March 20, 2001

Truman Women's Swimmers Bring Home First Team National Title

Over 100 years of athletics at Truman State University passed before a Bulldog team brought home a national title. But it took the Truman women's swimming team just 24 years of existence to accomplish the feat.

The school's first national championship was registered on Saturday night as the women's swimming team finished 45.5 points ahead of four-time defending champion Drury University at the 2001 NCAA Division II Swimming and Diving Championships in Canton, Ohio, March 14-17.

Drury had taken a 22-point lead over the 'Dogs after day two of the meet, but fell behind Truman by 23 points at the conclusion of day three. On the last day, the morning's prelims gave a good indication that the Bulldogs had qualified enough for the finals that evening to go the distance.

The Bulldogs finished with 656 points to Drury's 610.5, while third-place went to California-San Diego with 413.5 points.

Head coach Seth Huston was named the women's coach of the year by the National Swim Coaches Association of America at the conclusion of the meet. It was the third time in four years that he received the honor after leading the team to a third-place finish in 1999 and to the runner-up spot in 2000.

Senior Jess Martin (Buckingham, Iowa/Cedar Falls) stole the show, and the meet, as she was named the NCAA Division II women's swimmer of the year by the CSCAA after winning all four individual events she was in, and playing a major role on two championship relay teams.

In this first year the NCAA sponsored the 1,000-yard freestyle, Martin began the meet in grand style by finishing more than a lap ahead of her nearest competitor, setting the NCAA Division II record for that event at 9:55.86.

She also finished first in the 200-, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles, setting Truman records in the 500 (4:52.72) and mile (16:45.01). Martin was also part of the Bulldog record-breaking and championship 200- (1:34.17) and 800-yard (7:31.03) freestyle relay teams. She swam the second leg of the 200 free relay, as well as the second-place 400-yard freestyle relay teams, and anchored the title-winning 800 free relay squad.

Martin completed her career as a national champion in a total of seven events, and has left a nearly indelible mark in the Bulldog record book.

Sophomore Kelli Dudley (Topeka, Kan.) was the only other individual champion for the 'Dogs at the DII meet, bringing home the crown in the 100-yard backstroke this year after winning the 200-yard backstroke a year ago. She cruised her way to a Truman record for the 100 backstroke with a prelim time of 57.34 seconds. Dudley also set new Truman records with second-place finishes in the 400-yard individual medley (4:24.22) and the 200-yard backstroke (2:02.72). She was also the runnerup in the 200-yard individual medley and led off in the backstroke for the second-place 200-yard medley relay and fifth-place 400-yard medley relay squads.

Other members of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team were freshman Katie May (Westmont, Ill./Hinsdale Central), Truman's first-ever national champion swimmer, senior Bryna Busch (Kansas City, Mo./Shawnee Mission East), and sophomore Sara Hatcher (Kingdom City, Mo./North Callaway).

Martin and May, along with senior Andrea Newton (Clive, Iowa) and sophomore Liz Hug (Maryville, Ill./Collinsville), were on the championship and Truman record-breaking 800-yard freestyle relay team.

Martin and Newton were members of last year's 800 free relay squad that also won the event, while Busch and Hatcher repeated as champions in the 200-yard free relay.

Hug set a new Bulldog standard in the 100-yard butterfly (7.49) with her sixth-place finish overall in the race. She was also a member of the runnerup 200-yard medley relay group, swimming the butterfly on the third leg of the race. Hug earned all-America status with top eight finishes in the 200-yard individual medley (sixth), 100-yard butterfly (sixth) and 200-yard freestyle (seventh).

Senior Christie Williamsen (Downer's Grove, Ill./North) swam a new Truman mark in the 200-yard breaststroke, finishing 11th for honorable mention all-America honors in the event. A four-year all-America performer, Williamsen was also part of the fifth-place 400-yard medley relay team, swimming the breaststroke on the second leg.

Three of Truman's 13 women who qualified for nationals were freshmen, including May who charted top five finishes in all seven of her events. She was second to Martin in her first ever competitive race in the 1,000-yard freestyle after qualifying for the event in a time trial following the Central States Championships in February.

Krista Pray (Naperville, Ill./North) also earned all-America status in her first season of competition with a fourth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.

Alison Blyth (Clive, Iowa/Dowling) earned honorable mention all-America accolades in her inaugural campaign with ninth-place finishes in the 100- and 200-yard butterflies.

The only junior among the qualifiers was Bridget Riley (Olathe, Kan./Olathe South) who was the defending national champion in the 500-yard freestyle. She posted top six finishes in all three of her events, including third-place in the 1,650-yard freestyle, and fourth and sixth places in the 1,000- and 500-yard freestyles, respectively.

The Bulldogs will feel the loss of five important seniors off Truman's first national champion team. Aside from Martin who capped off her final campaign with a bang, Busch, Newton, Jen Vogt (Dubuque, Iowa/Walhert) and Williamsen have competed in their last meet for the 'Dogs.

In addition to swimming the final leg of the national championship 200-yard freestyle relay team, Busch was second in the 50- and 200-yard freestyles, and as the anchor for the 400-yard freestyle relay team. She was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle and swam the free on the final leg of the fifth-place 400-yard medley relay contingent. Busch ends her career as national champion in a total of four events as she was first in the 100-yard freestyle as a sophomore and was part of the first-place 200- and 800-yard freestyle relay teams last season.

Newton ended her career in style with top 10 finishes in four of her five events at the NCAA meet this year. Aside from swimming the second leg on the national champion 800 free relay squad, she was also sixth in the 200-yard backstroke, eighth in the 100-yard backstroke and 10th in the 50-yard freestyle.

Vogt earned all-America honors for the third year after placing 16th in the 200-yard backstroke.

There was no sophomore jinx in effect for Hatcher who was the runnerup in the 100-yard freestyle, was the freestyle anchor on the second-place 200-yard medley relay team and led off the runnerup 400-yard freestyle relay squad.

Meghan Osborn (Tipton, Iowa) made her first trip to the NCAA DII meet as a sophomore this year. She earned all-America recognition as the breaststroker on the second leg of the 200-yard medley relay team that was second.

The Truman men qualified just two individuals for the meet and finished 16th out of 26 teams. However sophomore Matt Pray (Naperville, Ill./North) became the highest national finisher ever for Truman with his second-place and Bulldog record-setting performance in the 100-yard butterfly (49.28). He also earned honorable mention all-America honors with a ninth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly.

Robby Cooper (Holden, Mo.) made the excursion to the national meet in his first season of competition and also garnered honorable mention all-America status by finishing 12th in the 1,000-yard freestyle and 13th in the 500-yard freestyle.

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