November 4, 2009

Contact:

Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740

E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu

Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388

Men’s Swimming Defeats Lake Forest, 126-78, on Nov. 6;

Purdue University Next on Friday in West Lafayette, Ind.

This Week:  The Carthage College men’s swimming team (1-1 dual-meet record) defeated Lake Forest College, 126-78, on Friday, Nov. 6 at the Lake Forest Sports Center in Lake Forest, Ill.

Last Week:  Carthage opened its 2009-10 season on Saturday, Oct. 31 by edging Hope College, 133-129, in a 1dual meet at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis.

Next Week:  Carthage travels to West Lafayette, Ind., to take on NCAA Division I Purdue University in a 6 p.m., EST dual meet at Purdue’s Boilermaker Aquatic Center.

2009 NCAA Championship: The Carthage College men’s swimming team tied for 40th place at the Wednesday-Saturday, March 18-22 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming Championship at the University of Minnesota’s Dorothy L. Sheppard Pool in the University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn.  Stephen Schranck (graduated-senior, Alton, Ill./Marquette Catholic) was the Red Men’s lone qualifier, and he finished seventh in the 200 breaststroke (2:01.67) to earn College Swimming Coaches of America All-America honors.  Schranck also swam in the 400 individual medley on Thursday, March 19 and in the 100 breaststroke on Friday, March 20 but did not qualify for the final in either event.

2009 CCIW Championship:  The Carthage College men’s swimming team (3-3 dual-meet record), ranked 20th in the Jan. 13 “CollegeSwimming.com” NCAA Division III poll, won the Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 19-21 CCIW Swimming Championship at the Wheaton College (Ill.) Chrouser Fitness Center in Wheaton, Ill.  The Red Men won their third conference championship in four years and second in a row with 1,035 points, a whopping 301 points ahead of second-place Wheaton (Ill.) at 734.  The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology was third at 482, followed by Illinois Wesleyan University fourth at 460, Millikin University fifth at 274, Augustana College (Ill.) sixth at 178 and North Central College seventh with 157 points. 

2009 Wisconsin Private College Championship:  Carthage won the Wisconsin Private College Swimming Championship on Saturday, Jan. 31 at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis.  Carthage won the five-team event with 378 points. followed by Lawrence University second at 123, Ripon third at 73 and both Beloit College and Carroll University tied for fourth place with 42 points each.  For the Red Men, the state title was their seventh in a row and ninth overall since 1998.

The Coach: Greg Earhart is in his ninth year as head coach in 2009-10 (63-18 dual-meet record, 9 years).  He was named CCIW “Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year" in 2002 and 2006 and “Men’s Swimming Co-Coach of the Year” in 2004.  Earhart guided the Red Men to conference championships in 2006, 2008 and 2009.  Heather Croix serves as a part-time assistant coach, Guy Gniotczynski as a graduate assistant coach and Andy Bax as a student assistant coach.

The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 64th year in 2009-10, has sponsored men’s swimming as a championship sport since 1947, and North Central College won 18 of the league’s first 22 titles.  Wheaton College (Ill.) has won 25 titles, all since 1972.  The Thunder’s record includes 17-of-21 championships since 1983, six in a row from 1990 to 1995 and nine straight from 1997 to 2005.  Carthage College snapped Wheaton’s nine-year streak by claiming the 2006 title, and the Red Men also won the 2008 and 2009 championships.  The CCIW added the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, located in Terre Haute, Ind., as an associate conference member for men’s and women’s swimming, beginning with the 2007-08 academic year.  Rose-Hulman, a member of the Heartland Conference in all other sports, is the CCIW’s first associate member.

CollegeSwimming.com “Swimmer of the Week’:  Carthage College’s Nathan Ripley (Sr., Middleton, Wis.) was named CollegeSwimming.com NCAA Division III “Men’s Swimmer of the Week” on Nov. 3.  Ripley won three events against Hope College on Oct. 31, taking first place in the 50 freestyle (21.87), the 100 freestyle (46.82) and the 200 freestyle (1:46.01).  He also assisted on the winning 400 freestyle relay (3:14.16).  

CCIW Swimmer of the Week:  Illinois Wesleyan University’s Kendall Held (Jr., Springfield, Ill./Sacred Hear Griffin) was named CCIW “Men’s Swimmer of the Week” on Nov. 3.  Held had an un-tapered best time of 23.24 in the 50 freestyle at a home triangular meet with Wabash College and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Oct. 31. His time was 0.4 seconds faster than at this point in the season last year. Held also anchored the 200-yard freestyle relay with a split of 22.17. He was 0.2 seconds off of his lifetime

Nov. 6 Lake Forest College Notes:  In Carthage’s 126-78 win at Lake Forest College on Nov. 6, the Red Men picked up wins from Steven Mathe (Fr., Wauconda, Ill./Mundelein-Carmel Catholic) in the 800 freestyle (9:33.61), Mitchell Jackson (Jr., St. Louis, Mo./University City) in the 200 freestyle (2:054.54), Doug Schranck (So., Alton, Ill./Marquette Catholic) in the 50 freestyle (25.32), Jon Bond (Fr., Dixon, Ill.) in the 200 individual medley (2:23.44), Chris Varner (Jr., Wildwood, Mo./Eureka) in the 100 butterfly, Isaac Rothenbaum (Jr., Oak Park, Ill../Oak Park-River Forest) in the 400 freestyle (4:34.61).