Aug. 5, 2002

Champaign, Ill. - This month four University of Illinois swimmers are competing in both national and international competitions as the summer swimming season winds down across the world. Ilkay Dikmen, who will be a junior when school begins later this month, recently represented her native Turkey at the European Championships. In the meantime, her Illinois teammates Jessica Aveyard, Trisha Lakatos and Crystal McAdam are preparing to compete in their own national championships later this month.

Dikmen, who swam at the 2000 Olympic Games, earlier this month placed ninth in the 200 breaststroke at the European Championships held in Berlin, Germany. Her time of 2:32.64 was just .32 off her national record time of 2:32.32. She also placed 16th in the 100 breast in a time of 1:12.49. Dikmen will have another shot at resetting the record she narrowly missed when she swims at the Turkish National Champioships later this month.

This week Illini sophomore-to-be Trisha Lakatos will compete in the 50, 100 and 200 breaststrokes at the Canadian National Championships, scheduled to be held August 6-10 at Saanich Commonwealth Place in Victoria, B.C..Lakatos is the defending Canadian Junior National Champion in the 100 breaststroke and she is also a returning senior nationals finalist in that event.

Finally, former Illini swimmer Jessica Aveyard and Crystal McAdam will be competing at the USA Swimming Summer Nationals August 12-17 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Aveyard, who graduated this year after becoming Illinois' first three-time All-American, will compete in the 100 back, 400 free, 200 free and 200 back. McAdam, who will be a junior in the fall, will compete in the 200 IM, 200 free and 800 free.

The USA Swimming Summer Nationals will serve as the selection meet for the following international competitions: the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships, 2003 Duel in the Pool: United States vs Australia, 2003 World Championships, 2003 World University Games and the 2003 Pan American Games.