Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
MWC Swimming and Diving Championships
Swimming & diving recap: CSU's Fuller wins MWC title in 200 Backstroke
2/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 26, 2011
Complete Results | Photo Gallery 
By Sarah Thomsen
Athletic Media Relations
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – The last day of the 2011 MWC championships brought another school record for the Rams at the Oklahoma City CC Aquatic Center Saturday, as junior Breann Fuller came back from a second-place finish in the 200 Backstroke prelims to take first in the finals with a time of 1 minute, 56.01 seconds.
Fuller not only earned 20 points for CSU, but also earned a consideration for the NCAA competition and broke her own school record. What’s more, for the fourth time in three years, Fuller won an individual conference championship (100 and 200 Back in 2010, 100 Back in 2009). She now has more such titles than All-American Jeannette Beitz and six-time Olympic gold medalist Amy Van Dyken, who each earned three. Fuller became one of just nine swimmers in CSU annals to win at least four career titles, and she has one year of eligibility remaining.
Even more impressive, Fuller for the ninth time in her three-year career delivered a school-record performance. In addition to her effort in the 200 Back Saturday, she also set or helped to set records in the 400 Medley Relay and 200 Medley Relay in 2011, the 200 Back in 2010, and the 100 Back, 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay and 200 Back in 2009. In other words, she broke CSU’s 200 Back record for the third time Saturday.
Fuller was followed in the 200 Back Saturday by seniorteammate Michelle Price, who placed ninth at a time of 1:59.47 for a season best. Freshman Yana Garvey took her first points at the MWC championship level with a 14th-place finish at a time of 2:02.63 in the same race.
The last day of competition brought even more lifetime bests for the Rams. Kim Schemahorn achieved her lifetime best in the 100 Freestyle race, with a time of 51.19. Shemahorn placed 18thin the competition. Junior Fran Mathias cut her previous lifetime best down by almost 10 seconds in the 200 Butterfly with a time of 2:05.54, a performance that won her 22nd place.
Senior Nicole Lynch collected her second lifetime best in as many days in the 200 Breaststroke with a time of 2:15.88. Lynch secured seventh place and a consideration for NCAA competition. Sophomore Kelly Mathews followed Lynch in the 200 Breaststroke for a 17th-place finish at a time of 2:21.44.
Senior Maddie Gamble, who had a knee injury due to a car hitting her while she crossed the street Feb. 18, started the1,650 Freestyle competition, but had to stop after 1,200 yards.
“Twenty-four laps from the end and her knee was absolutely killing her,” Mattos said. “We had an agreement that if the pain got too bad she could stop. It would have been a good swim if she could have finished it out, but I’m glad she stopped when she did.”
The Rams will return home from the 2011 MWC championships in seventh place, their lowest finish ever in a conference championship, with 322 points. San Diego State (646) took home first place. Previously, the Rams’ lowest finish ever had been sixth, in 2006 and 2010. Still, Mattos was impressed with his team.
“We didn’t finish as high as a team as we would have liked,” Mattos said, “but we had some phenomenal performances. It was an exceptional meet all the way around.”
CSU can now look ahead to the NCAA championship. It is an elite honor for only the top athletes in the nation to be invited. Athletes’ times can qualify them for an automatic place at the NCAA championships or a consideration time. If their times are fast enough to make the championships. Only approximately 34 athletes in the nation for each event will make this elite competition, and Fuller and Lynch have a shot.
The Rams worked for fast-enough times to make the consideration category in the 200 Medley Relay, 400 Medley Relay, 400 Freestyle Relay and the 200 Freestyle Relay. Lynch had a consideration time in the 100 and 200 Breaststroke events, and Fuller had fast-enough times in the 100 and 200 Backstroke.
“In a time trial we had tonight, Bre swam the 100 Back in 53.49 seconds,” Mattos said. “So we’re all pretty hopeful that she’ll get invited.”
Fuller and Lynch will find out as soon as Thursday if they have been invited to the NCAA championships. The Rams were represented at the MWC championships by 20 athletes: Swimmers Fuller, Gamble, Garvey, Lynch, Mathias, Matthews, Price, Schemahorn, Sam Dole, Mary Foster, Jennifer Lamb, Arianne Lujan, Madeline Mastrup, Emily Molzahn, Kelly O'Brien and Charlie Swearingen, and divers Madeline Mitchell, Shayna Solomon, Cori Swango and Maxelise Thorn. At least seven of the athletes were seniors that concluded their college careers Saturday: Dole, Gamble, Molzahn, O’Brien, Price, Swearingen and Swango. Lynch, also a senior, hopes to continue her career at the NCAA competition.
| Most career individual conference championships, CSU | ||
| 7 | Kerry Gillespie, 1983-85 | |
| 6 | Amy Brookover, 1987-90 | |
| Kristen Schneider, 2001-04 | ||
| Kristin Elliott, 1993-96 | ||
| Meg Rich, 1992-94 | ||
| Val Lang, 1985-88 | ||
| 4 | Breann Fuller, 2009-11 | |
| Erin O'Mara, 1992-95 | ||
| Jeannette Beitz, 1989-91 | ||
| 3 | Amy Van Dyken, 1994 | |
| Colleen Quinn, 1996-97 | ||
| Elise Thatcher, 1983 | ||
| Karen Bowles, 1983-84 | ||
| Krista Zimmer, 1987-88 | ||
