St. Louis Teams Capture Pair of Wins

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, January 13. THE Billiken women's swimming and diving team kept their winning streak intact despite a sluggish start on Saturday as it claimed a 154-87 victory over Western Illinois for its 50th straight dual meet win. The men also picked up a 131-103 win over the Leathernecks, led by a pair of first-place finishes by Brad Byars.

SLU's women's team dominated both diving events, claiming the top three performances on the one- and three-meter board. In the one-meter event, Anna Larson led the charge with 276.10 points, a new Saint Louis record. Erin Lasinski trailed with a 259.35 effort and Emily Walter finished in third with 242.80 points. Larson went on to win the three-meter event with the second best score ever recorded by a BIlliken (292.70). Lasinski came in second (259.35) and Walter trailed with a score of 242.80.

Elena Ramirez added a trio of wins in the 200 IM, the 200 fly and the 200 breast. Her 2:02.21 effort in the 200 fly was an NCAA "B" qualifying time, and also ranks second all-time in SLU annals. Meanwhile, Ramirez's 2:10.34 in the 200 IM was the seventh fastest time in Billiken history, and her swim in the 200 breast was the sixth fastest.

Brad Byars led the men's team with wins in the 50 (21.95) and 100 free (47.76). Kevin Parker won the 200 fly with a time of 1:56.86. The time is the fourth best in SLU history. Sal Cruz added a victory in the 200 breast (2:11.65), swimming the fourth fastest time in SLU history.

Western Illinois' Anthony Holzhauer qualified for the NCAA Zone Meet on the one-meter board with a first-place score of 345.90, a new Saint Louis pool record.

The Billikens return to the pool in triple-dual action on Jan. 19 and 20 against Butler, IUPUI and South Dakota State in Indianapolis. Competition gets underway at 5:30 p.m. CT.

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