WOLF DEFENDS DIVING TITLES
                CLARION WOMEN’S & MEN’S SWIM TEAMS AT NCAA D-II NATIONALS MARCH 8-11
        Clarion’s Women’s and Men’s Swimming and Diving teams are ready for the NCAA Division II National Championships this week and are looking for some top performances. The NCAA’s will be hosted by the University of Indianapolis and will be held at IUPUI’s Natatorium in downtown Indianapolis from March 8-11. Prelims will start each day at 10:30am with finals starting at 6pm.
        Clarion sixth year head coach Mark VanDyke is looking forward to the NCAA’s, after leading the Women to their 26th PSAC Championship in 2006 while finishing the year with a 9-3 dual meet record. The Clarion men were second at PSAC’s and had a 6-5 dual meet record.
        The Clarion women will send 11 participants to nationals, including 8 swimmers and three divers. Most notably diver Jamie Wolf (Jr. South Park), who has won 4 NCAA Division II Diving titles, returns to defend those titles in 2006. The men meanwhile will send a total of 7 participants including 4 swimmers and three divers.
        “I believe we’re ready for some quality swims in the pool, and the divers are ready to have another great meet,” said coach VanDyke. “Our goal for the women is a top 10 finish and we’re expecting a top 15 finish for the men.”
        Clarion’s women have a long and strong tradition at the NCAA’s. Winners of 8 Division II Titles (77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84 & 86) and 26 PSAC titles, the Golden Eagles were 10th at nationals last year, 5th in 2004, 10th in 2003, 7th in 2002 and 6th in 2001. Other top 5 Clarion placings recently include 2nd in 1993, 3rd in 1998 and 94, 4th in 2000, 99, 97, 95 and 98 and 5th in 1996, 92 and 91.
        In the pool Clarion will have Sarah Besecker (Sr. Chambersburg), Sari Cattoni (So. Lewis Run), Kristy Clarke (Jr. Campbell Hall, N.Y.), Brittany Hanzl (Jr. Whitehall), Brehan Heebner (Sr. Reading), Lori Leitzinger (So. State College), Stacy Ogden (Jr. Clearfield) and Denise Simens (Fr. Hollister, Ca.).
        Besecker (distance free) and Heebner (Fly/IM) are 8-time career All-Americans, Clarke (sprint free) a 5-time A-A, Leitzinger (free/back) a 3-time A-A, Hanzl (free/fly) a 2-time A-A and Ogden (Free/Back) one A-A certificate. Cattoni (IM/Breaststroke) and Simens (Breaststroke) are making heir first appearances.
        Last year in individual events Leitzinger was 12th at nationals in the 200 back and 13th in the 100 back, while Besecker was 14th in the 200 IM and 15th in the 500 free. Heebner, meanwhile was 12th in the 200 fly and 14th in the 200 IM last year.
        Clarion’s diving contingent, under the watchful eye of coach Dave Hrovat, is poised for another strong nationals. Junior Jamie Wolf (South Park) will try and keep her national championship record intact. She is a 4-time NCAA D-II Champion, winning both the 1 and 3 meter titles as a freshman and a sophomore. Both years she was named the NCAA Division II Female “Diver of the Year”.Joining her will be junior Teagan Riggs (Meadville) and sophomore Ginny Saras (Sugarloaf).
        Riggs was 7th at nationals on one meter last year, while Saras placed 13th on three meter and 14th on one meter.
Clarion’s men also have a strong tradition at the NCAA’s. Last year’s team was 15th at nationals, while the 2004 squad was 14th and the 2003 team placed 8th. The 2002 team also placed 8th at nationals and the 2001 Eagles were 11th. Recently Clarion has placed 2nd at the Division II Nationals in 1992, 3rd in 1991, 88 and 84, 4th in 1997, 95 and 83 and 5th in 1989, 86, 85, 82 and 81.
        Clarion’s men will have four swimmers competing in the pool including Mike Cohen (So. Pickerington, Oh.), Chris Jones (Sr. Beaver Meadows), Adley Kilgore (Jr. Airville) and James Rankin (Jr. Butler).
Kilgore has earned 7 career A-A awards and is a freestyle/backstroke specialist. He was 11th in the 50 free at nationals last year. Jones (freestyle/back) is a 5-time career A-A in relays, while Cohen was a 3-time relay A-A last year, and Rankin is a 3-time career All-America in relays.
        The diving contingent features three quality divers in Kevan Phillips (So. Monroeville/Gateway), Sean Clark (Sr. Bakersfield, Ca.) and Zack Saeger (So. Palm). Phillips was 8th on 1 meter and 10th on three meter last year, while Clark finished 11th on three meter at the 2005 nationals. Saeger is making his first trip to nationals.
        CLARION NOTES: Diving Coach Dave Hrovat is in his 16th year at Clarion... He has been named the D-II “Diving Coach of the Year” 14-times ... Women’s coach in 2005, 04, 02, 01, 2000, 1995 and 93, and Men’s coach in 2003, 02, 98, 97, 96 , 92 and 91... Dave’s divers have won 25 NCAA titles and 154 A-A placings in his 15 seasons... Clarion’s women have a dual meet record of 45-15 under VanDyke and the men are 35-17... There will be 5 women’s and 4 men’s events on Weds., 6 men’s and 5 women’s events Thursday, 6 women’s and 5 men’s events on Friday and 6 men’s and 5 women’s events on Saturday... Women’s diving events on Weds and Friday, men’s diving on Thursday and Saturday.