Jan. 31, 2002

Freshman Diver Leah Serbalik (Saratoga, N.Y./Saratoga) qualified for the NCAA Eastern Regional in Annapolis, Md.(Mar 15-16) after scoring a 257.25 in her six-dive performance in Saturday's swim meet at Vermont. Serbalik is the first Siena student-athlete to advance to an NCAA regional in the swimming and diving program's three-year history.

Serbalik preformed six dives at 1-meter, each with a degree of difficulty 2.0 or higher, and received no score lower than a 5.0 from the two judges. She received two scores of 6.0 on her fourth dive, a front 2 ½ summersault with a 2.4 degree of difficulty, for her highest single-dive total.

Sebalik's combined score of 257.25 surpassed the NCAA benchmark of 255, earning her automatic qualification. Serbalik narrowly missed qualification at 3-meter's later in the event. Serbalik, the cousin of Diving Coach Jim Serbalik, is in her first season with the program and already possesses all of the school's diving records.

Siena lost the meet with Vermont 166-128. Kelly Pangburn (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca) earned a victory in the 200-yard free style and 100-yard breaststroke with times of 1:58:31 and 2:21:36 respectively. Martha Kroll (Oxford, Conn./Laurelton Hall) took top honors in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:03:47. Kroll also anchored Siena's 400-free relay team, which bested the Catamounts in the meet-ending race.