Women’s Swimming and Diving Opens Season Saturday – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/25/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Swim & Dive
COLUMBUS, Ohio The Ohio State women’s swimming and diving team opens the 2007-08 season with a nonconference, double-dual meet at 1 p.m. Saturday against Kenyon College and Ohio University in Gambier, Ohio.
Head swimming coach Jeanne Fleck, in her ninth season as coach, has high hopes for the season and is eager to see what is in store for her young team. She anticipates a strong effort at the conference and nationals levels from her squad that is primarily made up of freshmen and sophomores, but is one that is supported by an upperclassmen base.
“This is one of the best recruiting classes I’ve had and I feel really good about the season” Fleck said. “I also believe that this is the fastest group of kids ever brought in at Ohio State. We have a handful of state champions and a Canadian superstar and that is very exciting. With the guidance of our upperclassmen, we will have a strong, young core that will help us make a push in the Big Ten Conference this year.”
COACH JEANNE FLECK
Swimming coach Jeanne Fleck has worked to improve the team and gain recognition on the conference and national levels in her eight seasons at Ohio State. Last season’s campaign saw the Buckeyes finish 6-3 overall and take eighth in the Big Ten Championships, sending two swimmers to the 2007 NCAA Championships. Fleck also guided the team to a second place finish at the second annual Ohio State Invitational held at the McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion.
During her tenure at Ohio State, Fleck has coached 12 Buckeyes to school records. Academically, the Buckeyes had the highest grade point average in the Big Ten conference in 2004 and were ranked ninth in the country during fall quarter of 2003.
DIVING COACH VINCE PANZANO
Vince Panzano is in his 29th 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, 48 Big Ten champions and 69 NCAA All-Americans.
2007-08 CAPTAINS
Fleck has selected two swimmers to captain the young Buckeye squad. Senior Linda Lund-Kristiansen will be looked to lead the Ohio State sprint freestyle group, as well as serving an important role on the relays. She will also be a valuable assest to the team’s individual medley events. Classmate Annie Rennebohm will be a leader in the mid-distance freestyle events. She will also play a role in the Buckeye relays.
EVENT-BY-EVENT OUTLOOK…
Freestyle
The sprints will prove to be a test for the Buckeye squad, as they will rely on a young, but talented group in both the 50- ad 100-yard freestyle events. Newcomer Maggie O’Brien along with Linda Lund-Kristiansen will make a big impact on the squad.
Veterans to compete in the middle-distance event will be senior Annie Rennebohm and junior Stasia von Rahl. Canadian standout Samantha Cheverton will also add depth in the events.
Maryann Wiser, Meg Noble and Leigh Hicks will assist in the sprint events while freshman Anita Beck and sophomore Haley Mitchell will bring depth to the middle-distance events.
BACKSTROKE
The Buckeyes will showcase a strong returning swimmer in the backstroke events. Sophomore Jill Lockhart, who was turned into a backstroker last year, finished 10th in the 200 backstroke at the 2007 Big Ten Championships.
“Lockhart performed very well for us last season,” Fleck said. “She is still very fresh in the stroke and is a good and stable swimmer who will do great things for us this year.”
Aiding her will be classmate Maryann Wiser and freshmen Samantha Cheverton and Chelsea Gillespie.
Breaststroke
The breaststroke will continue to be a strong event for the Scarlet ad Gray. Leading the corps are sophomores Colleen Schweitzer and Megan Alexander. Fleck is confident in the two classmates and believes that they will compliment each other greatly in both the 100 and 200 distances.
Junior Whitney Hackman will play a strong supporting role for the Buckeyes. Joining her are freshmen Katelyn Brix and Rachel Borden.
Butterfly
The Buckeyes will look to fill a huge hole left by Griet Buelens. The senior, who participated in he NCAA Championships last season, is taking the year off to train in her native country of Belgium in hopes of making her national Olympic team. Despite having to replace such a strong swimmer, Fleck is excited to see the progress of her young group and is certain they will make a impact on the team this year.
Linda Lund-Kristiansen and Courtney Brayman will be strong in the 100 butterfly, while Jill Lockhart will continue to do well in the 200. Anita Beck and Samantha Cheverton both have potential to do great things in the butterfly events, according to Fleck.
Individual Medley
The individual medley, an event that Fleck is really excited about this year, rests on the shoulders of Jill Lockhart and Linda Lund-Kristiansen. Lockhart swam a team-best time (2:05.48) in the 200 individual medley last season and is working to become even better in the 400.
Lund-Kristiansen is back with the 200 individual medley after having an exceptional summer in the event. Adding to the 400 individual medley team will be developing talents Katelyn Brix and Samantha Cheverton.
On the Boards
Ohio State will feature a strong diving team once again this year. Coach Vince Panzano looks forward to the return of two competitive veterans and the addition of two extremely talented freshmen.
“The women are going to be a group that will have a great experience and do very well this year,” Panzano said. “We want them to all have great performances so that they can make some noise in the Big Ten and NCAA.”
Leading the group are upperclassmen Chelsea Davis and Katie Bell. Davis, a junior is a strong competitor that transferred to Ohio State from Northwestern after the 2005-06 season, in which she was the Big Ten champion on the 3-meter board. She was also a member of the 2005 U.S. World Championship team.
Bell enters her second season with Ohio State as one of the top platform divers in the conference. In 2006, she earned the bronze medal in the U.S. Open Diving meet on the 10-meter platform and placed fourth at the Senior Diving Championships in the same event that year.
Joining the veterans are newcomers Bianca Alvarez and Kristin Asman. Alvarez was a member of the 2006 Junior World Team and finished sixth at the Junior World Championships the same year. Asman was a finals participant at the Senior National Diving Championships.
Alvarez has already qualified on the 3-meter for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials. Panzano is confident that by the end of the season, all four women will be competing to represent the U.S. in the 2008 Olympics.
The Schedule
This year’s schedule is full of home-pool advantages as the women host six of their nine dual meets at the McCorkle Aquatics Pavilion and close their season by hosting the 2008 Big Ten and NCAA Championships, respectively. The Big Tens will be held Feb. 21-23 and the NCAAs are March 20-22.
“Both championships are such unique experiences,” Fleck said. “The NCAA is the fastest meet in the world. Many records will be broken and it is exciting to think that we will be a part of that.”
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