Spring Break
Swimmers reflect on strong 2009 season
Oregon State rewrites record books as Anna Crandall snaps school's oldest record in 50 freestyle set by Amy van Loben Sels in 1994
Keegan Warrington
Issue date: 4/9/09 Section: Sports
The swim team made a big splash this season. From rewriting the record books to an amazing finish at the Pac-10 Championships, the swim team looks to build and improve on last season's great performance.
The season started out a little slow with a loss to a strong Stanford team. However, at the UOP Invitational held in Stockton, Calif., the swim team took second place. The second place victory at the UOP Invitational was followed by two home wins against Rice University.
The swim team then made its way to the Husky Invitational where the Beavers placed fourth. The OSU women's swim team ended the season with eight dual meet wins and six losses, including a close one-point win over the University of Washington.
"It was a great season," head coach Larry Liebowitz said. "We struggled in some dual meets, but towards the end of the year we ended strong and our Pac-10 meet was great."
Great is a little of an understatement. The swim team basically rewrote the school's record books, including breaking the OSU women's swim team's oldest standing record set back in 1994 by Amy van Loben Sels.
Within the first day of the competition, three new school records were set: the 200 medley relay, the 800 freestyle relay and Junior Anna Crandall's split in the 800 freestyle in which she swam the first 200 yards in 1.47.06. Crandall went on the next day to break the longest standing record set back in 1994 by swimming the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.10.
Overall, the team ended up finishing in eighth place at the Pac-10 Championships. Besides setting school records, several others set personal records, while Kerri Holmstrom joined the all-times list and Kate Hagan moved up on the all-times list.
"It was the strongest Pac-10 performance in our history" senior Kayla Rawlings said.
Other standouts of the meet were Rawlings and senior Saori Haruguchi. Rawlings qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 200 fly and was on many of the record-setting relay teams. Rawlings is third on the all-time list for the natural fly. Haruguchi broke her fair share of school records this year, including the 100 fly, 100 backstroke, and the 200 individual.
The season started out a little slow with a loss to a strong Stanford team. However, at the UOP Invitational held in Stockton, Calif., the swim team took second place. The second place victory at the UOP Invitational was followed by two home wins against Rice University.
The swim team then made its way to the Husky Invitational where the Beavers placed fourth. The OSU women's swim team ended the season with eight dual meet wins and six losses, including a close one-point win over the University of Washington.
"It was a great season," head coach Larry Liebowitz said. "We struggled in some dual meets, but towards the end of the year we ended strong and our Pac-10 meet was great."
Great is a little of an understatement. The swim team basically rewrote the school's record books, including breaking the OSU women's swim team's oldest standing record set back in 1994 by Amy van Loben Sels.
Within the first day of the competition, three new school records were set: the 200 medley relay, the 800 freestyle relay and Junior Anna Crandall's split in the 800 freestyle in which she swam the first 200 yards in 1.47.06. Crandall went on the next day to break the longest standing record set back in 1994 by swimming the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.10.
Overall, the team ended up finishing in eighth place at the Pac-10 Championships. Besides setting school records, several others set personal records, while Kerri Holmstrom joined the all-times list and Kate Hagan moved up on the all-times list.
"It was the strongest Pac-10 performance in our history" senior Kayla Rawlings said.
Other standouts of the meet were Rawlings and senior Saori Haruguchi. Rawlings qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 200 fly and was on many of the record-setting relay teams. Rawlings is third on the all-time list for the natural fly. Haruguchi broke her fair share of school records this year, including the 100 fly, 100 backstroke, and the 200 individual.
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