As a Junior (2012-13): In her third year on The Hill, Holmes finished with nine top-five finishes, including seven in the top three. Holmes scored in three events at the Sun Belt Conference Championships, as her best finish came in the 1650 free with a sixth-place time of 16:51.85. She also finished seventh in the 500 free (4:58.37) and 16th in the 200 free (1:53.56). Holmes earned her first win of the season against Vanderbilt/Tulane after winning the 1000 free (10:16.12). Individually, she had three top-five finishes at the Hilltopper Invite, including second in the 1650 free (17:07.37), fourth in the 500 free (5:03.71) and fifth in the 400 IM (4:40.90). Holmes had four other second-best times, placing second against Delta State in the 1000 free (10:24.53) and 500 free (5:06.73), Vanderbilt/Tulane in the 500 free (5:04.46) and Florida Atlantic/Nova Southeastern (10:23.51).
As a Sophomore (2011-12): Samantha Holmes totaled 11 top-10 finishes in her second season on the Hill. Holmes competed in six events and finished runner-up four different times. She finished second three times in the 1,000 freestyle (vs. Marshall and Fairmont State, vs. FAU, IUPUI and Nova Southeastern and against Kentucky, Vanderbilt (10:23.44). Holmes added a second-place finish in the 1,650 free at the Hilltopper Invitational (17:16.76). She also scored in two events at the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, finishing 11th in the 500 free (4:58.08) and 12th in the 1,650 free (17:16.76). Over the course of the season, Holmes stood out in the meet against Kentucky and Vanderbilt, finishing in the top 4 in both the 500- and 1,000-freestyle.
As a Freshman (2010-11): In her first season with WKU, Holmes was an important part of the distance team for the Lady Toppers and was named WKU[apos]s Rookie of the Year. Holmes scored in two events at the Sun Belt Conference Swimming and Diving Championships. The freshman placed fifth in the 1,650 freestyle with a team-best time of 17:05.43, and 12th in the 500 freestyle (5:00.73). Holmes finished the season with 13 top-10 finishes. In a dual meet against Xavier, she swept the 500- and 1,000-freestyle events. Holmes added her third event win of the year in the 1,000 freestyle against Evansville.
High School: One-year letterwinner at Normal Community West High School in Normal, Ill....Also participated on the track and field team...Held several school and pool records as a member of the swim team.
Personal: Born February 14, 1992 in Bloomington, Ill....parents are Kevin and Tammy Holmes....majoring in biology, pre-med.
