2002-03 WIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Headlines

Three Named To Academic All-America Women's At-Large Team

RELEASED: Thursday, June 12, 2003

Madison, Wis.--Three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America Women's At-Large Team. UW-Eau Claire's Alison Hover was named to the first team, while UW-Stevens Point's Jen Randall earned second team honors and UW-Oshkosh's Debra Ashenbrenner was a third team pick.

The team is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and includes the sports of crew, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, swimming, tennis and water polo.

Hover, a senior tennis player from St. Cloud, Minn. (Tech H.S.), earned academic all-district first team honors for the second straight season. She carries a 3.95 grade point average, while majoring in math/finance and was named the WIAC women's tennis scholar-athlete earlier this year. Hover has won four straight league singles titles, claiming the No. 1 title the last two seasons and the No. 3 crown in 1999 and 2000. She was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Rookie of the Year in 1999.

Randall, a senior swimmer from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (Lincoln H.S.), is a double major in mathematics with actuarial emphasis and business administration with a minor in economics and maintains a 3.97 grade point average. She was an Academic All-America At-Large Third Team selection last year and was named the WIAC women's swimming and diving scholar-athlete earlier this season. Randall is a nine-time conference champion, seven-time First Team All-American and five-time Honorable Mention All-American. She was named UW-Stevens Point's Athlete of the Year in an individual sport this season.

Ashenbrenner, a senior tennis player from Menasha, Wis., is majoring in elementary education with a 3.92 grade point average. She is two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and has been named to UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List seven semesters. Ashenbrenner is two-time WIAC doubles champion, winning the No. 1 flight in 2001 and 1999. She was voted the team's Most Valuable Player this season and finished second in the league meet at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.

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Four Named To Women's Academic All-District At-Large Team

RELEAED: Thursday, May 22, 2003

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2003 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District Five College Division Women's At-Large Team. UW-Eau Claire's Alison Hover, UW-Oshkosh's Debra Ashenbrenner and UW-Stevens Point's Jen Randall received first team honors, while UW-La Crosse's Michelle Saxton was a second team pick.

The team is comprised of all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA players from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota and voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The squad includes the sports of golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, swimming and tennis.

Hover, a senior tennis player from St. Cloud, Minn. (Tech H.S.), earned academic all-district first team honors for the second straight season. She carries a 3.95 grade point average, while majoring in math/finance and was named the WIAC women's tennis scholar-athlete earlier this year. Hover has won four straight league singles titles, claiming the No. 1 title the last two seasons and the No. 3 crown in 1999 and 2000. She was named the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Rookie of the Year in 1999.

Ashenbrenner, a senior tennis player from Menasha, Wis., is majoring in elementary education with a 3.92 grade point average. She is two-time ITA Scholar-Athlete and has been named to UW-Oshkosh's Dean's List seven semesters. Ashenbrenner is two-time WIAC doubles champion, winning the No. 1 flight in 2001 and 1999. She was voted the team's Most Valuable Player this season and finished second in the league meet at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.

Randall, a senior swimmer from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (Lincoln H.S.), is a double major in mathematics with actuarial emphasis and business administration with a minor in economics and maintains a 3.97 grade point average. She was an Academic All-America At-Large Third Team selection last year and was named the WIAC women's swimming and diving scholar-athlete earlier this season. Randall is a nine-time conference champion, seven-time First Team All-American and five-time Honorable Mention All-American. She was named UW-Stevens Point's Athlete of the Year in an individual sport this season.

Saxton, a senior gymnast from Corcoran, Minn. (Buffalo H.S.), is majoring in secondary education and carries a 3.85 grade point average. She is a member of the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-Scholastic Team and is the chair of the UW-La Crosse Winner's Council. Saxton won the uneven bars at this year's NCGA championship, helping the Eagles claim their third straight national title. She is a three-time NCGA All-American and won the uneven bars crown at the 2001 WIAC championship.

Ashenbrenner, Hover and Randall are now eligible for the Academic All-America squad, which will be announced in June.

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Atlanta, Ga.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse placed 20th out of 53 teams to lead a WIAC contingent of three teams that placed in the top 31 at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships held at Emory (Ga.) University on March 13-15.

The Eagles totaled 52 team points, while UW-Oshkosh finished 30th with 32 points and UW-Stevens Point 31st with 31 points.

Kenyon (Ohio) won its 19th NCAA championship in the last 20 seasons with 560.50 team points. Williams (Mass.) finished second with 350 points, while Emory (Ga.) placed third with 298 points and Denison (Ohio) finished fourth with 288 points and Wooster (Ohio) was fifth with 203 points.

UW-La Crosse was led by Anne Melvin, Elizabeth Miles and Fallon Toomsen in the individual events. Melvin placed 10th in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.01, while Miles finished 11th in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:07.86 and Toomsen was 13th in the 200-yard backstroke with a mark of 2:07.86.

UW-La Crosse's 200-yard freestyle relay team of Anne Melvin, Lexi Fink, Shara Geurts and Krista Melvin finished 11th with a time of 1:38.34, while the 400-yard freestyle team of Fink, Miles, Anne Melvin and Krista Melvin placed 15th with a time of 3:37.22. The 800-yard freestyle relay team of Krista Melvin, Fink, Anne Melvin and Toomsen finished 17th with a time of 7:57.79.

The Eagles' 200-yard medley relay squad of Toomsen, Geurts, Anne Melvin and Fink placed 14th with a time of 1:50.80.

The Eagles' Sarah Thayer finished ninth in one-meter diving and 13th in the three-meter event with scores of 348.60 and 354.50, respectively.

UW-Stevens Point's Elizabeth Herder finished 14th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.65.

The Pointers also had a pair of relay teams place at the national meet. The 200-yard medley relay team of Alissa Bartz, Jaclyn Menzel, Lindsay Correll and Jen Randall placed seventh with a time of 1:49.35, while the 400-yard medley relay squad of Elizabeth Herder, Menzel, Correll and Randall finished 15th with a time of 4:05.03.

UW-Oshkosh's Rachel Heitkamp placed second in one-meter diving and fourth in the three-meter event with scores of 383.85 and 430.00, respectively. She was named the NCAA Division III Diver of the Year for her efforts.

WIAC Finishes at NCAA Division III Championships:
100-Yard Backstroke--Elizabeth Herder (UW-Stevens Point--14th)
200-Yard Backstroke--Fallon Toomsen (UW-La Crosse--13th)
100-Yard Butterfly--Anne Melvin (UW-La Crosse--10th)
200-Yard Butterfly--Elizabeth Miles (UW-La Crosse--11th)
One-Meter Diving--Rachel Heitkamp (UW-Oshkosh--2nd), Sarah Thayer (UW-La Crosse--9th)
Three-Meter Diving--Rachel Heitkamp (UW-Oshkosh--4th), Sarah Thayer (UW-La Crosse--13th)

200-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Anne Melvin, Lexi Fink, Shara Geurts, Krista Melvin--11th)

400-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Lexi Fink, Elizabeth Miles, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin--15th)

800-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Krista Melvin, Lexi Fink, Anne Melvin, Fallon Toomsen--17th)

200-Yard Medley Relay--UW-Stevens Point (Alissa Bartz, Jaclyn Menzel, Lindsay Correll, Jen Randall--7th) UW-La Crosse (Fallon Toomsen, Shara Geurts, Anne Melvin, Lexi Fink--14th)

400-Yard Medley Relay--UW-Stevens Point (Elizabeth Herder, Jaclyn Menzel, Lindsay Correll, Jen Randall--15th)

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UW-Stevens Point's Randall Named Women's Swimming & Diving Scholar-Athlete

RELEASED: Thursday, February 27, 2003

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Jen Randall has been named the 2003 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Randall, a senior from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. (Lincoln H.S.), is a double major in mathematics with actuarial emphasis and business administration with a minor in economics and maintains a 3.97 grade point average. She was named to the 2002 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America College Division At-Large Third Team and is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kappa Phi Honor Societies. Randall is a national merit scholar and has received numerous scholarships while attending UW-Stevens Point.

Randall, a team captain, recently helped the Pointers to a second-place finish at the WIAC Championships, participating on the winning 200-yard medley relay team for the third straight season. She is a nine-time league champion and has earned All-America honors on 10 occasions. Randall was named the team MVP during the 2000-01 season and was named the UW-Stevens Point Outstanding Freshman Athlete in 1999-2000.

Randall becomes the sixth individual from UW-Stevens Point to claim the women's swimming and diving league honor. She joins Christine Sammons (2001), Becca Uphoff (2000), Nan Werdin (1992), Janet Gelwicks (1989) and Laura Adee (1987).

UW-La Crosse's Jerri Walters and UW-Whitewater's Michele Mukavitz 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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Stevens Point, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won its second straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women's swimming and diving championship following the three-day league gala at the UW-Stevens Point Aquatic Center on February 22. The Eagles won the league crown with 899 team points to edge out UW-Stevens Point (872). UW-Eau Claire finished third (504), followed by UW-Oshkosh (431), UW-River Falls (269) and UW-Whitewater 241.

UW-La Crosse's Fallon Toomsen successfully defended three of her individual titles and also established new conference records in the same events to lead the Eagle attack. She won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:06.76, the 200-yard individual medley in 2:10.46 and 400-yard individual medley in 4:38.24. She captured the Swimmer of the Meet award for her efforts.

Carlene Empanger and Anne Melvin both won a pair of individual titles for UW-La Crosse. Empanger established a conference record in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:06.88. She also won the 1650-yard freestyle in 17:55.22. Melvin won the 50-yard freestyle in 24.48 and the 100-yard butterfly in 58.30.

Rounding out the 10 individual titles captured by the Eagles were Lexi Fink, Krista Melvin and Elizabeth Miles. Fink won the 100-yard freestyle in 53.49, while Melvin claimed 200-yard freestyle for the second consecutive season in a conference record time of 1:54.73. Miles defended her title in the 200-yard butterfly with a record-breaking mark of 2:08.91.

UW-La Crosse won four of the five relay events at the meet and established three league records in the freestyle relays. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Fink, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin and Shara Geurts won in a time of 1:36.45. The 400-yard freestyle relay squad of Fink, Toomsen, Anne Melvin and Krista Melvin finished with a time of 3:32.68, while the 800-yard freestyle relay team of Fink, Toomsen, Empanger and Krista Melvin with a time of 7:49.90.

UW-La Crosse's Toomsen, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin and Steph Karis teamed to claim the 400-yard medley relay title with a time of 3:59.22.

UW-River Falls' Megan Broskoff won the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke titles with times of 1:08.42 and 2:26.68, respectively.

UW-Stevens Point's Elizabeth Herder won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.99. The Pointers' 200-yard medley relay team of Alissa Bartz, Jacci Menzel, Lindsay Correll and Jen Randall won with a time of 1:48.61.

UW-Oshkosh's Rachel Heitkamp claimed both the one-meter and three-meter diving crowns. She won the one-meter event with a score of 437.60 and the three-meter competition with a score of 486.65. Heitkamp received the Diver of the Meet award for her efforts.

UW-Stevens Point head coach Al Boelk was voted the league's Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. He also won the award in 2000.

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UW-La Crosse's Miles Named National Swimmer of the Week

University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Elizabeth Miles has been named the NCAA Division III women's swimmer of the week by collegeswimming.com for her performance during the week of February 1 - 7.

Miles, a sophomore from Minnetonka, Minn., won the 200-yard butterfly and the 1,000-meter freestyle in a dual meet victory over UW-Stevens Point on January 31. She set a school record and earned a NCAA Division III 'A' cut in winning the 200-yard butterfly in 2:08.42. Miles won the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:51.58.

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Henderson Named River Falls Men's, Women's Swimming & Diving Coach

RELEASED: Wednesday, July 31, 2002

River Falls, Wis.--Bill Henderson has been named head men's and women's swimming & diving coach at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.

Henderson has several years of coaching experience at the college, high school and club levels. In the 2001-02 season he was a volunteer coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The men's team placed fourth and the women's team fifth in last year's Big West Conference meet.

He was the head coach for two years (1999-2001) at Foothill, Calif., Community College and for one year (1997-98) at Solano, Calif., Community College. He taught a variety of physical education classes at Stanford, Calif., University (2000-2001) and at Solano (1997-98). Since 2001 he was the head age group coach for the San Luis Obispo swim team where he coached both age group and masters swimmers. He was also the head coach of the South Coast Aquatics (1995-96) and the Sierra Marlins teams (1984-1995). The South Coast Aquatics and Sierra Marlins are both year round swim programs and he coached national champions and junior national champion finalists. Henderson is a member of the American Swimming Coaches Association and served as Club Development Chair of Sierra Nevada Swimming (1994-95).

Henderson earned his M.S. degree in physical education in 1995 from Cal State Sacramento and his B.A. degree in journalism from the same institution in 1985. He will also teach classes in the UWRF Health & Human Performance department.

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