November 1, 2009
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage Web Page: www.carthagesports.com
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Women’s Swimming Nips Lake Forest, 104-101, on Nov. 6;
St. Mary’s College (Ind.) Next on Friday at Purdue
This Week: The Carthage College women’s swimming team (1-1 dual-meet record) nipped Lake Forest College,104-101, 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 with a 144-118 loss to Hope College at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis.
Next Week: Carthage travels to West Lafayette, Ind., on Friday, Nov. 13 to take on St. Mary’s College (Ind.) in a 6 p.m., EST dual meet at Purdue University’s Boilermaker Aquatic Center.
2009 NCAA Championship: The Carthage College women’s swimming team finished ninth at the Wednesday-Saturday, March 18-22 NCAA Division III Women’s Swimming Championship at the University of Minnesota’s Dorothy L. Sheppard Pool in the University Aquatic Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Kenyon College won the championship with 560 points, followed by Emory University second at 466.50, Denison University third at 413, Williams College fourth at 334.50, Amherst College fifth at 201.50, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps College sixth at 174, Calvin College seventh at 171, Wisconsin-La Crosse eighth at 125, Carthage ninth at 114 and Johns Hopkins University 10th with 105 points. Carthage finished 27th at last year’s championship, and this year’s ninth-place finish was the highest for a CCIW team since the 2003 Illinois Wesleyan University squad finished seventh.
Carthage’s Amanda Croix (Jr., Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) finished third in the 50 freestyle (Carthage-record 23.10) and fourth in the 100 freestyle (Carthage-record 50.29) to earn College Swimming Coaches of America All-American honors. Michelle Pelka (Jr., Elgin, Ill./Elgin Academy) finished fourth in the 400 individual medley (Carthage-record 4:25.24 seconds, besting her school record of 4:29.86) and eighth in the 200 butterfly (Carthage-record 2:05.14) to earn CSCAA All-America honors. Pelka teamed with Sarah Reynertson, Alyssa Messina and Croix in taking sixth in the 200 freestyle relay (Carthage-record 1:35.23) and eighth in the 400 freestyle relay (Carthage-record 3:30.44). Sarah Reynertson didn’t advance to the finals in the 50 freestyle. Reynertson finished 31st in preliminaries in 24.18. Michelle Pelka took 31st in the 200 individual medley in 2:09.14 and failed to advance. The Carthage 200 medley relay team of Croix, Reynertson, Pelka and Alyssa Messina finished 24th out of 24 teams in 1:49.97.
2009 CCIW Championship: The Carthage College women’s swimming team (5-2 dual-meet record) ranked 14th in the Jan. 13 “CollegeSwimming.com” NCAA Division III poll, finished second at the Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 19-21 CCIW Swimming Championship at the Wheaton College (Ill.) Chrouser Fitness Center in Wheaton, Ill. Wheaton (Ill.) won its 17th championship and 12th in a row with 872 points, just 17 points ahead of second-place Carthage at 855. The 17-point loss was the closest the Lady Reds have ever come to winning a CCIW title since the league began sponsoring the sport in 1987. The Thunder led the Lady Reds by just three points after the first day. Carthage has finished second at the last five conference championships Illinois Wesleyan University was third at 629, followed by the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology fourth at 297, Augustana College (Ill.) fifth at 273, Millikin University sixth at 232 and North Central College seventh with 175 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 six-team event with 349.50 points, followed by Carroll University second at 125, Lawrence University third at 115, Ripon College fourth at 83, Beloit College fifth at 70 and St. Norbert College sixth with 49 points. For the Lady Reds, the state title was their seventh in a row and ninth since 1997.
The Coach: Beth DeLaRosby (6-3 dual-meet record, 2 years), in her second year in 2009-10, was named 2009 CCIW “Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year” in her first year as head coach. A native of Two Harbors, Minn., DeLaRosby was an assistant swimming coach at Springfield College in 2006-07 and 2007-08. Prior to that, she served as an assistant coach at Wheaton College (Mass.) in 2005-06. DeLaRosby attended Gustavus Adolphus College, where she earned College Swimming Coaches Association of America first-team All-America honors in both 2004 and 2005, placing third in the 50-freestyle in 2004 and tying for sixth place in the same event in 2005. She graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s in psychology and criminal justice and received her master’s in physical education from Springfield in 2008. Tom Carroll serves as a part-time assistant coach, with Lauren Croix and Guy Gniotczynski as graduate assistant coaches.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 64th year in 2009-10, has sponsored women’s swimming as a championship sport since 1987. Wheaton College (Ill.) has won 17 championships, including the last 12 in a row, and Augustana College (Ill.) has won six times. The CCIW has 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’s Amanda Croix (Jr., Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) was named CollegeSwimming.com NCAA Division III “Swimmer of the Week” on Nov. 3. Croix won three events against Hope College on Oct. 31, taking first place in the 50 freestyle (23.83), the 100 freestyle (52.78) and the 200 freestyle (1:55.35). She also assisted in winning the 200 medley relay.
CCIW Swimmer of the Week: Molly Clennon (Fr., Naperville, Ill./Lisle-Benet Academy) from Augustana College (Ill.) and Illinois Wesleyan University’s Katie McHugh (Fr., Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) were named CCIW “Co-Women’s Swimmer of the Week” on Nov. 3. Clennon won both the 1,000 (11:58.93) and 100 freestyle (57.25) and anchored a winning 200 freestyle relay during a dual meet with Millikin University on Oct, 31. McHugh had a lifetime-best time in the 200 butterfly (2:16.72) in a home triangular meet with Wabash College and the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Oct. 31. Her time of 5:35.68 in the 500 freestyle was an un-tapered best, and both times were first-place finishes.
Nov. 6 Lake Forest College Notes: In Carthage’s 104-101 win at Lake Forest College on Nov.6, the Lady Reds picked up wins from Michelle Pelka (Jr., Elgin, Ill./Elgin Academy) in both the 100 butterfly (1:07.69) and the 100 breaststroke (1:21.95), as well as Amanda Croix (Jr., Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) in the 100 freestyle (59.68).