CLARK SWIM AND DIVE GEAR UP FOR WORCESTER CITY CHAMPIONSHIP
The Clark University women’s and men’s swimming and diving team will get their first taste of championship atmosphere at this weekend’s ninth annual Worcester City Championship meet held at the College of the Holy Cross. Competition will begin on Friday at 6 p.m., and will resume Saturday morning at 10 a.m.
All three Divisions will be represented, as Clark will take on Division I and seven-time champs Holy Cross, Division II Assumption College, just in its second year with a women’s swim and dive program, and cross-town Division III rival WPI.
Swimming their way to exceptional dual-meet records (Women, 5-1; Men, 4-1), Clark, which has set a combined six new school marks this season, looks to inch closer to the Holy Cross throne.
“The Worcester City Meet is always a fun and exciting atmosphere,” said head coach Paul E. Phillips. “It is really enjoyable to have all four city schools competing together in a multi-session format”
If the Cougar women want to duplicate last year’s efforts, where they set a pair of new meet records and finished second overall, they will have to fish for points in every lane. With quality up and down his line-up, depth will not be an issue for Coach Phillips.
“Hopefully we can strike the right balance between scoring as many points as possible and also providing opportunities for people to be in the events they need to be in at this time of year – it is not always easy to make the numbers work but we will do what we can.”
In addition to having sophomores Liz Rosen and Britney Wigley, the meet record-holders in the 1,650-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle respectively, and junior b, the 2007 Cathy Desrosiers ’82 Swimmer of the Meet runner-up, back, Phillips is looking to freshman Erin Smith to excel in her events. Earlier this season, Smith became the first woman in Clark history to swim the 200-yard freestyle under two minutes with her record-breaking 1:59.96 finish.
Senior captain Kayleigh Lagasse (butterfly) and freshman Eileen Garcia (diver), both new school record holders, should also make an impact.
The Clark men have finished third the last two years, but hope its luck will turn this season.
“Over the past few years it has been a battle between WPI and Holy Cross for the title,” said Phillips. “Maybe this year we can be in the mix for some more points – we’ll see.”
Senior Drew Jackson, a former backstroke specialist, will focus on the freestyle events, allowing rookie standout Ryan Garr to concentrate on backstroke races. Garr has shattered the school records in the 50-, 100-, and 200-yard strokes.
Senior captain Tim O’Keefe (freestyle), sophomore Dan Howard (butterfly) and freshman Cooper Hart (breaststroke) should also give Clark solid performances in their respective events.
“It is a tough time of the year to really be at your best with all the training we’ve been doing,” Phillips said. “Hopefully the swimmers will just race every event with a maximum effort and the divers will use this opportunity to work on their 11-dive lists. As always, I am looking forward to this meet.”
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RHODE ISLANDER'S MAKE MARKS IN RECORD-BOOKS
 Clark University men's basketball and swimming and diving fans saw a pair of monumental moments at Wednesday night's contest. Junior Mark Alexander became the 24th men's basketball player to reach the coveted 1,000-point milestone when he sank the first of two free throws with 1:25 remaining against Wheaton. Entering the game, the Providence, R.I. native, needed just 15 points to crack the 1,000-point barrier. Alexander, a junior co-captain, finished with 15 points for the game.
 In the pool, senior captain Kayleigh Lagasse broke a 15-year old school record in the 200-yard butterfly (2:17.89). She surpassed the previous mark of 2:17.94 set by Jocelyn Maynard '95. Lagasse, from Pawtucket, R.I., joins five of her teammates with new records in the books this year.
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The highlights for this newsletter are provided by
Dalya Qualls, Sports Information Director, 508-793-7164.
Email: dqualls@clarku.edu
Newsletter designed by Joe Brady
(Head Women's Soccer Coach/Athletic Web Site Administrator)
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CLARK SWIM AND DIVE GEAR UP FOR WORCESTER CITY CHAMPIONSHIP 
