished ninth (1:36.88).

Oshkosh's Erin LeRoy and Rachel Heitkamp participated in the diving events at the national meet. LeRoy finished second in the one-meter competition (384.80) and third in the three-meter event (427.55) to gain All-America honors in both events. Heitkamp placed ninth in the three-meter (375.55) and 10th in the one-meter competition (348.40).

Eau Claire's Kaici Burk finished 12th in the one-meter diving competition.

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Eagles Win WIAC Women's Swimming and Diving Championship

Whitewater, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's swimming and diving team captured the 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title following completion of competition at the three-day league event.

The Eagles finished with 1223 points to win their sixth title in school history. UW-Stevens Point, which had won the previous two championships finished second with 1216 points. UW-Oshkosh placed third (616) followed by UW-Eau Claire (599), UW-River Falls (393) and UW-Whitewater (377).

La Crosse claimed eight individual championships on their way to the team title. Fallon Toomsen won three individual titles to lead the Eagles. She won the 400-yard individual medley with a conference record time of 4:38.59 and the 200-yard individual medley in 2:11.60. Toomsen also won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:07.31.

La Crosse's Krista Melvin won the 100-yard freestyle and 200-yard freestyle with times of 54.09 and 1:56.00, respectively. Karrin Lick won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:19.35 and the 1650-yard freestyle in 18:18.99. Lick's title in the 500-free was her second consecutive in the league.

Anna Meyer claimed the 100-yard backstroke title for the third time in her career with a conference record time of 56.97, while Elizabeth Miles won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:10.47.

The Eagles' 800-yard freestyle relay team of Alexis Fink, Melvin, Toomsen and Lick won with a conference record time of 7:51.32.

Stevens Point won four relay titles and four individual crowns in the meet. The Pointers won 200-yard freestyle relay with a conference record time of 1:36.80, while the 400-yard medley relay team finished first with a time of 3:58.19. Jennifer Randall, Mary Thone, Jean Hughes and Amy Rockwell teamed to win the 200-yard medley relay with a league record time of 1:47.98 and the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:35.69.

Stevens Point's Christine Sammons became a four-time league champion in two events. She won the 100-yard breaststroke with a conference record time of 1:07.05 and the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:24.84.

Alissa Bartz and Mary Thone also won individual titles for the Pointers. Bartz won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.24, while Thone won the 100-yard butterfly for the second consecutive season in 59.07.

Oshkosh's Erin LeRoy won both diving events. She became a two-time league champion in the three-meter event with a score of 487.55. LeRoy won the one-meter event with 416.30 points.

La Crosse head coach Rich Pein was named the conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season and third time in his career. He also won the award in 1991-92 and 1994-95.

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Sammons Named Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete

RELEASED: Tuesday, March 5, 2002

Madison, Wis.--University of Stevens Point's Christine Sammons has been named the 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Swimming and Diving Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Sammons, a senior from Hastings, Minn., is a triple major in managerial accounting, business administration and German with a 3.30 grade point average. She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has appeared on UW-Stevens Point's Honor Roll two semesters. She also was the recipient of the Scholarship for Excellence in German.

Sammons helped the Pointers to a second-place finish at the WIAC championship in Whitewater, Wis. with a pair of individual titles. She won the 100-yard breaststroke with a conference record time of 1:07.05 and the 200-yard breaststroke. Sammons is an 11-time individual league champion and a four-time conference relay champion. She also holds league records in the 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay.

Sammons was selected her team's Most Valuable Player last season and during the 1998-99 campaign. She holds school records in the 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay.

Sammons is a member of the WIAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and also works as a foreign language lab assistant and lifeguards at the University Aquatic Center.

Sammons becomes the fifth Pointer in school history to win the league's women's swimming and diving scholar-athlete award.

Eau Claire's Elizabeth Halbur and River Falls' Alison York were also nominated for the scholar-athlete award.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Culver's. In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

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