Women's Swimming Aims for Success at Big Tens
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
February 18, 1999
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State will travel to Minneapolis, Minn., to compete in the Big Ten Championships Feb. 18-20. This year the Spartans will look to the veterans to improve upon last years 10th-place finish as they face defending champion Michigan and the rest of their conference rivals. Despite a 2-7 record (0-7 Big Ten), the Spartans are hopeful going into the meet that they will see improvement from last years finish.
Kim Zieman is a hopeful finalist in the one- and three-meter dives. She has been improving steadily since her arrival at MSU and will have the chance to finish her MSU career with a possible Big Ten Championship. She has been a consistent finalist at Big Tens since her freshman year.
Freshman Ildiko Szekely has led the Spartans in the 200 butterfly and looks to be a contender in this years Big Tens. Szekely holds the Spartans best times this season in the 500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle, 200 butterfly and 400 individual medley. Other top performers are Rachel Frumkin, Catrin Lenfers, Dianne Oliver, Dawn Polk and Carly Weiden.
BLAST TO THE PAST: MSU is looking forward to regain their standing in the Big Tens. It was only two years ago that the Spartans finished seventh of 11. Their last top-five finish was fourth in 1989. The Spartans have not won the title since 1975 when they captured it for three straight years (1973-75).
Despite last years finish, MSU has experienced swimmers who have appeared in the top 10.
Dianne Oliver swam to a fourth-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle (23.35) in her debut as a freshman in 1997. Oliver was also on the eighth-place 200 medley relay team, along with with Catrin Lenfers. Lenfers also finished 10th in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.97) as a freshman. As a sophomore in 1997, Rachel Frumkin contributed with a ninth-place finish in 200 breaststroke.