July 23, 2008

Champaign, Ill. - Orange and Blue swimmers were well-represented at Speedo Champions Series competitions around the nation from July 15-17. Sixteen current and future Illini athletes participated at meets in Brown Deer, Wis., Mount Hood, Ore., Bloomington, Ind., and Oklahoma City, Okla.

In Brown Deer, eight returning and two incoming Illini swam against teams from across the Midwest. Senior Marissa Clapp captured five top-12 finishes, including second place finishes in the 200 IM and 400 IM. Fellow senior Lindsey Shirley along with junior Jen Ivarson made three appearances in event finals. Junior Cece Marizu grabbed two final swim appearances, placing sixth in the 200 Back, while senior Ali Keehn rounded out the meet for the Illini by qualifying for finals in the 100 Fly.

Two letterwinners, senior Katie Theiessen and sophomore Sarah Stoneburg, along with two future Illini swam in Bloomington, while in Oregon and Oklahoma incoming freshmen Torrey Loper and Kelly Kunkel competed against top competition from their respective regions.

Illinois head coach Sue Novitsky was excited about the opportunity for her athletes to participate in some strong summer competition.

"Our returning athletes made some terrific adjustments throughout the weekend and have put themselves in a nice position for the start of the new season," Novitsky said. "In addition, it was good to see some of our incoming athletes compete and see their excitement about being able to represent Illinois in the fall. Overall, it is fantastic to see many of our athletes working hard this summer in order to get themselves ready for the upcoming season."