Women's Swimming & Diving Season Preview
10/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Swimming
RALEIGH, N.C. - Anna Linkenauger and Jennifer Kopenitz highlight a seasoned cast for head coach Brooks Teal’s 2009-10 NC State women’s swimming and diving team, just one year removed from setting 10 new school records. Linkenauger owns school records in the 200 breaststroke, and both the 200 and 400 individual medleys, as well as a stake in three school relay records. In all, 10 swimmers return to the fold holding a grand total of 27 top-10 all-time times, with Kopenitz having posted five of those marks and Patrice Dason owning four. Ten seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and seven freshmen construct the roster.
Sprint Freestyle
Ashley Richter, Meg Thompson and Dason combine for five top-10 times in school history in the sprint freestyle events, spearheading a solid cast of contributors. Richter is second all-time in the 100 freestyle and third in the 50 freestyle, while Dason and Thompson are tied for fifth in the 50 freestyle. Dason is also 10th in the 100 freestyle, while Chelsa Messinger, Amanda Panty, Nancy Radloff, Erin Gray and Morgan Robertson provide veteran experience. Newcomer Allison Hendren collected six spring national junior cuts, as well as both summer junior national, short course national, and U.S. Open cuts in the 50 freestyle during her prep career.
Mid-Distance Freestyle
Richter will look to improve upon her eighth-best all-time school mark in the 200 freestyle, while Erica Waters seems poised to continue her progress following a solid freshman campaign. Brianna Grover clocked in with the third best mark in the 200 freestyle a year ago, and Sarah Merritt finished third in the 500 freestyle. Freshman Marifrances Henley collected All-America prep honors in both the 200 and 500 freestyle, and Hendren had national cuts of her own in the 200 freestyle.
Distance Freestyle
Taryn Shelley and Maggie McEnerney stand as the top two returnees in the distance freestyle rotation. Shelley put up the 10th-best time in Wolfpack history in the 1650 freestyle last season, and McEnerney offered the third-best showing on the year in the same event. Jessica McBroom also adds a year of experience, having finished third on the team last season in the 1000 freestyle, while Linkenauger is also accomplished in all distance freestyle events. Freshman Kirsten Esplin should make a mark of her own, having earned both all-conference and all-state accolades at nearby Cardinal Gibbons High, setting the school record in the 500 freestyle along the way.
Butterfly
Three seniors head up the butterfly corps in Dason, Alli Hagan and Maresa Like-Mathews. Last season Dason recorded the second-fastest finish in school history in the 100 butterfly, while Thompson posted the third. Hagan put up the ninth-best swim in school history in the 100 butterfly, and Kopenitz’s ninth-best mark in the 200 butterfly still stands from her freshman season. Like-Mathews gave the top effort on the squad last year in the 200 butterfly, with McBroom, McEnerney and Grover following behind her. Robertson and Katie Robinson will provide depth.
Backstroke
The loss of dual record holder Erica Smith will leave a void in the Pack’s backstroke artillery, but several accomplished competitors will lessen the impact of her absence. Kopenitz is second all-time in the 200 backstroke and seventh in the 100 backstroke, and Grover is fifth in the 100 backstroke and seventh in the 200 backstroke. Robinson owns the eighth best 100 backstroke mark in school history, while Dason is tied for ninth. Kayla Ricedorf and Messinger will no doubt look to finish their careers on high notes, and Panty makes for another talented option.
Breaststroke
Linkenauger, Thompson and Jessica Ward have historically notched impressive performances in breaststroke events for the Wolfpack. Linkenauger carries the school record in the 200 breaststroke, while Ward is second in the 200 breaststroke and 10th in the 100 breaststroke. Thompson posted the ninth-best showing ever in the 100 breaststroke last season, and Jessica Stewart had the third-quickest 200 breaststroke performance for the year. Merritt has logged some sterling performances throughout her previous three seasons, while Esplin, Christina McCann and Tracy Rorer should all find their talents being utilized quickly.
Individual Medley
Individual medley events have historically served as avenues for the Pack to score a plethora of points. That trend should continue this year with Linkenauger’s 200 and 400 individual medley school records serving as evidence. Kopenitz is second all-time in the 400 individual medley and fourth in the 200 individual medley, while Ward is fourth in the 400 and 10th in the 200. Like-Mathews, Merritt, Ricedorf, Shelley and Stewart will undoubtedly continue making major contributions throughout the season, while McBroom should build upon her offerings as a freshman. McCann and Rorer will both be counted on to make a splash as each enjoyed individual medley success prior to making the move to Raleigh.
Diving
Head diving coach Jenny Keim Johansen was handed the daunting task of replacing a national champion due to the graduation of Kristin Davies. The loss of the 2009 NCAA platform dive winner paves the way for a new era of women’s diving, which will quickly be ushered in by Hannah Hopkins and Kirstyn Shepler. Both highly-recruited and experienced newcomers will shoulder the task of carrying on the continuity of an accomplished regime.
NC State swimming and diving will open the 2009-10 campaign with its annual Red & White Scrimmage at Casey Natatorium on Fri., Oct. 9, at 5 p.m. The Pack's regular season will begin against ACC foes Duke and Maryland on Oct. 24 in College Park, Md.