Swimming and Diving to Compete in Big East Championships
2/23/1999 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Swimming and Diving to Compete in Big East Championships
2/23/1999
Pittsburgh - The Pittsburgh men's and women's swimming and diving teams will compete in the 1999 Big East Championships, Feb. 25-27. The championships will be held at a neutral site for the first time ever, at the Goodwill Games Swimming Center in Uniondale, N.Y. Pittsburgh has captured the most titles in conference history with 13 men's championships and nine women's titles.
The men's team (5-7, 2-1 Big East) will look for their third consecutive championship title. The Panthers are led by junior co-captain Brian Elko (Denville, N.J./Morris Knolls). Elko, a three-time Big East champion, holds both Pittsburgh's and the Big East's top times in the 100- (49.24) and 200-yard (1:48.16) backstrokes. Elko has dominated the backstroke since the beginning of the season when he broke two of St. Bonaventure's pool records, first in the lead-off leg of the 400 medley relay and then in the 100 backstroke. Most recently, Elko set two Maryland pool records in the 200 back and as part of the 400 medley relay team.
Juniors Jerry Koller (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) and Michael Pron (Belle Meade, N.J./Hillsborough) will also be key conributors for Pittsburgh. Koller, a three-time relay champion, holds the team's best time in the 100 freestyle and was part of three relay teams that broke pool records at Maryland and Villanova. Pron, the 1997 Big East champion in the 200 breaststroke, is currently second in the conference in both the 200 breaststroke and the 400 individual medley.
The women's team (8-6, 2-2) will compete for its first conference championship since 1991. Leading the way will be senior co-captain Samantha Chabotar (Egg Harbor Twp., N.J./Egg Harbor), the Panthers' dominating distance freestyle specialist. Chabotar has recorded 14 first-place finishes this season and holds the Big East's third-best time in the 500 freestyle and third-best times in the 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle. Chabotar has placed in the top-three at the conference championships three times and will contend for her first individual title.
Junior diver Jamie Tomazich (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) placed third at the 1998 championships on both the one-meter and three-meter boards on her way to garnering All-Big East honors. Tomazich's season has been highlighted by a record-breaking performance on the one-meter at the Minnesota Invitational where she set new records for both Pittsburgh and the meet with a score of 453.20. Her outstanding success this season has qualified her for the NCAA Diving Prequals in April.
For ticket information, please call Dennis Myron from St. John's University at (718) 990-6081.