Jan. 31, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
For the second time this season, Illinois State swimmer Kyle Pullman has been named co-Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer of the Week after an outstanding performance at her final dual-meet appearance as a Redbird. The honor comes after she had two first-place finishes in last weekend's meet with Wisconsin-Green Bay and Youngstown State. Pullman shares this weekly honor with Blair Bosta from Evansville.
The Elgin, Ill., native edged out her competitors in the 50-yard freestyle, swimming a time of 24.92. Pullman captured her second first-place finish in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 53.84. Head coach Steve Paska recognizes Pullman's rare abilities as a sprint freestyle swimmer.
"This is a credit to Kyle and the work ethic she has shown this season," said Paska. "She has put so much importance into working on her starts, finishes and breakouts, and I think that has enabled her to win a great majority of the close races she has encountered.
"I am also very pleased with Kyle this year because she has performed with the utmost consistency. For a speed freestyle swimmer, that is sometimes hard to come by. Often, sprint freestyle swimmers will have an off meet here and there, but Kyle has been consistent throughout the entirety of the season. Her consistency has helped us as a team, and I believe that has given her confidence and the belief in herself that she can win the close races."
Pullman will join her teammates as they prepare for the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships Feb. 8-10. The championships are being hosted by Southern Illinois in Carbondale, Ill.
