Senior Lauren Kamperman
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
2011-12 Women's Swimming Outlook
10/13/2011 1:53:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
When the Wildcat women kicked off the 2011-12 season two weeks ago against Clemson, the team's lineup looked a little bit different. Without the services of the Class of 2011, which featured the program's first-ever NCAA qualifier Lindsey Martin and College record-holders Emily Castle, Jessica Delgehausen, Anna Stringfield and Ineke Stegger, the Wildcat women will have to find a different way to win.
“This is an interesting season for our women's team,” head coach John Young said. “We graduated a great class, including our first-ever NCAA qualifier. Our relays take a pretty obvious hit with the graduation of Emily and Lindsey and Anna and Jessica, but I think that the team is excited for the challenge at hand. There will be no hiding behind superstars, and I think all of the women are excited to see what they can do collectively.”
All is certainly not lost for the Wildcat women, who return a couple of school-record holders in junior Kelsi Hobbs and senior Lauren Kamperman and strong leadership in co-captains Meagan Madden and Jean DeOrnellas, a record-holder in her own right. And to replace the 10 lost to graduation, Young has added seven talented freshmen to the roster, any number of which has the potential to make an immediate impact for the Wildcats.
“The women are young,” Young said. “We have a big freshmen class, and how they perform and the impact that they have on the team will have a lot to do with how successful we will be as the season unfolds. The conversation for our team is different than it has been in years past. The conversation now is how do we not relinquish our position, how do we engage the fight for a trophy in the absence of some of our leaders.”
The challenge for the 2011-12 Wildcat women will be not only to replace the significant contributions of the class of 2011, but also figure out how to build on their legacy while writing their own story.
“The team has, over these last five years, really redefined the performance ceiling here at Davidson,” Young said. “And that has enabled other great students who might have had hesitation about the caliber of swimming that could be supported at a small college to be more free to consider the academic merits of this place with confidence that they wouldn't be making compromises in the athletic experience. The goal is a constant evolution.”
Sprint Freestyle
“We are by definition weaker in the sprints than we were last year because of the graduation of the two top 50 and 100 freestylers in the College's history,” Young said. “But having said that, we have great leadership in the group.”
In Martin and Castle's absence, DeOrnellas will captain the sprint group. One of two co-captains, DeOrnellas is a school-record holder as a member of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays and a top 10 performer in the 50 free (:23.91/4th), the 100 free (:52.04/5th) and the 100 fly (:57.49/5th).
“Jean DeOrnellas has been a rock star,” Young said. “She is a captain of the team as a junior and will have her chance to hold down the relays and try to make us a better team. “
Freshmen Meredith Nakano will contribute immediately in the sprints, and enters with times that rank her second on the depth chart in the 50 (:24.42, :52.32) and 100 free (:24.71, :54.08).
“Meredith Nakano is a freshman who is very versatile and talented,” Young said. “She will make us better in the sprints and breaststroke events,” Young said. “We anticipate Meredith making an impact on most of our relays. She is a recruit that is among the best sprint recruits we've had join us.”
The versatile Kamperman returns the top time in the 200 freestyle (1:54.53), and the Wildcats will also get help from junior Lillie Seifart, freshmen Anna Blair Bullock and Ariane Nguyenduy in mid-distance events.
Distance Freestyle
In the distance freestyle events, the Wildcats will rely on Seifart, junior Allison Cottle and Madden in her absence.
Seifart, a Top-10 performer in the 1650 freestyle (17:46.60/10th), returns the top time in the 500 free (5:04.32) and ranks third on the team's depth chart in the 1000 freestyle (10:44.53). Cottle is a Top-10 performer in the 500 (5:05.78/8th), 1000 (10:35.87/8th) and 1650 (17:34.70/5th) freestyles, as is Madden, who ranks 10th in the 500 (5:06.39), sixth in the 1000 (10:34.58) and eighth in the 1650 (17:44.41).
“They, along with Jessica Delgehausen, last year were really the cornerstones of that group,” Young said. “Meagan Madden is a senior captain. She was abroad for a semester last year, but she had a good summer of training while she was here on campus to do research so she is in a position to continue to lead in that group.”
The trio will also get contributions from Bullock, freshmen Francesca Devine and Zoe Wuckovich, and sophomores Megan McLeod and Marisa Martinson in the distance events.
Backstroke
In the backstrokes, Hobbs returns as the College record holder in the 100 backstroke (:57.22). She finished as a championship finalist in the race at both the 2010 and 2011 CCSA Championships, and will aim for a third straight evening swim at this year's league championships.
Newcomer Mackenzie Robinson is a talented backstroker who enters with a high school time in the 200 backstroke that is both just off the College record and the team's top-seeded time entering the season.
Along with Hobbs and Robinson, freshmen Devine and Wuckovich will also contribute in the backstroke events.
Butterfly
The graduation of Castle, a three-time CCSA champion in the 100 fly, will certainly impact the Wildcats, but overall team remains strong in the butterfly events with the return of Hobbs and sophomore Liz Mace, who set the college's freshman record in her first season as a Wildcat.
Hobbs is Davidson record-holder in the 200 butterfly (2:03.58) from the 2011 CCSA championships, where she was also a championship finalist in the 100 butterfly. Nakano's high school time is the team's best time in the 100 fly, and she is versatile enough to make significant and immediate contributions in several events.
The duo, along with DeOrnellas, Kamperman and Cottle, along with newcomer Robinson, round out the Wildcat's lineup in the butterflies.
Breaststroke
The Wildcats will count on sophomore Caroline Vrana, a 2011 CCSA championship finalist in the 100 breaststroke, and on the versatile Nakano, who enters with the team's top times in both the 100 (1:04.52) and the 200 (2:22.15) breaststrokes.
The Wildcats will also look for contributions from Robinson, Porter and McLeod to add depth to the lineup.
Individual Medley
Newcomer Robinson enters with 400 IM time (4:24.90) that is faster than Davidson's record, and Kamperman returns as the school-record holder in the 200 IM (2:05.12). Robinson and Kamperman, a championship finalist in both medleys at the 2011 CCSA championship, should pick up where Stringfield left off.
That duo, along with Robinson, Nakano and Devine, will lead the Wildcats in the IMs.
Diving
Sophomore Kaliya Burton-Akright and senior Jessica Ardecky return a wealth of experience and lead a strong diving team. Burton-Akright was a CCSA champion on the 3-meter board last season with a score of 254.05, and Ardecky has been a consistent performer for the Wildcats over the past three seasons. This season they will be joined by freshman Karen Monuszko, who has shown plenty of potential.
“Diving is going to be a strength for us this year,” Young said. “Kaliya is a returning champ, and Karen Monuszko has already demonstrated a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. We will count on diving to be a strength as the season unfolds.”
Schedule
The Wildcats dual-meet schedule in 2011-12 features home meets against Clemson (October 1), East Carolina (October 15), William & Mary (October 29) and Gardner-Webb (January 28) and a meet at CCSA-foe College of Charleston (November 5).
“We will continue to swim against a high level of competition in our dual meets,” Young said. “We have a smaller dual-meet schedule than in years past, which we think will give us an opportunity for a couple of spots of better continuous training during the season instead of breaking up our rhythm.”
In addition to a challenging dual-meet schedule, the Wildcats will once again travel to the Kenyon College Invitational (January 1-3) and host the CCSA Duals (January 28) in a final tune-up for the 2012 CCSA Championships, held this season in Athens, Ga., from February 16-18.
“This season will be fun,” Young said. “We return the sixth-most points from the (2011) conference championships. We were the runner-up team, but many of those points came from the senior class. The extent to which we see people perform better than they did last year and see the freshmen perform, we'll surprise people if measured against that sixth-place expectation.”
“This is an interesting season for our women's team,” head coach John Young said. “We graduated a great class, including our first-ever NCAA qualifier. Our relays take a pretty obvious hit with the graduation of Emily and Lindsey and Anna and Jessica, but I think that the team is excited for the challenge at hand. There will be no hiding behind superstars, and I think all of the women are excited to see what they can do collectively.”
All is certainly not lost for the Wildcat women, who return a couple of school-record holders in junior Kelsi Hobbs and senior Lauren Kamperman and strong leadership in co-captains Meagan Madden and Jean DeOrnellas, a record-holder in her own right. And to replace the 10 lost to graduation, Young has added seven talented freshmen to the roster, any number of which has the potential to make an immediate impact for the Wildcats.
“The women are young,” Young said. “We have a big freshmen class, and how they perform and the impact that they have on the team will have a lot to do with how successful we will be as the season unfolds. The conversation for our team is different than it has been in years past. The conversation now is how do we not relinquish our position, how do we engage the fight for a trophy in the absence of some of our leaders.”
The challenge for the 2011-12 Wildcat women will be not only to replace the significant contributions of the class of 2011, but also figure out how to build on their legacy while writing their own story.
“The team has, over these last five years, really redefined the performance ceiling here at Davidson,” Young said. “And that has enabled other great students who might have had hesitation about the caliber of swimming that could be supported at a small college to be more free to consider the academic merits of this place with confidence that they wouldn't be making compromises in the athletic experience. The goal is a constant evolution.”
Sprint Freestyle
“We are by definition weaker in the sprints than we were last year because of the graduation of the two top 50 and 100 freestylers in the College's history,” Young said. “But having said that, we have great leadership in the group.”
In Martin and Castle's absence, DeOrnellas will captain the sprint group. One of two co-captains, DeOrnellas is a school-record holder as a member of the 200, 400 and 800 freestyle relays and a top 10 performer in the 50 free (:23.91/4th), the 100 free (:52.04/5th) and the 100 fly (:57.49/5th).
“Jean DeOrnellas has been a rock star,” Young said. “She is a captain of the team as a junior and will have her chance to hold down the relays and try to make us a better team. “
Freshmen Meredith Nakano will contribute immediately in the sprints, and enters with times that rank her second on the depth chart in the 50 (:24.42, :52.32) and 100 free (:24.71, :54.08).
“Meredith Nakano is a freshman who is very versatile and talented,” Young said. “She will make us better in the sprints and breaststroke events,” Young said. “We anticipate Meredith making an impact on most of our relays. She is a recruit that is among the best sprint recruits we've had join us.”
The versatile Kamperman returns the top time in the 200 freestyle (1:54.53), and the Wildcats will also get help from junior Lillie Seifart, freshmen Anna Blair Bullock and Ariane Nguyenduy in mid-distance events.
Distance Freestyle
In the distance freestyle events, the Wildcats will rely on Seifart, junior Allison Cottle and Madden in her absence.
Seifart, a Top-10 performer in the 1650 freestyle (17:46.60/10th), returns the top time in the 500 free (5:04.32) and ranks third on the team's depth chart in the 1000 freestyle (10:44.53). Cottle is a Top-10 performer in the 500 (5:05.78/8th), 1000 (10:35.87/8th) and 1650 (17:34.70/5th) freestyles, as is Madden, who ranks 10th in the 500 (5:06.39), sixth in the 1000 (10:34.58) and eighth in the 1650 (17:44.41).
“They, along with Jessica Delgehausen, last year were really the cornerstones of that group,” Young said. “Meagan Madden is a senior captain. She was abroad for a semester last year, but she had a good summer of training while she was here on campus to do research so she is in a position to continue to lead in that group.”
The trio will also get contributions from Bullock, freshmen Francesca Devine and Zoe Wuckovich, and sophomores Megan McLeod and Marisa Martinson in the distance events.
Backstroke
In the backstrokes, Hobbs returns as the College record holder in the 100 backstroke (:57.22). She finished as a championship finalist in the race at both the 2010 and 2011 CCSA Championships, and will aim for a third straight evening swim at this year's league championships.
Newcomer Mackenzie Robinson is a talented backstroker who enters with a high school time in the 200 backstroke that is both just off the College record and the team's top-seeded time entering the season.
Along with Hobbs and Robinson, freshmen Devine and Wuckovich will also contribute in the backstroke events.
Butterfly
The graduation of Castle, a three-time CCSA champion in the 100 fly, will certainly impact the Wildcats, but overall team remains strong in the butterfly events with the return of Hobbs and sophomore Liz Mace, who set the college's freshman record in her first season as a Wildcat.
Hobbs is Davidson record-holder in the 200 butterfly (2:03.58) from the 2011 CCSA championships, where she was also a championship finalist in the 100 butterfly. Nakano's high school time is the team's best time in the 100 fly, and she is versatile enough to make significant and immediate contributions in several events.
The duo, along with DeOrnellas, Kamperman and Cottle, along with newcomer Robinson, round out the Wildcat's lineup in the butterflies.
Breaststroke
The Wildcats will count on sophomore Caroline Vrana, a 2011 CCSA championship finalist in the 100 breaststroke, and on the versatile Nakano, who enters with the team's top times in both the 100 (1:04.52) and the 200 (2:22.15) breaststrokes.
The Wildcats will also look for contributions from Robinson, Porter and McLeod to add depth to the lineup.
Individual Medley
Newcomer Robinson enters with 400 IM time (4:24.90) that is faster than Davidson's record, and Kamperman returns as the school-record holder in the 200 IM (2:05.12). Robinson and Kamperman, a championship finalist in both medleys at the 2011 CCSA championship, should pick up where Stringfield left off.
That duo, along with Robinson, Nakano and Devine, will lead the Wildcats in the IMs.
Diving
Sophomore Kaliya Burton-Akright and senior Jessica Ardecky return a wealth of experience and lead a strong diving team. Burton-Akright was a CCSA champion on the 3-meter board last season with a score of 254.05, and Ardecky has been a consistent performer for the Wildcats over the past three seasons. This season they will be joined by freshman Karen Monuszko, who has shown plenty of potential.
“Diving is going to be a strength for us this year,” Young said. “Kaliya is a returning champ, and Karen Monuszko has already demonstrated a tremendous amount of enthusiasm. We will count on diving to be a strength as the season unfolds.”
Schedule
The Wildcats dual-meet schedule in 2011-12 features home meets against Clemson (October 1), East Carolina (October 15), William & Mary (October 29) and Gardner-Webb (January 28) and a meet at CCSA-foe College of Charleston (November 5).
“We will continue to swim against a high level of competition in our dual meets,” Young said. “We have a smaller dual-meet schedule than in years past, which we think will give us an opportunity for a couple of spots of better continuous training during the season instead of breaking up our rhythm.”
In addition to a challenging dual-meet schedule, the Wildcats will once again travel to the Kenyon College Invitational (January 1-3) and host the CCSA Duals (January 28) in a final tune-up for the 2012 CCSA Championships, held this season in Athens, Ga., from February 16-18.
“This season will be fun,” Young said. “We return the sixth-most points from the (2011) conference championships. We were the runner-up team, but many of those points came from the senior class. The extent to which we see people perform better than they did last year and see the freshmen perform, we'll surprise people if measured against that sixth-place expectation.”
Davidson Swim/Dive Midseason Virtual Event (12-11-25)
Wednesday, December 17
Swimming & Diving: Georgetown Time Lapse
Thursday, October 29
Swimming & Diving: Sights & Sounds - Swim
Thursday, October 01
Swimming & Diving: Sights & Sounds - Lift
Thursday, October 01
