Water Vike Update
January 2019 Edition
A Note from Head Coach Paul Graham...
SWIMMING & DIVING CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON HAS ARRIVED!!!

I eagerly await this month every year! It is a time to reflect on the work that all have been putting in during the past months. Your current Viking swimmers & divers are eager to show how this past season has bettered them as athletes and people. With success & failure, we learn, and as the leader of a team at the college level, I love to see learning taking place.

This program has been successful because of the hard work of so many amazing people. Athletes, coaches, administrators, parents and friends have contributed so much of themselves to make the TEAM better. Team is forever and we exhibit this trait in so many areas, it is shown in the way the current Vikings strive to become better athletes and how our alumni, family & friends give time and money to provide improvements for the current team members. Our Viking family works hard to better the TEAM.

As one season comes to an end and we start the journey of the next, let us continue the process. To learn, to grow, to continually improve is a challenge! I know, that as a passenger on this Viking ship, this is what this program has done and will continue to do in the future.

Paul

Class of 2019... Thank You!
This past Saturday at our last home dual meet we honored our 16 seniors and their families during our annual Senior Day. We are grateful for the time and energy they have invested in this program. Here's a special shout-out to all of senior Vikings...

Michaela Bargardi
Ashleigh Bennett
Emma Flynn
Ryan Johnson
Abbie Kaple
Addison Kaufmann
MacJilton Lewis
Morgan Massie
Molly McNamara
Sean Mulvin
Cassie Oltman
Curtis Roden
Maggie Stebick
Jared Stergar
Jason van der Touw
Claudia Zido

Here are some special photos from Saturday!
Special congratulations to our senior, Molly McNamara, for being named the Horizon League Swimmer of the Week after our racing in Indianapolis on January 11 and 12 against IUPUI and UIC. Molly was victorious in all 4 of her individual events and she swam on multiple CSU relays. This is the second time Molly earned the honor this season and the 10th time in her career.
Fun Times in San Juan!
The swimmers and divers traveled to San Juan, Puerto Rico for our training trip January 1-8. The athletes made the most of this time in Puerto Rico, completing 10 water (long course) practices and 2 dry land sessions. When they weren't training or sleeping, they were soaking up the sun and sights of Puerto Rico.

On the very last day, our team traveled to Las Paylas waterfall. Team members and coaches went down the natural water slides and took time to appreciate the rain forest. We tried our hardest to bring the Puerto Rico sunshine back to Cleveland, but these pictures will have to do!
Academic Recognition: Leading the Horizon League
Our men and women were recognized by the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) as Scholar All-America Teams for the fall semester. The women posted a semester team GPA of 3.55 and the men posted a team GPA of 3.32. BOTH programs led the Horizon League in team GPA for the fall semester.

During that semester, our team had 7 student-athletes achieve perfect 4.0 GPAs. These athletes are Michaela Bargardi, Erica Henrichsen, Claudia Zido, Morgan Massie, Curtis Roden, Jared Stergar and Dominik Niedzialek. To read more about this incredible distinction, please click here . Thanks to all who are helping our student-athletes achieve success in the classroom!
Earlier this month, the Horizon Le ague Academic Honor Roll was released. The men's team had 17 honorees and led the Horizon League's swimming & diving programs and also topped all Viking squads. The women's team tied for the most honorees in the Horizon League for women's swimming and diving with 16 student-athletes. There were 97 Vikings on the Academic Honor Roll; our swimming and diving athletes made up 33 of these honorees!
Mark your calendars for February 13... It's almost time for Giving Day!
Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, February 13 as it's the annual CSU Giving Day! Our focus this year will be winning the Participation Award for the fourth year in a row. We thank our alumni and supporters for their continued encouragement and we hope you will continue to participate in Giving Day this year. Please consider making a donation of $16.50 in celebration of our successful Extra Mile Campaign and the new Wally Morton Locker Rooms. All donations will go toward swimming and diving scholarships. On February 13, please click here to donate.
Less than 2 weeks until
Horizon League Champs!
The 2019 Horizon League Swimming & Diving Championship is less than 2 weeks away! Racing begins on Wednesday evening (2/13) and the last day of competition is Saturday (2/16). Our Vikings are ready to put forth their best races and dives as the season comes to a close. This year the Championship will be in Indianapolis at the IUPUI Natatorium. If you will be coming to the Championship, please let us know! You can purchase Championship tickets on-site at the Natatorium east concourse entrance.
Pre order your tickets for the NIC Championship here in Cleveland!
We are thrilled to be hosting this year's CSCAA National Invitational Championship (NIC) from March 14-16. Over 80 universities have committed to coming to Cleveland and competing in our infamous Busbey Natatorium. If you want to watch your Vikings and some of the nation's best swimmers, be sure to pre order your tickets here!

Four Lockers Left; Confirm Your Name
Thanks to all who donated to the Extra Mile Campaign! We are in the process of securing demolition bids so we can put in the new lockers.

64 lockers have been already been sponsored, with four sponsorships still available. If you would like to commit to a locker now and pay the $1,650 balance during CSU Giving Day please contact Dave Guinther (swim-dive-lead@csuvikings-swim-dive-heritage.com).

An email was sent to all Extra Mile donors on Jan. 30 confirming correct spelling and punctuation of their names as they will appear on the Donor Recognition Panel. If you did not receive that email please email swim-dive-lead@csuvikings-swim-dive-heritage.com with your name EXACTLY as you would it to be shown. Please take care of this as soon as possible!

We are asking all Extra Mile donors, and their families, to make a $16.50 donation to swimming/diving on Giving Day, Wednesday, Feb. 13th. See the Giving Day announcement above. And please remember: "Winning is a lot more fun that almost winning." - Robert F. Busbey.
Did you see the January Featured Vikings ?
Each week we're highlighting special student-athletes on social media. A new Featured Viking will be posted each Wednesday on all three of our social media channels. Depending on the week, we may be featuring two or three! As we were gearing up for Senior Day this month, we featured five seniors: Maggie Stebick, Morgan Massie, Sean Mulvin, Molly McNamara and Claudia Zido. Be sure to follow us on Facebook , Instagram (@vikingswimdive) and Twitter so you don't miss seeing your favorite swimmers or divers!
Morgan Massie's "Featured Viking" graphic from January 16. Log on to our social media channels to see the other features from January!
January and February Birthdays

Abigail Kaple (1/9)
Antony Styrt (1/11)
Addison Kaufmann (1/24)
Emma Flynn (2/9)
Tim Kubacki (2/12)
Morgan Massie & Tone Nilsen (2/13)



Upcoming Events

2/7: Academic Recognition Night for CSU Student-Athletes at Men's Basketball Game, Wolstein Center, 7:00 pm
2/8-2/10: Michigan Open, Oakland University
2/13: CSU Giving Day (donations accepted here)
2/13-2/16: Horizon League Swimming & Diving Championship, IUPUI
3/14-3/16: National Invitational Championship, Busbey Natatorium
4/13: CSU Swimming & Diving Team Banquet, 1:00 pm, Fenn Tower 303
4/16: 29th Annual John Konstantinos Athletic Academic Honors Lunchon, Wolsten Center, 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
4/17: CSU Swimming & Diving Ice Cream Social, Fenn Tower 303
4/27: Kids Kicking Cancer, Busbey Natatorium, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Didn't catch our December newsletter? Click here to read it!
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