Record Holders Lead Penguins Into Horizon League Championships
2/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Swimming and Diving
Four swimming event record holders will lead the Youngstown State swimming and diving team into the Horizon League Championships which start on Wednesday at the Walter Schroeder Aquatic Center in Brown Deer, Wis.
Current Penguins, Jana Janson, Madison Aranda, Viktoria Orosz and Ashley Dow own 11 of the 14 swimming records in school history. Dow will be competing in her fourth and final Horizon League meet while Janson will take part in her third. Aranda and Orosz, who have set seven school records this year will be swimming at their first league meet.
Orosz has had a tremendous freshman season for the Penguins setting school records in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 1,000 freestyle, 1,650 freestyle and 200 IM. She has 24 first-place finishes this year and enters the HL Championships having won nine straight events. Her most recent school record came in the 1,000-yard freestyle on Jan. 23.
Entering the league championships, she ranks first in the 200 free by .85 seconds, first in the 500 free by .15 seconds, second in the 1,000 free and third in the 1,650 freestyle. No YSU swimmer has won a freestyle title since the Penguins joined the conference. Only two YSU swimmers, Dow and Erin Carter have won conference championships.
Dow, a three-time conference champion, sits fifth in the 100-yard backstroke and sixth in the 200 back entering the league meet. She won both the 100 and 200 in 2013 and placed first in the 100 in 2012. Last year she was second in the 100 back.
Aranda is another freshman who has had a tremendous first season. She won 15 events this year and set school marks in the 200 butterfly and 400 IM. During the regular season, Aranda had the fourth fastest time in the 1,650 freestyle, fifth fastest 1,000 free, sixth fastest 500 free, ninth fastest 200 fly and 10th fastest 400 IM.
Last year Janson set the 50-yard freestyle record at the league meet and swam the second-fastest time in school history in the 100 free. She placed eighth in the 50 free and 10th in the 100 free last year.
Also looking to score points for the swimmers are senior Chelsea Malone, Kolbrun Jonsdottir, Hannah Reynolds and Stefane van Niekerk.
YSU has a strong contingent of divers that will be in the championship mix. Sophomores Lydia Scheringer, Bailey Dipman and Megan Siford are the veterans of a young group while freshmen McKenzie Stelter and Bethany Glick will be competing at their first Horizon League event. Stelter has the top one and three meter dive scores for the Guins this season. Scheringer's best dives have been this month and she was ninth last year in the three-meter at the league meet.
Horizon League Championships Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Prelims: 12:00 p.m. - 1,000-yard freestyle
Finals: 6:45 p.m. (diving); 7:30 p.m. (swimming)
Events: Women's 1-meter diving, 200-freestyle relay, 1,000-freestyle, 200-medley relay
Thursday, Feb. 26
Prelims: 10:30 a.m.
Finals: 7 p.m. (swimming)
Events: 500-freestyle, 200-individual medley, 50-freestyle, 400-medley relay
Friday, Feb. 27
Prelims: 10:30 a.m.
Finals: 6:15 p.m. (diving); 7 p.m. (swimming)
Events: Women's 3-meter diving, 400-individual medley, 100-butterfly, 200-freestyle, 100-breaststroke, 100-backstroke, 800-freestyle relay
Saturday, Feb. 28
Prelims: 10:30 a.m.
Finals: 7 p.m. (swimming)
Events: 1,650-freestyle, 200-backstroke, 100-freestyle, 200-breaststroke, 200-butterfly, 400-freestyle relay
