Jan. 25, 2008

ST. LOUIS - With the Saint Louis swimming and diving season winding down, the Billikens have just two more meets to prepare for the Atlantic 10 Championships Feb. 20-23 in Buffalo, N.Y. That preparation continues this weekend when SLU takes on Lindenwood, Lincoln and the Illinois Institute of Technology at the Rec-Plex in St. Charles, Mo., on Saturday at 1 p.m.

The 15-4 Billiken men's team has enjoyed a great deal of success this season, including breaking three school records. Senior co-captain Brad Byars (Marion, Ill. / Marion), who is a three-time A-10 Performer of the Week this season, has played a large role in those achievements as he shattered the school standard in the 100 free (45.27) at Southern Illinois with the top time in the A-10 this season. He also swam the leadoff leg of the 800 free relay (6:57.37) that eclipsed the school record on Jan. 18. Byars owns the second-fastest time in the league in the 200 free (1:41.72), the third-best performance in the 50 free (21.24) and the fourth-fastest time in the 100 fly (51.06).

Another Billiken who is leading by example is Michael Dahle (St. Louis, Mo. / Lindbergh), who has experienced an exceptional freshman campaign. He has earned an A-10 best four Rookie of the Week honors, and posted the league's top 1000 free time (9:43.00) last weekend. That performance also bettered SLU's school record by nearly three and a half seconds. He owns six of the Bills' all-time top-10 1000 free performances.

Though the SLU women had their dual-meet win streak snapped at 61 early in the season, the Bills have posted a 15-3-1 mark. Junior Elena Ramirez (Champaign, Ill. / St. Thomas More) remains Saint Louis' leading veteran competitor along with sophomore diver Anna Larson (St. Charles, Mo. / Francis Howell). However, freshmen Sarah Bennet (Des Peres, Mo. / Westminster Christian), Jordan Hagar (Plattsmouth, Neb. / Marian) and Katie Robertson (Cincinnati, Ohio / Ursuline) have come on strong to help shoulder the load.

Hagar is the Billikens' top sprinter with the team's best times in the 50 and 100 free, while Robertson has been SLU's top distance swimmer. She owns the squad's fastest performances in the 1000 and 1650 free this season. Meanwhile, Bennet has posted the team's top 200 and 500 free times; and Ramirez has clocked times that rank among the league's top 10 in the 100 and 200 breast and the 100 and 200 fly. Larson, the conference's reigning gold medalist on the three-meter board, has turned in the A-10's top six-dive efforts on both the one- and three-meter board.

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