Dec. 2, 2007
Columbus, Ohio -
The Fighting Illini swimming and diving team finished the fall portion of their season on Sunday with a sixth place finish at the Ohio State Invitational. Minnesota won the invite title with 1168.5 points.
"The last three sessions of the meet were maybe the best, so far this season," head coach Sue Novitsky said. "We put together consistent swims with the extra effort necessary to compete against tough competition. Participating in meets like this will definitely help us at the end of the season."
Junior Marissa Clapp completed an impressive weekend taking third place in the 200 Breast with a time of 2:18.68 on Sunday. Over three days of competition, Clapp scored 48 points for the Illini and claimed three top-five finishes including, a season best time of 2:04.21 in the 200 IM.
Junior Lindsey Shirley took seventh place in the 1650 Free for the Orange and Blue on Sunday. Sophomore Jen Ivarson took second place in the consolation final of the 200 Fly with a time of 2:08.20, while freshman Ann Miller took seventh.
Facing some of the top collegiate divers in the country provided a valuable experience for the young corps of Illini divers. With Big Ten Championships held at Ohio State, getting a feel for the diving well at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion was important.
"We were able to learn a lot this weekend," diving coach Chris Waters said. "Going up against this kind of talent will only help us progress and make the corrections that we need to in order to become the best we can. Learning the ins and outs of this facility now will definitely benefit us when we return in February.'
The Illini will train over the next month to prepare for the most important stretch of their season.
"We are going kick our training into high gear to make sure we have done the yardage, weights and dry land work necessary to be successful at the important meets in February," Novitsky said. "Our training regimen and annual trip to Florida will prepare the team to accomplish the goals we have set."
The Illini are back in action Jan. 11 with a tri-meet against Indiana, Michigan and Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., at 6 p.m.
