Feb. 9, 2002

Cleveland, Ohio - It came down to one final contest for the University of Illinois at Chicago women's swimming and diving team: the 800-yard freestyle relay.

Prior to the final race, the Flames held a slim 111-110 advantage over a tough Cleveland State team.

But a heated finale between the Flames and the Vikings came down to the final inches, as CSU anchor Jen Catton out-touched UIC's Christine Hare by .02 seconds for the relay victory and ultimately the team title as well.

The Vikings won 121-115.

Prior to the final race, Hare won the 500-yard freestyle in 5:18.09, just edging teammate Jamie Redway (5:20.79) in the process.

Other UIC women's victories on the afternoon included Julie-Anne Chico in the 100-yard free (54.88), Redway in the 1000-yard free (10:47.89) and a pair of Flames' wins in the diving portion of the meet.

Seniors Shannon Joseph and Andrea Bove each earned a taste of victory, as Joseph won the one-meter event (245.85) and Bove grabbed the three-meter board title (172.80).

Overall, the Flames swept both diving events, as Caitlin Carey entered the mix, with second- and third-place showings.

For the men, depth continues to the plague the Flames, as CSU prevailed 138-66.

Senior captain Paul Torres was the lone winner for UIC on the afternoon, grabbing top honors in the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of 2:05.07.

Junior diver Mike Magee finished second on both boards, as Chris Jones of Cleveland State proved superior on this day, barely edging Magee in each event.

Both UIC squads will now enjoy 19 days off until the Horizon League Championships, which will be hosted by UIC at Flames Natatorium from Feb. 27-Mar. 2.