March 24, 2008
Contact:
Steve Marovich, Sports Information Director (262) 551-5740
E-Mail: stevich@concentric.net or carthagesid@carthage.edu
Carthage Web Page: www.carthagesports.com
Carthage 24-Hour Sports Hotline (262) 551-5388
Men’s Swimming Finishes 32nd at NCAA Championship
Stephen Schranck and Kyle Drake Earn All-America Honors
Carthage 32nd at NCAA Championship: The Carthage College men’s swimming team (8-4 dual-meet record) tied for 32nd place at the 2008 NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming Championship. The College of Wooster was the host school for this year’s championship, which was conducted at Miami University’s Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center in Oxford, Ohio. Kenyon College won the title with 635 points, followed by Johns Hopkins University second at 330, Denison University third at 314.50, Emory University fourth at 261 and Williams College fifth with 211 points.
Stephen Schranck Ninth in NCAA 200 Breastroke: Carthage’s Stephen Schranck (Jr., Alton, Ill./Marquette Catholic) finished ninth in the 200 breaststroke (2:03.34), 13th in the 400 individual medley (4:05.28) and 24th in the 100 breaststroke. Bryce Davis (Jr., Mequon, Wis./Homestead) finished 24th in the 100 butterfly (50.82), 33rd in the 50 freestyle (21.36) and 39th in the 100 freestyle (47.16), while Kyle Drake (Fr., Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) finished 16th in the 200 backstroke (1:52.62), 18th in the 400 individual medley (4:07.05) and 25th in the 100 backstroke (52.88). Schrank and Drake both earned College Swimming Coaches Association of America honorable mention All-America honors, Schrank in both the 200 breaststroke and the 400 individual medley and Drake in the 200 backstroke.
Carthage Win 2008 CCIW Championship: Carthage won its second College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Swimming Championship in three years and second overall in 2008 at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men won the seven-team championship with 1,025 points, followed by Wheaton College (Ill.) second at 742, the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology third at 521.50, Illinois Wesleyan University fourth at 365.50, Millikin University fifth at 232.50, Augustana College (Ill.) sixth at 154.50 and North Central College seventh with 101 points.
2008 Wisconsin Private College Championship: Carthage won the 2008 Wisconsin Private College Championship at the Koenitzer Aquatic Center in Kenosha, Wis. The Red Men won the six-team event with 345 points, followed by Carroll College (Wis.) second at 87, Lawrence University third at 81, the Marquette University club team fourth at 61, Ripon College fifth at 57 and Beloit College sixth with 54 points. The state title was the eighth overall for the Red Men and their sixth in a row.
The Coach: Greg Earhart completed his seventh year as head coach in 2007-08 (58-15 dual-meet record, 7 years). He was named CCIW “Men’s Swimming Coach of the Year" in 2002 and 2006 and “Men’s Swimming Co-Coach of the Year” in 2004. Dani Korman serves is a graduate assistant coach, with Lauren Croix and Luke Schumm serving as part-time assistant coaches.
Coach Earhart Honored by CSCAA: Carthage College men’s swimming coach Greg Earhart received the College Swimming Coaches Association of America "National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy" at the organization’s 2008 annual conference. The award, presented to an individual or organization for having contributed in an outstanding way to swimming as a competitive sport and healthful recreational activity at schools and colleges, was given to Earhart, in part, for his work in developing the collegeswimming.com web site. Earhart, the youngest-ever recipient of the award, is only the sixth NCAA Division III member to receive the award in its 50-year history.
The Conference: The College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, in its 62nd year in 2007-08, has sponsored men’s swimming as a championship sport since 1947, and North Central College won 18 of the league’s first 22 titles. Wheaton College (Ill.) has won 25 titles, all since 1972. The Thunder’s record includes 17-of-21 championships since 1983, six in a row from 1990 to 1995 and nine straight from 1997 to 2005. Carthage College snapped Wheaton’s nine-year streak by claiming the 2006 title, and the Red Men also won the 2008 championship. The CCIW added the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, located in Terre Haute, Ind., as an associate conference member for men’s and women’s swimming, beginning with the 2007-08 academic year. Rose-Hulman, a member of the Heartland Conference in all other sports, is the CCIW’s first associate member.
2008 Wisconsin Private College Championship Notes: Carthage collected wins at the Feb. 2 Wisconsin Private College Swimming Championship from Paul Busse (Fr., Library Park, Ill./La Grange-Lyons Township) in the 500 freestyle (meet-record 4:47.27), Kyle Drake (Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) in the 200 individual medley (2:02.71), Chris Varner (Fr., Wildwood, Mo./Eureka) in the 100 backstroke (57:09), Blake Bendix (Fr., St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) in the 200 freestyle (1:50.77), Nathan Ripley (So., Middleton, Wis.) in the 100 freestyle (meet-record 48.72), Andy Bax (Jr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley) in the 100 butterfly (53.03), Bob Pellican (Fr., Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) in the 200 backstroke (2:02.94), Tom Stowe (Fr., Freeport, Ill.) in the 400 individual medley (4:33.89) and Alex Van Huis (So., Winneconne, Wis.) in the 1,650 freestyle (16:58.06).
2008 CCIW Championship Notes: Carthage’s Bryce Davis (Jr., Mequon, Wis./Homestead) was named the CCIW “Most Valuable Swimmer” for winning three individual events and being part of three first-place relay teams at the 2008 CCIW Men’s Swimming Championship. Davis won the 50 freestyle (20.89), the 100 freestyle (45.95) and the 100 butterfly (50:31) and was part of conference-champion relay teams in the 200 freestyle, the 200 medley and the 400 medley. Carthage had three other swimmers win three events each. Paul Busse (Fr., Library Park, Ill./La Grange-Lyons Township) took first place in the 200 freestyle (1:43.24), the 500 freestyle (4:38.50) and the 1,650 freestyle (16:08.66). Kyle Drake (Fr., Aurora, Ill./Waubonsie Valley) won the 100 backstroke (53.07), the 200 backstroke (1:52.42) and the 400 individual medley (4:08.97). Stephen Schranck (Jr., Alton, Ill./Marquette Catholic) took first place in the 100 breaststroke (57.55), the 200 breaststroke (2:06.21) and the 200 individual medley (1:55.36). Andy Bax (Jr., Naperville, Ill./Aurora-Waubonsie Valley) was second in the 50 freestyle (21.18), as was Bob Pellican (Fr., Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) in the 200 backstroke (1:58.49). Nathan Ripley (So., Middleton, Wis.) was third in both the 100 freestyle (47.67) and the 200 freestyle (1:44.95). Chris Varner (Fr., Wildwood, Mo./Eureka) finished third in both the 100 backstroke (54.10) and the 200 backstroke (1:58.60). Bryan Pelka (Jr., Elgin, Ill./Elgin Academy) took third place in the 1,650 freestyle (16:23.56). The Red Men also picked up wins from Bryce Davis, Blake Bendix (Fr., St. Cloud, Minn./Tech), Nathan Ripley and Andy Bax in both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, their 800 freestyle relay team of Ripley, Schranck, Drake and Busse and their 400 medley relay squad of Varner, Schranck, Davis and Ripley.
Quoting Coach Greg Earhart on Winning the 2008 CCIW Championship: “I wasn’t surprised at winning the CCIW championship. We thought we would do that. The question in my mind, going in, was whether or not we would perform up to our level of expectations. We knew we had the talent to win, so the challenge was to keep our team hungry enough to perform at their highest level. We swam very well at the conference championship. We didn’t just break record—we shattered a few of them. Winning the CCIW title is like being the toughest kid in sixth grade. It’s pretty cool, but there’s another grade school down the road that’s tougher. Just as important, to me, is performing well at the national level. A pretty high portion of our team has expectations of qualifying for the national championship. We have four guys who are within two-tenths of a second of qualifying for the NCAA Division III Men’s Swimming Championship. Believe it or not, those two-tenths of a second could be the difference between us finishing sixth in the nation or 26th.”