Oct. 9, 2002
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - There will be a slight shift in the balance of power between the Western Kentucky University men's and women's swimming and diving teams in the 2002-2003 season. The men return all but three swimmers, while the women lose nine members off of the two-time defending Sun Belt Conference champions, including Brandi Carey and Sydney Mountford, the last two SBC Swimmer of the Year honorees.
"We are really excited about the men," said Western Kentucky head coach Bill Powell. "We only lost three seniors from last season and just two scored points. On the women's side, we lost nine from last season. Of our (849.5) points in the Sun Belt Conference championships, we lost 500 of those."
Following the Red-White intrasquad Saturday, Powell and his swimmers head into next weekend's Kentucky Relays eager to get the season off on the right stroke.
"With the men, we feel that with the swimmers we have back, plus the newcomers we have coming in, that we are already ahead of where we finished last season in the NIC (National Independent) Championships," said the coach. "We have 12 new freshmen, who will not only add to the depth that we have, but bring some talent."
For Powell, the excitement for the men comes following what he felt was somewhat of a down year when the men went 7-3 in dual meets. It was the second most losses in a dual meet season for the Hilltoppers since 1991-92. The men lost four meets in 1997-98, but responded to go undefeated the next two seasons.
"We didn't have what I would consider a great season last year losing three meets," explained the coach. "We've only lost more than three meets eight times in the history of the program. For us, losing three meets is a lot of losses."
While the men did lose their top sprinter in David Tucker and butterfly specialist Pat Derr, Powell maintains his team is in good shape.
"David was our top sprinter last season, but we have a couple of guys that we think can do a good job," said Powell. "We brought in Tommy Pollock, who was the Florida state champion in the 50 and 100 freestyle, and Jerrod Janes, a transfer from St. John's, who is strong in the sprints. We have some other sprinters as well.
"Pat was a good butterfly swimmer, but he was one of five good ones we had last year that were pretty equal. The other four return. We lose some experience, but not depth."
Leading the returnees for the men is senior Gord Veldman. The senior has qualified for the NCAA Championships the last two seasons and finished second at the Canadian Nationals in the 50-backstroke. He competed in the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, and qualified for the Pan-Pacific Games in Yokohama, Japan. Other top returnees include: Ryan Crosby, who was fourth in the 100 butterfly at the NIC and holds the school record in the 100; Greg Strickler, who has the second-best time in WKU history in both individual medley events; Nick Bracco, who ranks second to only Veldman in the backstroke events in school history; and Andy Ray, the top returning diver.
With the mix of returnees and newcomers, Powell believes his team can make a splash at the NIC meet.
"SMU and Hawaii were the top two teams by far last year at the NIC," said the WKU coach, who is entering his 34th season on the Hill. "With the team we have this year, I think its is possible that we can finish as the runner-up. SMU is too dominant."
While the focus and expectations may be centered on the men's team this year, Powell has not given up on the women.
"The women lost a bundle from last season, but our freshmen are excited and enthusiastic about coming in and leaving their mark," he explained. "We may have lost 500 points from last year's Sun Belt Championships, but someone is going to have to take the title from us."
Carol Brown and Alexis Rieck will be two of several returnees expected to step up. Brown is the top returning sprinter and Rieck is the top returning scorer after tallying 53 points at the SBC Championships and 43.5 at the NIC meet. Lucy Faria, who finished in the top three in both breaststroke events, is also being counted on in 2002-2003.
"We're not as versatile this season as last year, but with nine newcomers we may have more depth," said Powell. "We brought in some good distance swimmers this year, which we didn't have last year, but we'll be thin in the sprints which is a big concern. We not only lost Brandi but Megan Zerhusen as well. Carol is our only sprinter we have back so we'll need some others to step up. Being thin will hurt us not only in individual events but also in the relays."
Powell is also expecting his team to be strong in the breaststroke, which returns its top three in the discipline. Faria - the top performer in the event last season - will be joined by Lori Ludwiczak and Penta Stanley. Ludwiczak is currently injured after being hurt in a hit-and-run accident recently.
"We should be strong in the breaststroke with who we have back, and we should also shine in the distance events," said the coach. "We also have two of three divers back. Marci Kacsir was the diver of the year and Trisha Nailor is a good diver, but we need to keep her healthy. Both should finish in the top four, but with just two divers it is a concern for us. We had two in the top four last year and scored 34 points, but New Mexico State had four in the top eight and outscored us by 23 points in diving."
The biggest difference for Powell may be to have patience.
"I need to be a little more patient this year because some of the freshmen can't do what our seniors did last year," he said. "They are trying hard, but they are still learning. I still believe we can win it and I have to pass that along to the team."
Powell summed up the difference between the men's and women's teams from last year to this season.
"Last year, the girls were on the deck for practice in the morning 10 minutes early and the guys just kind of sauntered in right as practice was starting," he said. "This year when we were starting practice, the guys were out there 15 minutes early ready to get going. The girls were still early too. It was great to see the excitement on both sides to be there."
