2005-06 Women’s Swimming Outlook – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
Nov. 3, 2005
Ohio State women’s swimming head coach, Jeanne Fleck returns for her seventh year with the Buckeyes with high expectations. After a season with many high points last year, Fleck is expecting the momentum to carry into the 2005-06 season. Aiding this momentum are the Buckeyes’ new surroundings the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. Expecting all four classes to be energized from the new pool, Fleck predicts another season of substantial improvements from the Scarlet and Gray at both the conference and national levels.
“We’d like to get into the top half-of the Big Ten and be in the Top 20 at NCAAs, or at least the top 25,” Fleck said. “That’s really our goal. We took three women to NCAAs last year. Our goal this season is to take five. If we can get a relay in that would be huge.”
A New Home
Ohio State aquatics opened its new home: the Bill and Mae McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. The building hosts the Mike Peppe Natatorium, a 50-meter world-class competition pool and the Ron O’Brien Diving Well. The new site also contains three additional pools, including practice pools for the team. Spectator seating, team locker rooms and new offices for the aquatic staff all compliment the main attractions. The facility is expected to draw in events on every level.
“It’s going to benefit all aspects of training, recruiting and hosting meets,” Fleck said. “It’s going to benefit the women because they’re going to be happy to be here. It’s a brighter atmosphere and beautiful facility, so the women are excited. It’s something new, like a new start. We had a great year last year if you look at our times and how we did and how we improved and coming into this new pool – that’s going to energize the women even more to move forward.”
Home Pool Advantage
The new natatorium already has drawn in two championships for the 2005-06 season. Both the women’s 2006 Big Ten Championships and the 2006 NCAA Diving Regional Qualifying Championships will be held at the new home of Buckeye swimming and diving.
“The women can’t wait, they’re so excited,” Fleck said. “The parents are excited. It’s going to be a blast. We swim really well at home, so it will be really exciting.”
The Big Ten championships, held Feb. 15-18, will be the first time the Ohio State women’s team has hosted the event. The diving qualifying championships will be held three weeks later, March 10-12, and will host both male and female divers from all over the region. The qualifying championships are the final step for divers to qualify for the NCAA championships.
The Schedule
The 2005-06 season will have many challenges. With the new pool come six home meets, including two double-dual meets. Four Big Ten opponents will be traveling to Columbus to receive a glimpse of the new surroundings before the conference championships. The team will travel twice during the season, opening the season on the road at Bowling Green and then heading to Minnesota toward the end of January. A preview event for the post-season championships will take place Dec. 2-4, when the Buckeyes host the Ohio State Invitational.
The post season will begin at home with the Big Ten championships and the Regional Qualifying championships. Those who make the NCAA cut and are selected to attend the national meet will travel to Athens, Ga., March 16-18.
Captains
Fleck has selected three swimmers to guide the team as captains. Senior Nicole Maglich, who won numerous events in dual-meets last season and competed at NCAA in three events, is expected to guide the team in the pool. Fellow senior Erin Greene has the honor of being named captain. Greene was voted most improved by the team last season and recorded times that were in the team’s Top 5 times of the season. Rounding out the trio is junior Stephanie Fennell. Fennell clocked in the fastest time for the team in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley.
Final Lap
Maglich and Greene are joined by Morgan O’Connor and Natalie Bojko in representing the senior class. O’Connor set two personal-best times last season. Bojko also set her own personal-best times last season and was an Academic All-Big Ten honoree.
“They’re all really good friends which helps them to be good leaders,” Fleck said. “They’ve just done a great job. They have helped build this program with their attitudes and their work ethics.”
Freestyle
Freestyle is one of the stronger areas for the Scarlet and Gray.Leading the way in the freestyle events will be Maglich. Recording the fastest times in five of the six freestyle events, Maglich will help the team in both the sprint and distance swims. She went undefeated in the 200-yard freestyle at dual meets last season. She recorded the season’s fastest time of 1:47.98 and earned an NCAA “B” cut time at the conference meet to compete at NCAAs in the same event. Maglich also was an NCAA qualifier in the 500-yard freestyle with a team-best 4:46.16. She also claimed top honors in the 1,000- (10:04.82) and 1,650-yard (16:54.30) events. She also marked the fastest time in the 100-yard freestyle at the Big Ten meet (51.16).
Following closely behind Maglich in the freestyle events was sophomore Griet Buelens, and she will be expected to aid in the events again. Buelens recorded the second-fastest time in every freestyle event, including an NCAA “B” qualifying time in both the 200- and 500-yard events.
The Buckeyes will be searching for someone to fill the gap left by Ashley Barnes in the 50-yard freestyle, who recorded the fastest time in the event last season. Linda Lund-Kristiansen will be one of the swimmers expected to lead the event, claiming the event twice during the season. She also will be positioning for success in the 100-yard freestyle. Kati Wall also will be expected to turn her experience last year into success this season. O’Connor and Dana Lipskis also are returning in the sprint freestyle events and will provide added depth.
Also returning from last year and expected to provide assistance in the event will be Annie Rennebohm and Greene. Each recorded times that were in the team’s Top 5 of the season in the freestyle events. Five freshmen, Kendal Callahan, Abby Johnston, Jennifer Lewis, Christina Sarnecki and Stasia von Rahl, are expected to push the team to greater heights in the strong freestyle events.
Butterfly
The butterfly events were probably the strongest events for the Buckeyes last year and this season looks like it could be another outstanding year. Returning all but one of the swimmers who recorded the team’s Top 5 fastest times last season, the two butterfly events will be Buckeye strengths. The team went undefeated during dual-meets in the 200-yard butterfly and lost only once in the 100-yard butterfly.
Buelens, Maglich and junior Gulsah Gunenc will all be returning to the pool following highly successful seasons. Buelens will be back to defend her Big Ten crown in the 200-yard butterfly. Her time of 1:59.09 was the fastest time in Ohio State history. Following Buelens in the Big Ten final in the 200 fly were Maglich and Gunenc, who finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
Gunenc led the team in the 100-yard butterfly as well, hitting 56.26 at the Big Ten meet. Sophomores Buelens and Lund-Kristiansen followed behind the junior in the fastest times of the 100-yard butterfly. Samantha Johnson and Natalie Bojko also recorded top times in the butterfly event last season and will bring even more strength to the already dominant event. Freshmen Courtney Braymen and Hannah Jackson will be expected to help out in the sprint butterfly events.
Backstroke
Although the loss of Kylie Lancken will be tough for the team, Stephanie Fennell is expected to step up and propel the backstroke events to greater heights. Fennell recorded the team’s fastest time in the 100-yard backstroke, hitting the wall in 56.85 at last year’s conference championships, placing 11th in the event. She followed Lancken with the second-fastest time in the 200-yard backstroke, clocking in 2:04.77 at Big Tens. Swimming to a first-place finish three times in the two events, and finishing second five times, Fennell is poised to take the reigns of the backstroke events.
Nicole Maglich may be depended on to provide depth in the backstroke. Maglich won the 200-yard backstroke in a dual meet against Denison.
Breaststroke
Leading the way in the breaststroke events will be junior Rebekah Rychvalsky. Rychvalsky recorded the team’s fastest times last season in both the 100- (1:04.35) and 200-yard (2:21.12) events, winning each event eight times during dual-meets.
Backing Rychvalsky up will be sophomores Erin Church and Samantha Johnson. Church recorded the second-fastest time for the team in the two breaststroke events, clocking in at 1:08.13 in the 100-yard event and at 2:27.44 in the 200-yard. Johnson followed behind Church, clocking the third-fastest time in the 200-yard breaststroke and the fourth-fastest in the 100-yard. Liz Osterer will be depended up to contribute to the event as well.
Two new faces will join the race in the breaststroke events. Joelene Kappeler and Whitney Hackman both are experienced breaststrokers with numerous honors between the two swimmers.
“I think Whitney is really going to push Rebekah, and I think Joelene will really push Erin and Sam,” Fleck said. “The breaststroke is going to be a really good training group.”
Individual Medley
A wide number of people will be expected to succeed in the individual medley events. Fennell and Gunenc led the team in the event last season, each recording the fastest times in the 200- and 400-yard, respectively. Johnson also is expected to help the team this season, after breaking into the Top 5 top times in both events. Osterer is likely to swim in the event as is Hackman.
On the Boards
The Buckeye divers will begin their tenure in the Ron O’Brien Diving Well with three returning competitors. Julie Broms, Anesa Beard and Ashley Bourland are back for their junior season competing on the boards. Broms will be following up her Big Ten crown in the 3-meter springboard and honorable mention All-America honors. Going undefeated in the 3-meter during dual meets, Broms will be expected to lead the divers and continue to improve. Beard and Bourland also had successful seasons last year and will be building upon that success.
Beard won the 1-meter event once and the 3-meter twice during the season. She also recorded the team’s best score (303.15) in the platform event at the conference meet. Bourland won the 1-meter against Bowling Green.
