 Billikens Take on Eastern Illinois, Illinois-Chicago
Nov. 19, 2008
This Week: Saint Louis swimming and diving returns to its home pool at the Simon Recreation Center on Thursday, Nov. 20, for a meet against Eastern Illinois at 5:30 p.m. Then the Billikens travel north to take on Illinois-Chicago at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22. Last Time Out: The Billiken men's team fared well at the IUPUI Quad, winning five of its six duals in the two-day meet. The women, however, dropped four of their six duals in Indianapolis last weekend. SLU had just two individual event winners on Friday, Nov. 14, and four on Saturday. About the Billikens: The 2008-09 Billiken squads feature a wealth of youth as 18 student-athletes, including 14 freshmen, have suited up in the blue and white for the first time. The women's team is off to a 13-5 start, while the men's squad is 12-2. Anna Larson leads Saint Louis with 10 first-place finishes, while Michael Dahle trails with six and Laura Robertson and Kevin Parker have five individual wins. Coach Jim Halliburton: Head coach Jim Halliburton is in his eighth season at the helm of the Billiken swimming and diving program. His men's and women's teams have amassed a 225-65-1 dual-meet record during his tenure. Halliburton's staff is comprised of diving coach Greg Triefenbach, assistant coaches Meredith Kiersznowski, Jessen Wabeke and Stefan Yarbrough and volunteer assistant Brad Byars.
Hrabovsky Roars: After turning in four performances at the IUPUI Quad that rank among the best diving efforts in program history, Billy Hrabovsky was named A-10 Men's Rookie of the Week on Nov. 17 for the first time in his career. On Friday, he placed second on both the one- (252.10) and three-meter (255.20) boards. The freshman's one-meter score ranks sixth in SLU annals, while his three-meter effort is seventh. The next day Hrabovsky won the three-meter competition with a score of 296.80, which is the third-highest score in program history. He went on to finish second in the one-meter event (250.15) with an effort that ranks seventh in the Billiken record book. Divers Zone Out: SLU divers Chad Carmichael, Anna Larson and Hannah Tautz qualified for the NCAA Zone Meet with their performances at the Lindenwood Invitational on Nov. 1. They also swept the A-10 weekly awards with Larson earning women's co-Performer of the Week accolades, Carmichael garnering men's co-Rookie of the Week honors and Tautz being named women's Rookie of the Week. Carmichael became the second male diver in program history to qualify for the zone meet after placing first on both the one-meter (308.10) and three-meter (316.15) boards. Larson qualified for her third straight zone meet with first-place efforts in the one-meter (271.70) and three-meter (302.35) events. Tautz qualified for her first zone meet with a second-place performance (291.90) in the three-meter competition. Movin' On Up: Saint Louis has recorded 27 performances this season that rank among the program's top 10 in their respective events. The men's team has posted 17 times that rank among the top 10 in SLU annals with freshman diver Billy Hrabovsky pacing the squad with eight of those efforts. Meanwhile, the Billiken women have clocked 10 times that rank among the best in the Billiken record book. Sophomore Jordan Hagar and junior Anna Larson have each turned in four performances that rank among the 10 best in SLU annals. The Trifecta: Sophomore Michael Dahle is the only Billiken to capture three first-place finishes in a single meet this season. At the Butler Quad, he touched first in the 500 free (4:51.47), 1000 free (10:00.02) and 200 fly (1:56.90). Familiarity Breeds Billikens: The Billiken swimming and diving squads feature three pairs of high school teammates. Kevin Parker and Jimmy Ritt were teammates at Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tenn., while Tom Costigan and Mike Kelly were teammates at Regis Jesuit in Aurora, Colo. The only female set of high school teammates on the SLU squad are Kerry Conaty and Katie Robertson, who were teammates at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio. |
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