Illinois Women Down Oakland, 173-123 -- November 10, 2002

ROCHESTER, Michigan, Nov. 9. THE Oakland University women's swimming and diving team, a perennial NCAA Div. II power, was defeated by the Division I University of Illinois 173-123 this afternoon at the OU Natatorium. The loss drops the Golden Grizzlies to 5-2 on the season.

There was no men's meet as Illinois eliminated its men's team almost a decade agao, ostensibly to comply with Title IX.

Junior Oksana Strelets (Kazakhstan) led the way for the Golden Grizzlies with two first-place finishes. She finished the 100 yard freestyle with a top time of 52.57 and won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.90.

Tanya Korniyenko (Almaty, Kazakhstan) placed first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.13. She placed second in the 200-yard butterfly with a time 2:04.99 and second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:10.41.

Linda Kesky (Cokato, Mich.) scored 249.60 in the three-meter dive to capture first place.

In the final event of the afternoon the Golden Grizzlies placed first in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Team A consisting of Danielle Ward (Brighton, Mich.), Karoline Freytag (Kronach, Germany), Holly Miller (Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.) and Strelets finished with a time of 3:31.92.