April 6, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State swimming and diving team concluded its 2008-09 season at the annual awards banquet Saturday, April 4, at Redbird Arena in Normal, Illinois. Senior Allison Fishbein and sophomore Amy Schaefer were honored as co-most valuable swimmers for the 2008-09 season, while junior Katelyn Prorok was honored as the most valuable diver.
Fishbein ended her swimming career with the Redbirds at the 2009 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championships, where she recorded two personal-best performances and three top-five finishes. Fishbein achieved personal-best times and fourth-place finishes in the 200-yard IM and 400-yard IM. She also recorded personal-best times in 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard breaststroke at the Zippy Invitational in Akron, Ohio. Allison's time of 2:22.96 in the 200-yard breaststroke event was the second-fastest time in school history.
Fishbein was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention Team, as well as the Scholar Athlete Team this season. This season Fishbein received the Missouri Valley Conference Swimmer of the Week Award on November 9 for her meet against Illinois. Fishbein is also a seven-time member of the AFNI Honor roll, and she currently holds a 3.77 grade-point-average.
"I think the term versatility was very important to the success of this program this season, and Allison has displayed that through her entire career as a Redbird," said head swimming and diving coach Steve Paska. "Allison capped off her senior year at Illinois State in fine fashion with how she performed at Akron and achieving best times at the MVC Championships. She has just meant so much to the program. Allison practiced with consistency, wanted to improve each and every day and to watch all the hard work and consistency she showed every day pay off like it did for her was a very proud moment for me. She was richly deserving of all the accolades that she achieved as a senior."
Schaefer joins Fishbein as the co-most valuable swimmer for the 2008-09 season. Schaefer was named to the 2009 All-Conference First Team, marking the second-consecutive year she has been named to the All-Conference First Team. Schaefer was given the Newcomer of the Year Award during the 2007-09 season.
Achieving 18 top-three performances, with 11 first-place finishes, during the regular-season, Schaefer went on to achieve two school records at the MVC Championships. Swimming in the 800-yard freestyle relay that placed third at the MVC Championships with a school-record time of 7:35.14, Schaefer broke the 200-yard freestyle school record with a time of 1:50.54.
"Amy had such a consistent year for us," Paska said. "She was very reliable through all of the dual meets, as well as the Akron Invitational. The highlight of Amy's season was leading off the 800-yard freestyle relay with a school-record time, before the relay broke another school record. Amy wants to improve meet- in and meet-out, and she just has a phenomenal work ethic. To see all of her hard work pay off was well worth the wait until February to see Amy swim as fast as she did. She had a glorious season. She is a dependable young lady that the team definitely needed, as she contributed tremendously to the success of team this season.
Following tremendous success this season, Prorok was honored as the most valuable diver. Prorok was honored as the Missouri Valley Conference Diver of the Year, as well as an all First-Team member. Prorok, who was named MVC Diver of the Week five times this season, edged out competition at the MVC Championships to finish as the one-meter board champion.
Prorok ended her season at the NCAA Zone C Diving Regionals, as she placed 26th on the one-meter board, and 27th on the three-meter board. Prorok is a member of the 2009 Scholar Athlete Team, and she is also a five-time AFNI Athletics Honor Roll member, boasting a 3.92 grade-point-average.
Head diving coach Phil Hoffmann is proud of Prorok's accomplishments this season.
"It was a good culmination of the fantastic season Katelyn had," Hoffmann said. "I hope that it motivates her to continue all of her hard work in the classroom and in the pool. I feel this award will help lead her into a good senior season next year."
Other swimmers and divers were also honored for their contributions to the team this season.
Senior Jessica Santi was given the Rebecca Wade Award, which is presented to a swimmer who shows all-around characteristics of a student-athlete. Santi, who was given the 2008 Dede Woytowich Scholarship, handed the 2009 Dede Woytowich Scholarship to junior Caitlin Falconer.
Freshman Amber Siggins was given the Spirit Award, while fellow freshman Jessica McGee was given the Most Improved Award. Sophomore Lauren Terzis was given the Newcomer of the Year Award. Receiving the Scholastic Award were Prorok and senior Erin Woodruff.
The banquet concluded with Paska honoring seniors Fishbein, Tiffany Rentner, Santi, Lauren Williams, Alison Wippermann, and Woodruff for their outstanding careers as Redbird student-athletes.
"Allison, Tiffany, Jessi, Lauren, Alison, and Erin have all done marvelous things for our program," Paska said. "Each of the girls came in from different programs four years ago, and are all leaving with personal-best times in every single one of the events that they have performed at Illinois State; and these achievements are a huge credit to their will, sacrifice and their love of the sport. They display tremendous amount of pride in being Redbird swimmers and all of them should be very proud of what they have accomplished, what they meant to me and what they meant to the program, I certainly am. I know they will all be very successful as they head into their future endeavors."
