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YSU diving, swimming team in league event
Special to the Vindicator
Photo
YSU freshman diver Casey Hill
CHICAGO — A youthful Youngstown State swimming and diving team is set to compete at the Horizon League championships today through Saturday at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
The Horizon League Network (HorizonLeagueNetwork.tv) will air live final-event coverage, featuring an interactive blog. Events begin at 11:30 each day with various preliminary events. All finals will be held at 7 p.m. except for Friday when they begin at 6:30.
YSU has one senior on its roster: distance freestyle swimmer Hillary Barrett. Barrett will compete the first day in the 1,000 free and on the final evening in the 1,650.
Juniors who will bring experience are Caitlin Cook, Alana Kane and Amanda Carpin. Cook has been strong in the butterfly events while Kane has had a productive season in freestyle. Cook, who did not swim at the HL meet as freshman because of injury, placed sixth last year in the 200-yard butterfly while Kane’s best finish at the league meet was 18th as a freshman in the 200 free. Carpin was ninth in the one-meter and 11th in the three-meter last year.
The sophomore class could make a strong push in their second league meet appearance. Nishani Cicilson, who was 12th in the 50 freestyle last season, has the third-best time in the league entering the championships this year in that event. Kirstin Walker has been one of the most consistent performers this year in the freestyle events. Last year, Walker was 15th in the 100-yard freestyle in her first appearance at the league meet.
Audria Grubbs has been strong in the freestyle throughout the season and placed 20th in the 200 free last season. Katie Wolf swam three personal-best times at last year’s meet, and placed in the top 20 in the 1,650 and 400 IM.
The freshmen will be counted on to make a huge impact. Looking to make a splash in the pool is Sam Roberts while freshman Casey Hill could challenge for the titles in both diving events.
Roberts, who has the team’s top times in four events this year, has already established a new school mark this season in the 200-yard breaststroke. She also ranks second in the 100 breast in school history. Hill has steady improved throughout the season and had her best performances — 293.25 in the three meter and 284.45 in the one meter — at the YSU Diving Invitational earlier this month.
Other freshmen who could have breakthrough performances at the meet include Amanda Ritzenthaler in the backstroke, Rachel Tano in the breaststroke, Megan Palmer in the butterfly as well as Liseli Baich and Rachel Harbarger in the multi-events.
The Penguins’ last diving champion was Kalyn Leveto in 2005 while the last swimmer to win an individual event was Erin Carter in the 400 IM in 2004. Leveto won two one-meter titles (2003 and 2005) in her career while taking the top spot in the three-meter in 2002 and 2003. Brandit Goettsch won the three-meter competition in 2002.