Bloomsburg To Send 26 Swimmers to PSAC Championships

BLOOMSBURG- The Bloomsburg University men's and women's swim teams will send 26 qualifiers to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship meet at Clarion University on February 15th to the 18th.

The men's team, which finished their regular season with a 4-3 record, will send 11 swimmers to the championships. Four seniors and two juniors lead the experienced field for the Huskies.

Senior Travis Backenstoe (Walnutport/Northampton) qualified in the 50 and 100-free. This season, Backenstoe has eight first place finishes in the 50-free and five first place finishes in the 100-free. Backenstoe's best time in the 50-free is 21.15 which he swam in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational. With that time he set the new school record of 21.20 previously held by Stu Marvins in 1978. Backenstoe's season best in the 100-free is a time of 47.66 which he also swam at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational. Last season, Backenstoe scored points at the conference meet in the 50 and 100 free.

Senior captain Steve Post (Scranton/Scranton) has qualified in the 100, 200, 500, and 1000 freestyle. In the 100-free, Post's fastest time this season came in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational where he swam a 49.29. In the 200-free, Post swam his season's best in 1:47.91. In the 500-free, Post's best this season was in the meet against Kutztown University were he swam a 4:56.34 and in the 1000 free Post season's best came in 10:20.96. Last season, Post was a member of the All-Conference 800-free relay team as well as scoring in the 500-free.

Senior Ken Smith (Philadelphia/Archbishop Ryan) qualified for the PSAC Championships in the 1650-free in a time of 17:45.36. Last season, Smith scored points in the 400-IM and the 1650-free at the PSAC championships. He was also a member of the All-Conference 800-free relay team.

Seniors Eric Weathers (Eagleville/Methacton) and Bret Palmer (Marysville/Susquenita) have also qualified for the championship meet. Weathers qualified in the 50-free in a time of 22.74 and in the 100-free in 49.91 while Palmer qualified in the 50-free in a time of 22.49.l.

Junior Chris Rumsfelt (Shamokin/Shamokin) has qualified in five events this season. He will represent the Huskies in the 50 (21.75), 100 (46.92), 200 (1:41.63), and 1000-free (10:23.32) and the 200-fly (2:04.07). Rumsfelt also broke Stu Marvin's 200-free record of 1:41.90 in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational when he swam a 1:41.63. Last season, he scored points in the PSAC championship in the 200, 500, and 1000-free and was a member of the All- Conference 800-free relay.

Junior Mark Freeman (Bethlehem/Perkiomen Valley) will be once again be appearing in the PSAC championship meet for the Huskies. Freeman has qualified in the 100-back (59.98), 200-back (2:03.05) and the 400-IM (4:29.49). Last season, Freeman scored points in the 200-back at the event.

Rounding out the experienced swimmers for the Huskies at the Championship will be sophomore Jim Toolan (Norristown/La Salle) and freshmen Josh Chandler (Mount Joy/Donegall) and Steve Withers (Chalfont/Chalfont). Toolan will make his first appearance at the PSAC meet, qualifying in the 1650 free in 17:32.67. Chandler has qualified in the 100-back (56.28), 200-back (2:03.08), 200-IM (2:01.74) and the 400-IM (4:33.44) while Withers has qualified in 200-free (1:49.13), 1000-free (10:22.62) and the 1650-free (18:00.55).

The women's team finished the regular season 5-2, placing first at the Franklin Marshal invitational, second at the Clarion invitational and third at the Port Orange invitational. The Huskies have 15 qualifiers for the championship event.

Seniors Erin Carey (West Chester/Henderson), Ashley Koch (Collegeville/West Chester East), and Kari Pokrzywa (Fairless Hills/Pennsbury) are all are returning to PSAC Championship meet. Carey will compete in the 400-IM where her fastest time this season is 4:44.85, which she swam at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational. Last season, Carey finished eighth in both the 400-IM and the 200-IM at the PSAC Championships. She was also a 2004-2005 Bloomsburg/PSAC scholar athlete.

Koch will be swimming the 100-back where her fastest time came at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in 1:04.98. Last season, Koch scored points in the PSAC championships in the 200-back. She is also a 2004-2005 Bloomsburg/PSAC Scholar Athlete.

Pokrzywa will compete in the 200-back. Her best time in the event came in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in a time of 2:11.06. Last season, Pokrzywa took ninth in the 100-back and fourth in the 200-back in the PSAC championship meet. Pokrzywa serves as co-captain and is also a 2004-2005 Bloomsburg/PSAC scholar athlete.

Juniors Stephanie Boccuti (Doylestown/Central Bucks East), Courtney Dean (Lancaster/Hempfield), Laura Jeffers (Collegeville/Perkiomen Valley), Sara Lengler (Harrisburg/Central Dauphin East), Lauren Sterkenberg (Lancaster/Hempfield) and Ashley Yelinek (Youngwood/ Southmoreland) will also be making return trips to the championship meet.

Boccuti will compete in the 200-fly where her fastest time came in the Albright meet in 2:18.43. Dean will compete in the 50-free where she qualified at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in a time of 24.99. Last season, Dean took fourth in the 400-free relay and scored points in the 200-free at the PSAC championships. Dean is also a two-time scholar athlete.

Jeffers will compete in the 100-back. She qualified in the event at the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in a time of 1:01.69 and also scored points at the PSAC championships last season. Lengler will also compete in the 100-back. Her fastest time in the event also came in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in a time of 1:00.73. Last season, Lengler placed 14th in the 200-back and 15th in the 100-back at the PSAC championships.

Sterkenberg will be swimming the 200-fly. Her fastest time this season came in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in a time of 2:17.69. Last season, Sterkenberg finished 12th in the 200-fly at the PSAC meet.

Yelinek will be swimming the 1650 free in the PSAC meet. Her fastest time of 17:39.79 came in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational. Last season, Yelinek placed third in the 1650, fourth in the 500-free and fourth in the 1000-free at the PSAC championship. She was also a Bloomsburg/PSAC 2004-2005 scholar athlete.

Sophomores Jackie Gribbin (Richboro Council Rock North) and Dianna Smith (West Grove/Avon Grove) will also be returning to the PSAC championship meet for the second year in a row. Gribbin and Smith will both be competing in the 200- free. Gribbin's best time this season in the event is a 2:02.28 and Smith's fastest time is 1:57.49. Last season, Gribbin was part of the 400-free relay and 200-free relay that placed fourth in the PSAC Championships. Smith took fourth in the 100 free, sixth in the 200-free and 12th in the 50-free at last year's meet.

Making their first PSAC championship appearance are freshman Barb Caccia (Lauren Springs, NJ /Sterling High), Sara Hippeli (Quakertown/Quakertown), Kristen Ohlsen (Allentown/Parkland), and Allie Reed (Selinsgrove/Selinsgrove Area).

Caccia will swim the 1000-free. Her fastest time in the event is 11:13.53, which she swam at the Albright meet. Hippeli will swim the 1650 free. She qualified for the event in the Franklin and Marshall Invitational in a time of 18:36.45. Ohlsen will compete in the 50-free with a qualifying time of 25.66 while Reed will compete in the 100-free. Her fastest time this season in the event was a time of 54.81.

The 2006 PSAC Championship will be held at Clarion University and the meet will kick off Wednesday night with the 1000-free event.