Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
Miami
Herd Splits Home Tri-Meet with Regional Rivals
1/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
Jan. 20, 2007
HUNTINGTON - The Marshall Thundering Herd women's swimming and diving team tallied a program-best 259 points, defeating the Radford Highlanders Friday evening at the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium. The Herd (5-5) lost to the Miami RedHawks (9-0) in the nightcap 183-117.
Marshall's 225-point victory was the Herd's largest winning margin of the season. The Herd improved its all-time record to 5-0 over the Highlanders (4-5), which has lost five of its last six road meets.
"I thought we matched up very well head-to-head with Miami and Radford," Marshall head coach Leonard Kraus said. "It was the closest meet we've ever had with Miami."
Junior co-captain Ashley McIlvain (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood) notched a five-second victory in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:35.42. Miami's Tyler Smith finished second at 10:40.38. Danielle Chappelle (London, Ontario/Central Secondary) finished fourth (10:53.40), followed by Jessica Prater (South Point, Ohio/Grace Christian) and Sarah Brunette (Sarasota, Fla./Sarasota) in fifth and sixth, respectively.
In the 200-yard freestyle, junior co-captain Renee Lambert (Maryville, Tenn./William Blount) was the Herd's highest finisher - a third-place performance (1:57.73). Freshman Kristin Wheatley (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) finished fourth (2:00.65). Wheatley later finished second in both the 200-yard butterfly (2:10.03) and the 200-yard IM (2:10.54).
"Kristin Wheatley had her best meet of the season thus far," Kraus said. "Ashley's (McIlvain) and Michaela's (Sceli) victories in the 1000 and the 200 breast were very instrumental in our performance today."
Michaela Sceli (LaSalle, Ontario/St. Thomas of Villanova), the school record holder in both the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke, finished second in the 100-yard discipline (1:06.79). She later captured the 200-yard event with a time of 2:24.97.
Freshmen Julia Petzka (Muelheim an der Ruhr, Germany/Riverton) and Erin Kennedy (Simpsonville, S.C./Mauldin) finished second and third, respectively, in the 100-yard backstroke.
Siobhan Schuurman (Edmonton, Alberta/Ross Sheppard) recorded a third-place finish on the three-meter boards before finishing second in the one-meter event.
Later in the meet, junior Lauren Ford (St. Albans, W.Va./Nitro) won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:10.39.
"Lauren (Ford) continues to swim better and better as the weeks progress," Kraus said. "We swam well most of the way. We were unable to finish off Miami. But, that ability to put teams away will come with rest.
"If we are able to do that, we will be a very difficult team to face at conference."
The Marshall Thundering Herd concludes its the 2006-2007 regular season schedule when it hosts the Ohio University Bobcats Tuesday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m.
Players Mentioned
