Michigan State University
M Swimming at Oakland
Swimming and Diving Splits A Pair Of Meets At Oakland
2/1/2003 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
Feb. 1, 2003
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Michigan State men's and women's swimming and diving team split its final dual meet of the season against the Oakland Grizzlies on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the OU Aquatic Center in Rochester, Mich. The women were able to defeat Oakland 131-111, but the men stumbled against the Grizzlies by a narrow 124.5-117.5 margin. The women claimed seven event victories in the win, while the men took six first-place finishes.
Six different Spartans claimed individual event victories for the Spartan women, while four others combined for a relay win. The women took the lead in the opening event, as Kate Duncombe (Erie, Pa.), Courtney Ellabarger (Carmel, Ind.), Tammy Jones (Conyers, Ga.) and Alicia Copestick (East Liverpool, Ohio) won the 400-medley relay in a time of 3:55.15.
Michigan State recieved a positive glimpse into the future as each of the four swimming titles went to a member of the Spartans' freshmen class. Rachael Hagerman (Goodland, Kan.) and Tesla Hughes (Taft, Tenn.) took both ends of the freestyle, winning the 50 and 1000 races, respectively. Emily Crookall-Nixon (Cumbria, England) won the 200 backstroke, while Erika Templeton (Canton, Ohio) won the 200 breaststroke.
Sophomore diver Dianna Anderson won her first collegiate event title on the one-meter board with a score of 256.43. Senior Stephanie Anisko (Mississauga, Ont.) won the three-meter title in her final collegiate dual meet, with a score of 304.43.
The Spartan men received a pair of victories from senior co-captain Joe Brennan (Poway, Calif.), who won the 200 and 500 freestyle events. Senior diver Nick Visscher (Holland, Mich.) swept both diving events in his last collegiate regular season meet. Visscher scored a 297.53 on the one-metere and a 266.25 on the three-meter. The Spartan men swept the top-three positions on both boards as Justin Laskowski (Bay City, Mich.) and Patrick Sheahan-Stahl (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) finished second and third, respectively.
The MSU also got a pair of wins from two freshmen, as David Habel (Cincinnati, Ohio) won the 1000-freestyle and Rudolf Wagenaar (Capetown, South Africa) won the 200 backstroke.
"The women did a really good job," head coach Jim Lutz stated. "We mixed up the lineup a little and they really rose to the occasion. The men also swam really well, but we just came up short. We were out-touched on a couple of very close races, but our guys really competed out there."
The Spartans now have two weeks to prepare for the Big Ten Championships. The women's championships begin on Feb. 19 in West Lafayette, Ind., while the men take to the water again on Feb. 27 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Players Mentioned
