Men’s and Women’s Swimming & Diving 2003-04 Season Recap

April 2, 2004

The Clemson men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams concluded the 2003-04 season with success at the 2004 NCAA Swimming & Diving Championships. Two Tiger women’s swimmers and one men’s swimmer represented Clemson at the 2004 NCAA Championships, which were conducted in short course meters rather than yards as it is an Olympic year. Head Coach Chris Ip’s men’s team finished in a tie for 35th-place, while the women finished in a tie for 39th nationally. It was the first time since the 1988-89 season that the Clemson men have scored at the national meet.

Mark Henly scored two points for the Tiger men’s team with a15th-place finish (1:56.68) in the 200-meter back at the 2004 NCAAMen’s Championships held at the Goodwill Games Aquatic Center inEast Meadow, NY on March 25-27. The senior from Denver, PA alsocompeted in the preliminary rounds of the 100m back and the 200m IMfor Clemson. The Tigers finished the meet in a tie for 35th-placewith two points. It was the first time since the 1988-89 seasonthat a Clemson men’s team has scored at the NCAA Championships.That season, the Tigers, led by head coach Bob Boettner, placed31st nationally, scoring 13 points at the meet. Henly was named anHonorable Mention All-American for his performance in the 200mback. Kim Routh and Kim Cober represented Clemson at the 2004 NCAAWomen’s Championships on March 18-20 in College Station, TX at theStudent Rec Center Natatorium on the campus of Texas A&M. Routhled the way for the Tigers, placing 15th overall in the 1500m free(16:15.19) and scoring two points for the team, while earningHonorable Mention All-America honors. The sophomore from Sandusky,OH competed in the preliminary rounds of the 200m and 400m free.Cober, a senior from Greensboro, NC, placed 37th overall in the1500m free (16:48.28) and also swam in the preliminary round of the400m free. The Tiger women’s team finished the meet in a tie for39th nationally. Two divers competed for Clemson at the 2004 NCAAZone B Diving Regional in Athens, GA on March 11-13. Eric Shulicktook 15th place in the men’s one-meter diving competition,recording 580.40 points for the event. The junior from Naugatuck,CT, scored 291.60 points in the preliminary round of thethree-meter, finishing 23rd overall. Jessica Watcke, a sophomorefrom Cheshire, CT, posted 195.55 points in the preliminary round ofthe women’s one-meter diving competition to finish 41st overall.The Clemson men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were namedAcademic All-American teams by the College Swimming CoachesAssociation of America. Both Tiger teams earned the honor for theiracademic performances during the fall semester of 2003. The Clemsonwomen’s team posted a team grade point average of 3.200 for thesemester, ranking them in a tie for 43rd among NCAA Division Iwomen’s swimming and diving teams. The Tiger men’s team recorded a3.100 team GPA for the fall 2003 semester, which puts them in a tiefor 17th among Division I men’s swimming and diving programs. Threemembers of the Tiger men’s swimming and diving team set new Clemsonrecords during the 2003-04 season. Mark Henly broke his ownprevious records in the 100 and 200 back set during the 2002-03season. Henly posted a time of 48.82 in the 100 back in thelead-off leg of the Tigers’ 200 medley relay team at the 2004 ACCChampionships. He finished the 200 back in a Clemson record time of1:43.78 to become the ACC Champion in the event for the secondconsecutive season. Eric Shulick broke his own record in theone-meter (six dives) diving competition, scoring 323.03 pointsagainst N.C. State. Shulick also set a Tiger record in theone-meter (11 dives), posting 580.40 points at the NCAA Zone BDiving Regional. The Clemson men’s team set new school records intwo relay events this season. The Tigers’ 200 medley relay team ofMark Henly, Cassella, Kummer and Scheerhorn recorded a time of3:16.17 at the conference championships, breaking their ownprevious record of 3:17.12 set last season. Kim Routh winning timeof 16:23.84 in the 1650 free at the Nike Cup set a new Clemsonrecord in the event. The previous record of 16:29.97 was set in1992 by former Tiger All-American Michele Richardson. Richardsonwas the Olympic silver medallist in the 800 free at the 1984Olympic Games and was a member of the ACC 50th Anniversary Team. Ifconverted times were used, Routh’s short-course-meter time of16:15.19 in the 1500-meter free at the 2004 NCAA Championships,which converts to a time of 16:18.11 in the 1650-yard free, wouldhave broken her own previous record set earlier this season. Tigerdiver Jessica Watcke set a new Clemson record in the one-meter (sixdives) diving competition, posting a score of 258.15 points in theevent against South Carolina. The Clemson men’s swimming and divingteam finished the 2003-04 regular season with a 13-2-1 overallrecord and a 4-1-1 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 13dual victories are the most wins ever recorded by a Clemson men’sswimming and diving team, dating back to the program’s inception in1953. The team finished in fourth place at the 2004 ACCChampionships with 436 points overall. Mark Henly, Eric Shulickwere named to the All-ACC team for their performances at the meet.Henly won his second consecutive ACC title in the 200 back andfinished third in the 100 back and the 200 IM for the Tigers.Shulick was the ACC Champion in the one-meter diving competition,while Kummer finished third in the 200 fly. The Clemson women’sswimming and diving team finished the regular season with a 10-5overall record and a 1-4 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The10 wins are the most recorded by a Tiger team since the 1988season, when Clemson finished the season with 12 dual meetvictories. The team placed fifth overall and the 2004 ACCChampionships, scoring 294.50 points for the meet.