Ohio State Opens Season on the Road with Bowling Green – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/3/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
Nov. 3, 2005
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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team opens the 2005-06 season on the road at Bowling Green. The Buckeyes will compete in Cooper Pool Thursday at 5 p.m.
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.
“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 Look at Bowling Green
Bowling Green head coach Keri Buff returned for her fourth season with the Falcons with thoughts to improve on last year’s fifth-place finish at the Mid-American Conference.
Opening their season with a loss to Eastern Michigan (172-122), the Falcons won six individual races during the dual meet. Dana Schultz and Alisha Yee each won two events. Bowling Green is strong in the relay events, winning both during the dual-meet and six at the Tom Stubbs Relays.
Last Time Out vs. The Falcons
The Buckeyes and the Falcons last met on Oct. 26, 2005 in Columbus, Ohio. Ohio State dominated the event, racing to a first-place finish in each of the 16 events.
Four Buckeyes claimed two individual events during the meet. Nicole Maglich won the 100- and 1,000-yard freestyle, while Griet Buelens took the 200- and 500-yard freestyle events. Linda Lund-Kristiansen outreached the other competitors in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly and Rebekah Rychvalsky claimed both breaststroke events.
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 the fastest time for the team in the 100-yard backstroke and the 200-yard individual medley.
Final Lap
Nicole Maglich and Erin 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.”
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.
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,” Jeanne Fleck said. “They’re so excited. 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.
Freestyle
Freestyle is one of the stronger areas for the Scarlet and Gray. Leading the way in the freestyle events will be Nicole Maglich. Recording the fastest times in five of the six freestyle events last season, Maglich will help the team in both the sprint and distance swims.
Following closely behind Maglich last year in the freestyle events was Griet Buelens, and she will be expected to aid in the events again.
Linda Lund-Kristiansen will be one of the swimmers expected to lead the 50-yard freestyle, 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.
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.
Griet Buelens, Nicole 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.
Backstroke
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. Nicole Maglich may be depended on to provide depth in the backstroke.
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-and 200-yard events, winning each event eight times during dual-meets.
Backing Rychvalsky up will be sophomores Erin Church and Samantha Johnson. 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.
Individual Medley
A wide number of people will be expected to succeed in the individual medley events. Stephanie Fennell and Gulsah Gunenc led the team in the event last season, each recording the fastest times in the 200- and 400-yard, respectively. Samantha 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.
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 postseason 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.
Coach Jeanne Fleck
Head women’s swimming coach Jeanne Fleck is in her seventh season at the helm of the Ohio State women’s swimming program. She has become accustomed to her teams displaying excellence in the water and in the classroom throughout her coaching career.
Fleck has geared the Buckeyes to one school record and two pool records while getting her student-athletes to set personal bests almost every week. The Buckeyes had the highest grade point average in the Big Ten conference and was ranked ninth in the country during fall quarter last year. In five seasons, Fleck has had 36 Academic All-Big Ten selections and 73 OSU Scholar-Athletes.
About Coach Panzano
Vince Panzano is in his 27th season as coach of the Ohio State men’s and women’s diving teams. Panzano, who was named the 2004 Big Ten Diving Coach of the Year for the eighth time in his career, has produced one world champion, one junior world champion, two Olympic medalists, 22 U.S. Diving champions, ten NCAA champions, 14 NCAA runners-up, 45 Big Ten champions and 68 NCAA All-Americans.
Up Next
The Buckeyes will kick off their season and time in the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion on Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. with a double-dual meet against Michigan and Purdue.
