Steven, Embertson Head For NCAAs
March 16, 2004
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OREGON STATE AT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS Student Rec Center Natatorium College Station, Tex. OREGON STATE SWIMMERS COMPETING: Birte Steven (100 breaststroke, 200 breaststroke, 200 individual medley); Mari Embertson (400 individual medley, 200 individual medley, 200 breaststroke) THURSDAY, MARCH 18 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 400 medley relay; preliminaries 9 a.m. PST, finals 5 p.m. PST FRIDAY, MARCH 19 200 medley relay, 400 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke, 800 freestyle relay; preliminaries 9 a.m. PST, finals 5 p.m. PST SATURDAY, MARCH 20 1,500-meter freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, 400 freestyle relay; preliminaries 9 a.m. PST, finals 5 p.m. PST
Oregon State's Birte Steven and Mari Embertson head for Aggieland this week to compete in the NCAA Women's Swimming and Diving Championships. The meet at Texas A&M's Student Rec Center Natatorium runs Thursday through Saturday.
Steven, a senior and five-time All-American, and Embertson, a junior, will look to highlight what has been a successful season for both themselves and OSU. Steven will compete in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes and the 400 individual medley; Embertson will compete in the 400 IM, 200 IM and 200 breaststroke.
The biggest difference will be that they will be swimming a 25-meter short course, as opposed to the normal 25-yard course they encounter throughout the regular season. The NCAA converts its championship meet to meters in Olympic years.
"We are ready for the short course," Steven said. "We've been training very hard."
The method of training for the NCAAs is no different than training for any other meet. OSU coach Larry Liebowitz has been introducing new styles of training to his swimmers from Day One to prepare them for any challenge.
"It is only 10 percent longer," Steven said. "It isn't that much of a difference when you think about it, especially since we swam a long- course meet very successfully earlier this season. That was a much bigger distance away from a 25-yard course."
Steven is making her third trip to the NCAAs. She's a five-time All-American and is hoping to qualify for the German team for this summer's Olympics. The 200-yard breaststroke is her forte, she had the nation's best time most of the season and she ranks as one of the to contenders for the national title in that event going into the meet.
"This is the highlight of the college season," Steven said. "It's special for me because it's my last meet as a Beaver. I'm in the best shape of my life, ready, and excited."
Steven will be a resource for Embertson as she makes her first trip to the NCAA Championships.
"Comfort is the biggest word I can think of to describe what Birte will bring to me," Embertson said. "She knows! She can give hints, small things when I am stressing out. She also knows how to get me excited."
Embertson describes Steven as an example to follow, and a major threat in the water.
"If I want to know how to get it done, I can just look to Birte," Embertson said.
Embertson herself has been a threat in the water. Breaking the school record in the 400-yard individual medley and then breaking her own record at the Pacific-10 Championships, Embertson has been making strong improvement throughout the season to qualify for the NCAAs in this event.
"This trip is a reward for all I have put in," Embertson said. "Having new swimmers go every year keeps bringing stronger credibility and respect for Oregon State."
Steven has no qualms over Embertson's preparation for the meet.
"I am very happy for Mari," Steven said. "She is an amazing swimmer. This can be a scary and nerve-wracking thing to go to the national meet for the first time. I hope that I can help her be ready - because she is."
OREGON STATE AT THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: Last season Oregon State tied for 25th place at the NCAA Championships, the Beavers' best-ever showing at the meet. After sending a swimmer to the NCAA Championships just twice from 1987-2000, Oregon State is being represented at the meet for the fourth straight season. OSU tied for 31st place in 2002, tied for 45th in 2001, tied for 35th in 1995 and tied for 38th in 1994.
OREGON STATE'S LAST MEET: Oregon State used a strong finish to place seventh in the team standings at the Pacific-10 Championships, which were held Feb. 25-28 at the Belmont Plaza Pool in Long Beach, Calif. Stanford edged UCLA for the team championship.
Birte Steven placed second in the 200-yard breaststroke, the highest finish ever for an OSU swimmer at the Pac-10 meet, and was also fourth in the 100 breaststroke. Other Beavers making the championship finals were Mari Embertson, who placed fourth in the 400 individual medley; and Kristin Huston, who tied for sixth in the 50 freestyle.
Also scoring in individual events for the Beavers were Embertson (200 breast, 10th), Steven (200 IM, 16th), Ausra Pacebutaite (100 back, 13th; 200 back, 16th), Christina Kinney (100 fly, 14th; 200 fly, 17th), Monika Miroslaw (200 fly, 14th; 400 IM, 20th), Sandy Hong (1,650 free, 19th), Huston (100 free, 21st; 200 free, 24th), Kristi Kuhlmey (1,650 free, 22nd), Brie Marhenke (50 free, 22nd), Leah Schaab (400 IM, 23rd; 200 breast, 24th) and Danielle Kinney (1,650 free, 24th).
HEAD COACH Larry Liebowitz: Liebowitz, who has extensive international and club coaching experience, spent the last 8 seasons as assistant head coach for the women's and men's programs at Southern California. This season is his first as a collegiate head coach.
Last season, Liebowitz helped guide the USC women to third-place finishes in the NCAA Championships and the Pacific-10 Championships. The Trojan men's team was third in the Pac-10 and fifth at the NCAAs.
Liebowitz, 53, served as an assistant coach for the U.S. men's team at the 1999 Pan American Games and was also an assistant coach at the 1997 World University Games. He was coach of the United States men's team in the 1995 Pan Am Games and coach of the 1988 Costa Rica Olympic team.
SENIOR ALL-AMERICAN Birte Steven: Birte Steven is one of the most-decorated swimmers in Oregon State history, and she's looking to add to her accomplishments in her final season at OSU. The senior has earned All-America honors in each of her first 3 seasons with the Beavers and has a total of 5 All-America finishes; she's the only OSU swimmer to have reached those numbers.
Steven earned 2 All-America honors at the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive year in 2002-03, placing sixth in the 200 breaststroke and 11th in the 100 breaststroke. Steven's sixth-place finish was the best-ever for an OSU swimmer at the NCAAs.
In 2002, Steven became the first-ever OSU swimmer to earn All-America honors twice in the same meet with her 16th-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and her 11th-place finish in the 200 breaststroke at the 2002 NCAAs. As a freshman in 2001, she placed 16th at the NCAAs in the 200 breastroke.
Steven has 99 first-place finishes in dual meet and invitational competition in her career at OSU, including 28 wins this season plus 1 more win as an exhibition competitor. In the Pac-10 era, she trails only Naya Higashijima on OSU's win list; Higashijima had 104 wins from 2000-03.
This past May, Steven qualified for the University World Games as a member of the German National Team. Steven competed in the 100- and 200-meter breaststrokes at the Games, and her time in the 200 breaststroke was the eighth-best in the world in 2003.
Steven was honored as the OSU Female Athlete of the Year for 2002-03 school year at the OSU athletic department's annual Benny Awards in June.
STEVENS NATATORIUM: Oregon State swims its home meets at Stevens Natatorium on the OSU campus. OSU has an all-time record of 13-5 in the pool after going 1-1 there during the 2003-04 season. Stevens Natatorium is adjacent to Dixon Recreation Center, near Gill Coliseum. The pool opened in 1994 but was not outfitted for competition until prior to the 1999-2000 season. OSU had scheduled its home meets at Corvallis' Osborn Aquatic Center since the community pool opened for the 1979-80 season. A few meets were still held on campus at Langton Pool.
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON FOR BEAVERS: Oregon State's wins at Washington State on Jan. 30-Jan. 31 guaranteed the Beavers their fifth straight winning season in dual meet competition. That's the longest string of winning seasons for OSU since it put together 7 in a row from 1978-84.
OREGON STATE EVENT WINNERS IN 2003-04: Birte Steven leads OSU swimmers in individual event victories this season with 28 wins. A look at Beaver victory leaders for the 2003-04 season through Feb. 28 (exhibition wins in parentheses, and not included in total):
1. Birte Steven (1) 28 2. Kristin Huston 21 3. Sandy Hong 12 4. Ausra Pacebutaite 10 5. Christina Kinney (1) 7 6. Mari Embertson 6 7. Monika Miroslaw 3 8. Leah Schaab 2 (tie) Ashleigh Thomas 2 (tie) Kristi Kuhlmey 2
OREGON STATE 2003-04 WINS ON ALL-TIME LIST: Several 2003-04 Oregon State swimmers have recorded enough wins this season to gain a place on OSU's top 25 of single-season event winners in the Pacific-10 era (women's swimming became a Pacific-10 sport in 1986-87). Here are the Beavers on the list or close to it through Feb. 28:
1. Naya Higashijima, 2003 31 2. Naya Higashijima, 2002 30 3. Birte Steven, 2003 28 > (tie) Birte Steven, 2004 28 < 5.="">Naya Higashijima, 2001 24 6. Amy van Loben Sels, 1994 23 7. Birte Steven, 2002 22 8. Birte Steven, 2001 21 (tie) Amy van Loben Sels, 1995 21 > (tie) Kristin Huston, 2004 21 < 11.="">Naya Higashijima, 2000 19 > (tie) Kristin Huston, 2004 19< 12.="" tammy="" scott,="" 1988="" 17="" 13.="">Paula Finlay, 2000 15 (tie) Kristin Huston, 2003 15 (tie) Lisa van Loben Sels 15 16. Tammy Scott, 1991 14 17. Paula Finlay, 2001 13 (tie) Kristin Huston, 2002 13 (tie) Christy Ryerson, 1994 13 > 20. Sandy Hong, 2004 12 < 21.="" kelly="" kaplan,="" 1988="" 11="" 22.="" traci="" lamoure,="" 1995="" 10="" (tie)="" traci="" lamoure,="" 1996="" 10="" (tie)="" sue="" maxwell,="" 1988="" 10="" (tie)="" christy="" ryerson,="" 1993="" 10="" (tie)="">Suzanne Starkey, 2003 10 (tie) Monee Williamson, 1994 10 (tie) Andrea Ziemer, 1988 10 > (tie) Ausra Pacebutaite, 2004 10<>
BEAVERS' PLACES ON SCHOOL WIN LISTS: Birte Steven is in second place on OSU's career list of event winners in the Pac-10 era. A look at the top 15 for OSU in event wins since women's swimming became a Pac-10 sport for the 1986-87 season, and how far some current Beavers need to go to join the list; numbers are through Feb. 28:
1. Naya Higashijima, 2000-03 104 > 2. Birte Steven, 2001-present 99 < 3.="" amy="" van="" loben="" sels,="" 1991-95="" 55=""> 4. Kristin Huston, 2002-present 50 < 5.="" tammy="" scott,="" 1988-91="" 46="" 6.="" lisa="" van="" loben="" sels,="" 1989-91="" 32="" 7.="">Paula Finlay, 2000-03 31 (tie) Traci Lamoure, 1994-98 31 9. Kelly Kaplan, 1988-91 24 10. Christy Ryerson, 1991-94 23 11. Arianna Higuera, 1998-01 21 12. Sue Maxwell, 1987-90 19 (tie) Suzanne Starkey, 2000-03 19 >13. Ausra Pacebutaite, 2003-present 19 < 14.="" andrea="" ziemer,="" 1987-90="" 16="">15. Sandy Hong, 2004-present 12 <> Kristi Kuhlmey, 2003-present 10 <> Christina Kinney, 2002-present 9 <> Mari Embertson, 2002-present 8 <>
BEAVERS' PLACES ON SCHOOL TOP-10 LISTS: Members of OSU's 2003-2004 squad hold 50 of the 140 places on the list of the school's top 10 performers in each individual event. Current Beaver swimmers with entries on OSU's all-time leaders list through Feb. 28:
1. Birte Steven 7 2. Christina Kinney 6 3. Mari Embertson 5 (tie) Ausra Pacebutaite 5 3. Sandy Hong 4 (tie) Kristin Huston 4 (tie) Kristi Kuhlmey 4 (tie) Monika Miroslaw 4 9. Danielle Kinney 3 (tie) Leah Schaab 3 11. Jessie Hong 2 (tie) Ashleigh Thomas 2 13. Brie Marhenke 1
WHERE THE BEAVERS RANK ON SCHOOL LISTS: Here are OSU's school records and where members of the 2003-2004 Beavers (listed in bold type) rank on the school's individual top-10 list through Feb. 28:
50 FREESTYLE 1. Amy van Loben Sels 23.11 1994 2. Kristin Huston 23.26 2004 4. Ausra Pacebutaite 23.74 2004 5. Brie Marhenke 23.81 2004 100 FREESTYLE 1. Amy van Loben Sels 50.64 1995 2. Kristin Huston 50.98 2002 5. Brie Marhenke 51.86 2004 6. Ausra Pacebutaite 51.99 2004 10. Birte Steven 52.61 2004 200 FREESTYLE 1. Kristin Huston 1:50.61 2002 2. Birte Steven 1:50.77 2004 4. Kristi Kuhlmey 1:51.72 2003 8. Mari Embertson 1:53.80 2004 9. Sandy Hong 1:53.86 2004 10. Danielle Kinney 1:54.03 2004 500 FREESTYLE 1. Naya Higashijima 4:50.76 2003 2. Kristi Kuhlmey 4:57.61 2003 3. Sandy Hong 4:59.33 2004 7. Danielle Kinney 5:01.87 2004 9. Christina Kinney 5:03.38 2004 1,000 FREESTYLE 1. Naya Higashijima 9:56.74 2003 2. Sandy Hong 10:11.78 2004 3. Kristi Kuhlmey 10:14.05 2003 4. Birte Steven 10:16.49 2004 5. Danielle Kinney 10:23.44 2003 1,650 FREESTYLE 1. Naya Higashijima 16:27.59 2003 2. Kristi Kuhlmey 16:56.30 2003 3. Sandy Hong 17:03.15 2004 8. Danielle Kinney 17:22.84 2003 100 BACKSTROKE 1. Ausra Pacebutaite 55.78 2004 9. Kristin Huston 58.75 2004 10. Ashleigh Thomas 59.06 2004 200 BACKSTROKE 1. Ausra Pacebutaite 2:01.65 2004 3. (tie) Jessie Hong 2:04.55 2003 7. Ashleigh Thomas 2:05.48 2004 100 BUTTERFLY 1. Suzanne Starkey 55.09 2003 3. Christina Kinney 56.31 2004 6. Monika Miroslaw 57.63 2004 8. Ausra Pacebutaite 58.21 2004 200 BUTTERFLY 1. Naya Higashijima 1:57.42 2003 2. Christina Kinney 2:01.14 2004 3. Monika Miroslaw 2:01.46 2004 8. Leah Schaab 2:07.83 2003 100 BREASTSTROKE 1. Birte Steven 1:00.68 2004 3. Mari Embertson 1:04.21 2004 200 BREASTSTROKE 1. Birte Steven 2:09.96 2003 3. Mari Embertson 2:16.58 2004 8. Leah Schaab 2:22.14 2004 200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY 1. Birte Steven 2:01.98 2003 2. Mari Embertson 2:03.78 2004 4. Christina Kinney 2:04.60 2003 6. Monika Miroslaw 2:06.81 2003 8. Leah Schaab 2:07.99 2003 400 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY 1. Mari Embertson 4:14.80 2004 3. Birte Steven 4:21.54 2002 4. Monika Miroslaw 4:21.55 2003 5. Leah Schaab 4:25.70 2003 8. Jessie Hong 4:28.31 2002 9. Christina Kinney 4:30.19 2003
