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April 1, 2003

2009-10 Season - 2002-03 WOMEN'S SWIMMING REVIEW

2003 WOMEN’S SWIMMING REVIEW

Vikings finish initial season under first year head coach Gary Ackerson with 4-4 record; Maura Milas named MVP after moving into school’s top ten in three different events

Sophomore Maura Milas (Rock Island HS, Rock Island, IL) may have taken a year off from competitive swimming after graduating from high school in 2001 but she quickly showed that she didn’t lose much. Milas, who played softball for the Vikings last year and sat out the swim campaign, proved to be one of the leading forces for first year head coach Gary Ackerson. She owned the sprint events with the team’s best times in the 50 freestyle (:24.67), 100 freestyle (:54.16) and 200 freestyle (2:01.22).

Her performance at the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin meet included a second place finish in the 50 freestyle, a third in the 100 freestyle and a seventh in the 200 freestyle. All season long she was the top sprinter on the team and she helped Augustana finish with a 4-4 dual meet record. The Vikings placed second in the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational, second in the Augustana Invitational, second in the Beloit Invitational, third in the North Central Invitational and seventh in the Grinnell Invitational. In the CCIW meet, Augustana was fifth with 210 points.

Milas finished the year by making her way onto the school’s top ten all-time list in three different events. She has the second fastest 50 freestyle of all time with her clocking of :24.67, trailing only the school record of :24.16 set by Julie Konchan in 1990. Milas also recorded the third fastest time in the 100 freestyle at :54.16 and her 2:01.25 in the 200 freestyle is the seventh best in Augustana history. All three of those times were done in the CCIW championship.

At the conference meet the only other Vikings to place in the top six besides Milas were Michele Chao (Ottawa Township HS, Ottawa, IL) and Kristen Beil (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, IL). Chao was fifth in the 50 freestyle with a time of :25.19 and Beil placed sixth in the 200 backstroke in 2:20.36.

Chao moved into seventh place on Augustana’s all-time list in the 50 freestyle with a best time of :25.14 and she is eighth on the 200 freestyle list with a time of :55.03. Beil moved into seventh in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.47 and fourth in the 200 backstroke with her 2:20.36 clocking.

Kristen Will (Carl Sandburg HS, Orland Park, IL) recorded the team’s best times in the two longest freestyle events as she swam the 1000 freestyle in 12:06.01 and the 1650 freestyle in 19:59.10. Amanda Burgeson (Buffalo Grove HS, Arlington Heights, IL) had the best time in the 100 butterfly (1:03.75) and 200 butterfly (2:24.27). Wendy Illing (Carmel HS, Mundelein, IL) had the best time this past year in the 200 breaststroke (2:43.96) and 400 individual medley (5:12.36). Estela Rutiaga (Thornton Fractional North HS, Calumet City, IL) swam the best time of year in the 100 breaststroke in 1:17.22. Besides owning the best times in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles, Milas also had the fastest time in the 200 individual medley (2:26.51). Michelle Weaver (Freeport HS, Freeport, IL) owned the best performances of the year in all four diving events: one meter dual meet (237.20); one meter invitational (360.90); three meter dual meet (251.80) and three meter invitational (376.15).

It should come as no surprise that Milas was selected as the team’s Most Valuable Performer. Claudine Johnson was picked as the Most Improved Swimmer. The hardest worker was Stephanie Gaspers (McHenry East HS, McHenry, IL) and the winner of the Spirit Award was Kristen Will (Carl Sandburg HS, Orland Park, IL).

2003 VIKINGS SUPERLATIVES

MOST VALUABLE: Maura Milas

MOST IMPROVED: Claudine Johnson

HARDEST WORKER: Stephanie Gaspers

SPIRIT AWARD: Kristen Will

2003 CCIW WOMEN’S SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS

February 13-15 *** Wheaton, Illinois

TEAM SCORES

INDIVIDUAL EVENT WINNERS

Most Valuable Performer – Emily Mason, Wheaton