2003-04 WIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Headlines

2003-04 WIAC Women's Swimming & Diving Headlines

UW-La Crosse's Melvin Named To Academic All-America Team

RELEASED: Monday, June 21, 2004

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Anne Melvin has been named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-America College Division Women's At-Large Second Team.

Melvin, a junior from Abbotsford, Wis., is majoring in nuclear medicine technology and maintains a 3.83 grade point average.

Melvin earned All-America honors in five events during the NCAA Division III Championships this season after placing eighth in the 100 butterfly and being a member of the third-place 200 and 400-yard freestyle relay teams and the fourth-place 200 and 400-yard medley relay squads.

Melvin captured WIAC individual titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly this season with conference record performances and was also a member of three winning relay teams. She has earned 15 All-WIAC honors in her career, including 10 conference titles.

The Academic All-America At-Large Team is selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and includes the sports of crew, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, swimming and diving, tennis and water polo.

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

RELEASED: Thursday, May 27, 2004

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2004 CoSIDA Academic All-District Five College Division Women's At-Large Team. UW-La Crosse's Anne Melvin was named to the first team, while UW-La Crosse's Angela Erato and Elizabeth Miles and UW-Stevens Point's Jacci Menzel were second team selections.

Melvin, a junior swimmer from Abbotsford, Wis., carries a 3.83 grade point average and is majoring in nuclear medicine technology. She secured All-America honors in five events during the 2004 national meet, including an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly. Miles won the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly at the 2004 conference championship and was also a member of three winning relay teams. She holds the league record in the 100-yard butterfly and has won 10 conference titles (four individual, six relays) in her career.

Erato, a senior gymnast from Brookfield, Wis. (Pius XI H.S.), is majoring in art with a minor in English and psychology and maintains a 3.72 grade point average. She ranks in the top 15 percent of her class at UW-La Crosse and was named to the 2004 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) All-Academic Team. Erato is a six-time All-WIAC performer, including conference championships in the uneven bars in 2003 and the floor exercise in 2002. She claimed the national title in the balance beam during the 2001 campaign.

Menzel, a junior swimmer from Stevens Point, Wis. (SPASH), maintains a 3.96 grade point average, while majoring in communicative disorders. She earned All-America honors as a member of the 200-yard medley relay team for the second straight season and also finished third in the conference in the 100-yard breaststroke in 2004.

Miles, a junior swimmer from Minnetonka, Minn., is majoring in social studies/history and sustains a 3.85 grade point average. She earned All-America honors in the 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard individual medley in 2004 and also captured both events at the conference championship. Miles holds the conference record in the 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard individual medley and has been named the WIAC Athlete of the Week six times in her career.

The academic all-district at-large team is comprised of all NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA student-athletes from Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Minnesota and is voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). It includes the sports of golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, swimming and diving and tennis.

Melvin is now eligible for the Academic All-America squad, which will be announced in mid-June.

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UW-River Falls' Henderson Named US Paralympic Assistant Swim Coach

University of Wisconsin-River Falls men's and women's swimming and diving head coach Bill Henderson has been named an assistant swim coach with the US Paralympic team that will compete in Athens in September.

The team will compete in Athens from Sept. 17-28.

Henderson finished his second year as head coach of the men's and women’s swimming & diving team at UW-RF in 2003-04.

Henderson is originally from Sacramento, Calif., where he earned age group, high school and junior college All-American honors in swimming. He earned his BA in journalism and MS in physical education at California State University at Sacramento where he also was captain of the swimming & diving team.

Henderson’s coaching experience covers over 25 years at every level from summer recreation to NCAA Div. I. He has 12 years of head coaching experience at the USS club level for the Sierra Marlins Swim Team and the South Coast Aquatic Team. His club swimmers garnered dozens of national top 16 finishes, over 30 high school All-American mentions and qualified for junior and senior national competition.

He has four years experience as a head coach at the California community college level. As head coach at Foothill College his swimmers earned 20 All-American mentions in three seasons and the women’s team won the conference championship in 2000, their first in over nine years. Henderson also has over 13 years of junior college water polo coaching experience.

Henderson’s family lives in California. His sister, Donna, is an artist and his brother, Rick, is the assistant men’s and women’s swimming coach at UC-Davis.

He teaches in the UW-RF Health & Human Performance department.

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UW-La Crosse Leads WIAC Field At NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships

St. Peters, Mo.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse placed fifth out of 60 teams at the NCAA Division III Women's Swimming and Diving Championships held at the St. Peters Rec-Plex on March 11-13. The championship event was hosted by Principia College (Ill.).

The Eagles totaled 215 team points for the best finish in school history, while UW-Oshkosh finished 25th with 40 points and UW-Stevens Point finished 35th with 28 points.

Kenyon (Ohio) won its third straight NCAA championship, and 20th in the last 21 seasons, with 507 team points. Emory (Ga.) finished second with 362 points, followed Denison (Ohio) with 335 points, Williams (Mass.) with 289 points and UW-La Crosse.

UW-La Crosse was led by Carlene Empanger, Krista Melvin and Elizabeth Miles in the individual events after all three individuals earned a pair of top 16 finishes. Empanger finished 13th in the 500-yard freestyle and 16th in the 1,650-yard freestyle with times of 5:04.89 and 17:38.68, respectively.

Melvin finished sixth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:54.26 and ninth in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.20. Miles finished seventh in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:07.15 and ninth in the 400-yard individual medley with a time of 4:33.13.

UW-La Crosse's Anne Melvin finished eighth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.25 and Fallon Toomsen finished 12th in the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:07.78.

The Eagles' Sarah Thayer placed 10th in one-meter diving and 15th in the three-meter event with scores of 309.95 and 316.90, respectively.

All five of UW-La Crosse's relay teams placed during national competition. The 200-yard freestyle relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams placed third with times of 1:36.16 and 3:29.60, respectively. Lexi Fink, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin and Toomsen were members of the 200-yard freestyle relay, while Shara Geurts, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin and Toomsen made up the 400-yard freestyle relay squad.

The Eagles' 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard medley relay teams of Steph Karis, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin and Toomsen both placed fourth with times of 1:48.09 and 3:55.70, respectively. The 800-yard freestyle relay quartet of Empanger, Geurts, Toomsen and Fink finished ninth with a time of 7:45.79.

UW-Oshkosh's Rachel Heitkamp won both diving events and was named the NCAA Division III Diver of the Year for the second consecutive season. She captured the one-meter diving title with a score of 387.05 and the three-meter crown with a mark of 457.05. Heitkamp is the first person to win both diving events at a NCAA Division III Championship since 1999. She also becomes the first individual in conference history to win an individual national title since 1996 when UW-Oshkosh's Cheri Tiegs won the 200-yard backstroke.

UW-Stevens Point had a pair of relay teams place during the three-day national meet. The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Alissa Bartz, Jerica Crook, Erica Janssen and Kelsey Crunstedt finished 16th with a time of 1:40.23, while the 200-yard medley relay squad of Jackie Menzel, Lindsay Correll, Bartz and Crook finished sixth with a time of 1:48.86.

UW-La Crosse head coach Rich Pein was named the 2004 NCAA Division III Swimming Coach of the Year, while UW-Oshkosh diving coach Amy Krysiak was named the NCAA Division III Diving Coach of the Year.

The top eight finishers in each event at the national championship earn All-America honors, while places 9-16 earned honorable mention All-America status.

WIAC Finishes at 2004 NCAA Division III Championships:
100-Yard Freestyle--Krista Melvin (UW-La Crosse-9th)
200-Yard Freestyle--Krista Melvin (UW-La Crosse-6th)
500-Yard Freestyle--Carlene Empanger (UW-La Crosse-13th)
1650-Yard Freestyle--Carlene Empanger (UW-La Crosse-16th)
200-Yard Backstroke--Fallon Toomsen (UW-La Crosse-12th)
100-Yard Butterfly--Anne Melvin (UW-La Crosse-8th)
200-Yard Butterfly--Elizabeth Miles (UW-La Crosse-7th)
400-Yard Individual Medley--Elizabeth Miles (UW-La Crosse-9th)

One-Meter Diving--Rachel Heitkamp (UW-Oshkosh-Champion), Sarah Thayer (UW-La Crosse-10th)
Three-Meter Diving--Rachel Heitkamp (UW-Oshkosh-Champion), Sarah Thayer (UW-La Crosse-15th)

200-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Anne Melvin, Fallon Toomsen, Lexi Fink, Krista Melvin-3rd), UW-Stevens Point (Alissa Bartz, Jerica Crook, Erica Janssen, Kelsey Crunstedt-16th)

400-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Shara Geurts, Fallon Toomsen, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin-3rd)

800-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Carlene Empanger, Shara Geurts, Fallon Toomsen, Lexi Fink-9th)

200-Yard Medley Relay--UW-La Crosse (Fallon Toomsen, Steph Karis, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin-4th), UW-Stevens Point (Alissa Bartz, Jackie Menzel, Lindsay Correll, Jerica Crook-6th)

400-Yard Medley Relay--UW-La Crosse (Fallon Toomsen, Steph Karis, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin-4th)

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UW-Stevens Point's Fahrner Named Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete

RELEASED: Tuesday, February 24, 2004

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Berit Fahrner has been named the 2004 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Fahrner, a senior from Minneapolis, Minn. (South H.S.), is majoring in elementary education with a minor in Spanish and maintains a 3.61 grade point average. She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been named to UW-Stevens Point's Dean's List three semesters. Fahrner has also received UW-Stevens Point's Distinguished Achievement Award.

Fahrner, a team captain, helped the Pointers to a second-place finish at this year's WIAC Championship for the third straight season. She is a two-time All-WIAC Second Team performer in the 200-yard butterfly and holds the school record in the 400-yard individual medley. Fahrner received the team's Most Valuable Player and Hardest Worker Awards in 2003.

Fahrner has served as a preschool classroom volunteer in Stevens Point and Minneapolis. She has also spent time as a volunteer tutor at UW-Stevens Point.

Fahrner becomes the seventh women's swimmer from UW-Stevens Point to win the league's scholastic award, joining Jen Randall (2003), Christine Sammons (2002), Becca Uphoff (2000), Nan Werdin (1994), Janet Gelwicks (1989) and Laura Adee (1987).

Also nominated for this year's scholar-athlete award were: UW-Eau Claire's Adria Bye, Krista DeJarlais and Elizabeth VonFeldt, UW-Oshkosh's Julie Gibbons and UW-River Falls' Lucy Williams.

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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UW-La Crosse Wins Third Straight Women's Swimming and Diving Crown

Oshkosh, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won its third straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) women's swimming and diving championship following the three-day league meet at UW-Oshkosh's Albee Hall on February 21.

The Eagles won the league crown with 964.50 team points. UW-Stevens Point was second (923), followed by UW-Eau Claire (518), UW-Oshkosh (365), UW-Whitewater (251.50) and UW-River Falls (206).

UW-La Crosse claimed an impressive 11 individual titles and four relay crowns en route to the championship. Carlene Empanger, Shara Geurts, Anne Melvin, Elizabeth Miles and Fallon Toomsen were double-winners for the Eagles. Empanger won the 500-yard freestyle and 1650-yard freestyle for the second straight season with times of 5:01.87 and 17:40.66, respectively. She was voted the Swimmer of the Meet for her efforts. Empanger's time in the 1650-yard freestyle established a conference record, while her time of 5:01.51 in the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle also set a new league mark.

Geurts won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.81 and 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:11.57, while Melvin won the 50-yard freestyle for the second straight season with a time of 24.46. She shared this year's title with UW-Eau Claire's Cori Severson. Melvin also successfully defended her crown in the 100-yard butterfly with a conference-record time of 57.93.

Miles won the 200-yard butterfly for third straight year with a time of 2:11.27 and secured the title in 400-yard individual medley with a conference-record time of 4:35.56.

Toomsen won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 59.68 and claimed the 200-yard backstroke for the third straight year with a time of 2:09.42.

UW-La Crosse's Krista Melvin won the 200-yard freestyle for the third straight season with a league-record time of 1:54.71. Melvin also set a conference record in the preliminaries of the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.43.

UW-La Crosse successfully defended relay titles in the 400-yard freestyle relay, 800-yard freestyle relay and 400-yards medley relay. Geurts, Toomsen, Anne Melvin and Krista Melvin teamed to set a conference record in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:31.97. Kelly Hackbarth, Krista Melvin, Geurts and Empanger won the 800-yard freestyle record with a league-record time of 7:47.96.

Steph Karis, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin and Toomsen set a conference record in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 3:55.14, while Lexi Fink, Anne Melvin, Toomsen and Karis claimed the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:48.82.

UW-Stevens Point's Jennie Roskopf captured the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke titles with times of 1:08.27 and 2:26.53, respectively.

The Pointer quartet of Alissa Bartz, Jerica Crook, Kelsey Crunstedt and Erica Janssen won the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:38.78.

UW-Oshkosh's Rachel Heitkamp was named the Diver of the Meet for the second straight season after successfully defending her titles in the one-meter and three-meter events with marks of 428.25 and 495.25, respectively. She also won the one-meter crown during the 2001 championship. Heitkamp set a conference record in the preliminaries of the three-meter competition with a score of 510.85.

UW-La Crosse head coach Rich Pein was voted the Coach of the Year by the league coaches, marking the eighth time in his career he has won the award (2002, 2001, 1998, 1995, 1992, 1987, 1986).

Team Scores:
1. UW-La Crosse 964.50
2. UW-Stevens Point 923
3. UW-Eau Claire 518
4. UW-Oshkosh 365
5. UW-Whitewater 251.50
6. UW-River Falls 206

Individual Event Champions:
50-Yard Freestyle--Anne Melvin (UW-La Crosse) and Cori Severson (UW-Eau Claire), 24.46
100-Yard Freestyle--Shara Geurts (UW-La Crosse), 52.81=
200-Yard Freestyle--Krista Melvin (UW-La Crosse), 1:54.71*
500-Yard Freestyle--Carlene Empanger (UW-La Crosse), 5:01.87#
1650-Yard Freestyle---Carlene Empanger (UW-La Crosse), 17:40.66*
100-Yard Backstroke--Fallon Toomsen (UW-La Crosse), 59.68
200-Yard Backstroke-Fallon Toomsen (UW-La Crosse), 2:09.42
100-Yard Breaststroke--Jennie Roskopf (UW-Stevens Point), 1:08.27
200-Yard Breaststroke--Jennie Roskopf (UW-Stevens Point), 2:26.53
100-Yard Butterfly--Anne Melvin (UW-La Crosse), 57.93*
200-Yard Butterfly--Elizabeth Miles (UW-La Crosse), 2:11.27
200-Yard Individual Medley--Shara Geurts (UW-La Crosse), 2:11.57
400-Yard Individual Medley--Elizabeth Miles (UW-La Crosse), 4:35.56*
One-Meter Diving--Rachel Heitkamp (UW-Oshkosh), 428.25
Three-Meter Diving--Rachel Heitkamp (UW-Oshkosh), 495.25+

200-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-Stevens Point (Alissa Bartz, Jerica Crook, Kelsey Crunstedt, Erica Janssen), 1:38.78
400-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Shara Geurts, Fallon Toomsen, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin), 3:31.97
800-Yard Freestyle Relay--UW-La Crosse (Krista Melvin, Shara Geurts, Kelly Hackbarth, Carlene Empanger), 7:47.96*
200-Yard Medley Relay--UW-La Crosse (Fallon Toomsen, Steph Karis, Anne Melvin, Lexi Fink), 1:48.82
400-Yard Medley Relay--UW-La Crosse (Fallon Toomsen, Steph Karis, Anne Melvin, Krista Melvin), 3:55.14*

*Conference Record
=UW-La Crosse's Krista Melvin established conference record of 52.43 in preliminaries
#Established conference record of 5:01.51 in preliminaries
+Established conference record of 510.85 in preliminaries

Swimmer of the Meet: Carlene Empanger of UW-La Crosse
Diver of the Meet: Rachel Heitkamp of UW-Oshkosh
Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete: Berit Fahrner of UW-Stevens Point
Coach of the Year: Rich Pein of UW-La Crosse

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