2004-05 Women's Swimming and Diving Outlook

01/01/05

WILLIAMSBURG, VA - After finishing seventh at last year’s conference championships, William and Mary women’s swimming and diving aims to reach new heights under first-year Director of Swimming McGee Moody, who brings a proven record of experience in maximizing his athletes’ potential. He takes charge of a team which impressed during the regular season by stringing together three-straight CAA wins, including a convincing victory over then two-time defending CAA Champion George Mason. With an incredibly talented incoming class, which has already made noise during the fall, joining a wealth of proven talent, including numerous CAA finalists, the Green and Gold should threaten at the CAA Championships.

Freestyle
Junior Kristi Borkowski fronts a formidable lineup in the sprint freestyle events, whose depth have been expanded with the emergence of several underclassmen, including two newcomers. Borkowski, a former silver medalist in the 100 free at CAAs, is the veteran of the corps, with a resume of success at conferences. The squad’s fastest swimmer in both the 50 and 100 free last year, she is ready to make another run at the CAA podium. Sophomore Marnie Rognlien will be another force for the Green and Gold, as she comes off an impressive freshman campaign, swimming to 14th in the 200 free and 16th in the 500 free in her debut at CAAs. The fastest 100 freestyler through the fall, Rognlien has etched her name into the Tribe record books, setting top-five times in both the 500 and 200 free. Ranked fourth in the CAA in the 100 free through the fall, she is primed to break into the A-Finals at conferences and is a serious threat to medal.

Freshman Christina Monsees will lead the College’s effort a step up in distance as the rookie has great range from 100 to 500 yards. Monsees made an immediate impact during the fall, advancing to the finals of the 100 and 200 free at the competitive Terrapin Invitational, setting the third-best Tribe time in history in the 200 free (1:55.09). That performance is the second-best seen in the CAA during the fall as Monsees, already among the top freestylers in the conference, must be considered a favorite come the CAA Championships. Joining Monsees in anchoring the distance events is sophomore Callie Hopkins, who returns from a strong rookie season. Hopkins set three top-10 Tribe times as a freshman, including the sixth-fastest 1650 free pace and returns as the team’s fastest 500 and 1,000 freestyler from 2003-04. Freshman Meghan Shrader will also be expected to step up and take a leading role in the events as the rookie has already set the second-fastest 1650 time on the squad during the fall. Junior Alexis Skelos holds the fastest time in the 1650 free through the fall and is a specialist in the longer distances. Sophomore Erin Hammersley, in her first season of collegiate competition, has already made contributions while junior Lindsay Young is a consistent freestyler for the team. Freshman Kerry Urso teamed for three relay wins in the fall and should contribute more in the individual freestyles as she builds her experience base, bringing in All-America credentials from high school.

Breaststroke
The breaststrokes will be anchored by three swimmers who qualified for the CAA finals in 2004: juniors Bryanne Matthews and Erin Clark and sophomore Kelly Reitz. For the second consecutive year Matthews raced into the finals of both breaststroke events at CAAs, claiming seventh in both. Ranked fourth in the 200 and fifth in the 100 breast through the fall, Matthews will again be a leading force in the events at CAAs. Reitz has made a big step this fall after claiming eighth in the 100 breast at conferences last season. She impressed by reaching the A-Finals of the 100 breast at the Terrapin Invite, and is ranked fourth in the CAA in the 100 breast and sixth in the 200 breast, which bodes well for the Tribe at conferences. Clark, a steady contributor, claimed eighth in the 200 breast at CAAs in 2004 and advanced to the finals of the 100 breast at this fall’s Terrapin Invite.

Co-captain Robyn Kondrad will be a key contributor in the events, as a veteran of the CAA finals in the 200 breast for two seasons. Hitting a personal record in the 100 breast which ranks among the top-10 CAA times in the fall, she should be a threat at conferences again. Sophomore Alyson Fletcher, a CAA finals qualifier as a freshman, should make a greater impact as she continues her progression at the collegiate ranks. She is ranked seventh among CAA swimmers in the 200 breast after a career-fast effort in the consolation race of the event at the Terrapin Invitational, and she should make noise at CAAs thanks to her finals experience. Freshman Emma Zuidema will be a strong addition to the team, as she qualified for the finals of both breast events at the Terrapin Invitational. Ranked an impressive sixth in the 100 breast through the fall, a CAA finals appearance for this rookie is within reach. Fellow rookie Laura Babcock will also focus on the breaststroke events, joining the Tribe with a successful record at the Virginia state championships.

Butterfly
A trio of performers will anchor the Tribe’s effort in the butterfly events. Michelle Calanog, a junior, has finished in the top-six of the 100 fly at CAAs each of the past two seasons and aims to reach the podium in 2005. The fastest Tribe swimmer in both fly events last season, she peaks at the right time to score well at CAAs. Fellow junior Paige Capro will be another valuable swimmer in the fly events, having swum the team’s fastest 200 fly time this fall. Although stronger in the individual medleys, Capro has made strides in the butterfly events, and is ranked 10th in the CAA in the 100 fly through the fall. Reitz, who finished third in the consolation race of the CAA 100 fly as a rookie, completes the trio leading the fly contingent, swimming the team’s top 100 fly time this fall. Ranked fourth in the CAA for the 100 fly, Reitz is primed to qualify for the A-Finals of the event at CAAs this season.

Sophomores Morgan Adams and Kristen Slack will also focus on the events and look to improve after adjusting to collegiate swimming in their rookie seasons. Adams hit two personal records to end the fall and nearly cracked the all-time Tribe top-10 list in the 100 fly while Slack’s consistency in both the 100 and 200 is a valuable asset to the team. Sophomore Jen Tan will also contribute in the butterfly events after making the CAA squad last season as a freshman. As a rookie she qualified for the finals of the 200 fly at the Terrapin Invite and aims to build upon that potential.

Backstroke
Freshman Meredith David has made an immediate impact on the backstroke events as the team’s leader, topping the CAA in both the 100 and 200 back through the fall. Aside from going undefeated in her first four appearances in the 200 back, then winning her debut in the 100 back at the ODU Pod Meet, David punctuated the fall by shattering the school record in the 100 back by clocking 57.29. The rookie further impressed by swimming to fourth in the A-Finals of the event at the Terrapin Invitational. Combining with David in the backstrokes is seasoned junior Liz Harman, who carries a history of advancing to the finals at CAAs. Bolstering the backstroke contingent are Borkowski, who holds the second-fastest 100 back time in the fall, Hopkins, Skelos, Slack and Tan, all of whom may see action in the events.

Individual Medley
The individual medleys represent one of the strongest areas for the Tribe as the squad boasts four returnees who qualified for the CAA finals in the events last year. Capro and Clark led the contingent through the fall after each qualified for the finals of both IM events at the Terrapin Invitational. Both achieved top-eight finishes in both the 200 and 400 IM at last season’s CAAs and the seasoned duo should be a force again, as they are ranked second and third in the CAA, respectively, in the 200 IM through the fall. Hopkins won the 400 IM consolation race at CAAs in 2004 and has improved in her sophomore season. Ranked fifth in the CAA in the 400 IM through the fall, she also cracked the top-five in the Tribe record books for the event, and is primed to reach the A-Finals of the event at conferences. Fletcher rounds out the CAA IM finalists from 2004, as she impressed by finishing 12th in the 200 IM as a rookie. Continuing to be a strong contributor during the fall, the sophomore’s added experience helped her set the 10th-fastest time in the CAA in the 400 IM this fall and she is another threat for the College at the conference championships. Matthews just missed reaching the finals of the 200 IM at CAAs in 2004 after winning the 200 IM consolation race as a rookie in 2003. The junior aims to return to the finals this year as one of the most distinguished IM swimmers on the team.

Diving
Diving continues to be a strength for the Green and Gold and a valuable opportunity to score points in dual meets. Senior Carrie Gerloff, twice honored as CAA Diver of the Week during the fall, finished 8th from the 3-meter board at CAAs in 2004 and just missed qualifying for the finals from 1-meter. Junior Laura Hodulik continues to make strides, claiming fifth in the finals of the 3-meter dive at the Terrapin Invitational. After placing ninth in the 3-meter the past two seasons at CAAs, Hodulik is ready to break into the finals. Senior Karen Kuhlman joins the squad in her first season of collegiate competition, specializing on the 1-meter board.