Saturday, February 25, 2012

Valparaiso’s women swam to a seventh place finish at the Horizon League Championships which concluded on Saturday evening at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, Wis., bringing to a close the 2011-2012 season.

The Crusaders scored 137 points over four days, 13 more than eighth place Butler.  Championship host Milwaukee won the meet with 759.5 points followed by Cleveland State with 675.5 points.  Green Bay finished third (631 points) followed by UIC (566.5), Wright State (402.5), Youngstown State (364), and Valpo.

Andrea Bretl (Wauwatosa, Wis./West H.S.) started the day with the seventh best finish in school history in the mile.  The sophomore posted a time of 18:24.66.  Alex Caruthers (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard H.S.) also moved on to the Crusaders’ all-time charts with the eighth best mark ever in the event, touching the wall in 18:37.40.  Megan Mariani (Waukegan, Ill./Warren Township H.S.) had her best collegiate time as well with a mark of 20:17.93.

Natalie Jarrett (Lebanon, Ind./Western Boone H.S.) posted the fourth best 200 breaststroke mark in school history with a time of 2:27.45 while Makenna Cannon (Delafield, Wis./Kettle Moraine H.S.) moved into sixth on the all-time charts with her time of 2:30.96.  Katrina Peters (Crystal Lake, Ill./Central H.S.) added the 10^th fastest time all-time, touching the wall in 2:34.50.

Jarrett also led the way for the Brown and Gold in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:10.83.  Stephanie Steiner (Bluffton, Ohio/Bluffton H.S.) added her best time since arriving at Valpo finishing in 2:32.36.

In the 100 freestyle, Lauren Knop (Geneva, Ill./Geneva H.S.) posted Valpo’s fastest time of the day, 56.40 seconds.  Three others added their personal best marks in the event.  Nicole Michalowski (Diamond, Ill./Coal City H.S.), and Katie Meunier (Mukwanago, Wis./Mukwanago H.S.) turned  in times of 58.42 and 59.82 seconds respectively while Laura Fowler (Olney, Md./Good Counsel H.S.) finished in 1:01.47.

Justine Barnes (Rochester Hills, Mich./Adams H.S.) turned in a season’s best time of 2:18.86 as Valpo’s lone entrant in the 200 butterfly.

The meet concluded with an eighth place finish in the 400 freestyle relay.  The team of Knop, Flavia Segatto (Pembroke Pines, Fla./Charleow Flanigan H.S.), Ali Taubert (Bloomington, Ill./University H.S.), and  Jarrett finished  with a time of 3:42.76.