Jan. 13, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Junior Kassia Shishkoff (Raleigh, N.C./St. David's School) has been named the Big Ten Swimmer of the Week following her performance in No. 21 Northwestern's wins over No. 24 Notre Dame and Toledo on Saturday.
Shishkoff won three individual events and finished second in another to lead all scorers, but her performance in the clutch gave the Wildcats a come-from-behind victory over the Irish. With NU trailing late in the meet, Shishkoff won the final individual race with a season-best swim in the 200 IM to pull Northwestern within four points and setting the stage for a winner-take-all 400 free relay.
Shishkoff jumped right back into the pool to anchor that relay, making the final turn in a dead heat with Notre Dame's swimmer before pulling ahead in the final 25 yards to give NU a .37 of a second win in the race and a five-point win in the meet. Shishkoff's winning times in both individual medleys -- including the clutch 200 -- were season bests.
The honor is the second of the season for Shishkoff and the third of her career. She and classmate Emily Wong (Nepean, Ontario/St. Joseph's) have combined to earn three conference Swimmer of the Week awards this year.
Northwestern returns to action at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, Jan. 17, in the Chipotle BIG Meet The 'Cats host the 18th-ranked Michigan Wolverines for the Senior Day celebration. The first 50 NU students into the event will receive a free Chipotle burrito coupon, and one lucky NU student will win a quarter's supply of Chipotle burrito coupons.