Swimming And Diving Host BU In Season-Opener Saturday Afternoon

Oct. 16, 2009

AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass Minutewomen swim team kicks off their season this Saturday, October 17 at 1 p.m. at the Joseph Rogers Pool in the Boyden Gymnasium as they host the Terriers of Boston University. The Minutewomen, who were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic-10 this year, are looking to improve upon their fourth-place finish at the Atlantic-10 Championships a year ago. UMass was 4-4 in dual meets last year, going 2-2 at home. The squad lost to the Terriers last season in Boston, falling 148-93. Here's a look into what we can expect from the Minutewomen this season with head coach Bob Newcomb.

What is your general outlook this season?
"Just Looking at the team from the outset, we graduated a large senior class and we brought in a large freshmen class, so the personality of the team immediately changes along with the dynamics of the whole program. We spent the first month here just figuring out who we are and what we are going to be able to do and how good a team we really can be. I think the prognosis looks really good. I'm really impressed with this team, the way they've come together as a group, the way they train, the intensity they bring to practice every day, to the weight room and everything else that we do so I feel that this is a real good prognosis for the future."

You mentioned that you had a lot of seniors graduate last season. Who do you see stepping up as leaders for the team this year?
"The way I look at it is that every year we have a new group of leaders, and those are our seniors. We have captains and we have leaders. They each have different roles and each of the seniors plays a role and they do a very good job of that. They are all responsible that this season finishes on a good note and they finish their careers on a good note. Ashley Dress, Joan Baltazar, Elizabeth Walsh, Liz Wester and Eryn Brewer have all done a great job in keeping this team moving forward and taking a good role as leaders."

Who are some newcomers who will have an immediate impact this season?
"I think a couple of the new bodies in here that are going to do well are Amina Meho, in the sprint freestyle, sprint back and sprint fly and Julie Magyar in the distance events. I'm very pleased with what we've got coming in. Julie is much more versatile that I originally anticipated. In the backstroke, Emily Rookwood is going to step right in and do a great job doing what we need there, which is very important. We also have an assortment of other new people who have not competed for us in the past. Rachel Borden transferred in last year from Ohio State and couldn't compete because she was injured, she's going to be a huge addition to the breaststroke. We have a lot of different people in a lot of different places that are going to be able to step-in right away and fill some of the gaps left by the seniors."

How will the versatility of this team help this season?
"Versatility is obviously a key to being successful. We want people to be able to swim three different events, when we go to Atlantic-10's you have to swim three events and that's really what we do. Everything we do during the year focuses on the end of the season and competing in the Atlantic-10 Championships. We really try to focus on people to swim three events. For some it's easier than others. Plus we have four relays so some people will leave A-10's having swam three events twice plus four relays, so it's really a full weekend that we need to train for."

What do you think will be the team's strongest event this season?
"The definite strength we have had is our breaststroke. We always seem to have someone who can step-up the next year in that event, which is a nice thing. Returning with us this year are Jess Starosielec, Megan Novak, and Tavis Potter who were three of our top breaststrokers last year. We've also got Joan Baltazar and Eryn Brewer returning, along with the additions of Rachel Borden and freshman Lauren Mark. We have an assortment of breaststrokers who are going to be able to do a variety of different things and it will be one of our greatest strengths."

Who are you looking to step-up in or highlight some of the other events this season?
In Freestyle
"We've got a variety of people. In the 50-yard freestyle, we have a couple standouts in Jennifer Corriveau, who is our top returning sprinter, and Amina Meho. Those two have started to train really well together. There is a definite intensity when they are with each other, which I think is great. I think they are only going to help each other. Those two are really going to lead what we are doing in the sprint lanes."

"Starting to get into the 100 and 200-yard freestyle, besides Jennifer and Amina, we have Elizabeth Walsh, who is looking phenomenal in the water right now. She's training hard and doing some great things. Adding in the middle distance we have Molly Papish who had a great fall. In our distance events Julie Magyar and Chelsea Downing will really anchor that group. Also, Katie English is coming off shoulder surgery last year. She did make the A-10 team last year but she is head and shoulders above where she was the year before. Then there's Dorothy Polatin, who has such a great work ethic, and she will have success in the distance events also. I think a big surprise could be freshman Gianna Braca, who has a tremendous work ethic trains very well."

In Backstroke
"In the backstroke we are returning school-record holder Elizabeth Walsh, as well as Jennifer Corriveau, who is the third-fastest backstroker in school history. Adding to that we have freshman Emily Rookwood, Amina Meho and Sarah Arnott, who is training very well right now, she is stronger and faster than she was last year. Liz Wester and Gillian Bank will also contribute to that group." Breaststroke

In Butterfly
"Kayla Tegeler is going to be the leader of the fly group, especially in the 200-meter. We lost the best flyer that we have ever had in our program last year in Christa Naura, who is very difficult to replace. Kayla has really stepped-up and had a great fall so far. Also in the 200-fly will be Katie English, Danielle Sakurski, and Sarah Kanellas. In the 100-fly we will have Gillian Bank as well as Kayla Tegeler to lead that event along with Erin Phinney, who will help in fly and sprint freestyle."

In Individual Medley
"We have a great group of individual medleyists with Jess Starosielec and Tavis Potter leading the way. Megan Nowak , Rachel Border and Lauren Mark are all people who are going to be great in that event as well. School record holder in the 400 IM, Chelsea Downing, returns as well. Julie Magyar will also be in that event, while Sarah Arnott will swim the 200 IM and possibly the 400 IM. We really have a variety of people who can swim the medleys which really demonstrates our versatility."

In Diving
"Another big area that we've had a huge turnover in is diving. We lost two quality divers off last year's team in Karen Upperco, who was a three-time Atlantic-10 Diver of the Year, and Sarah Horstmann who also placed at Atlantic-10's last year. We have another young group, with Hannah Swift who is our only returning diver. She's joined by Molly Elkins, Meghan Langford and Michaela Butler who are all freshmen. It's a very young, inexperienced group that's going to have to go through the wave. I have 100% confidence that Coach Mandy Hixon knows what she's doing, and I have no doubt that we will be there at the end of the year."

What expectations or goals do you have for and with the team for this season?
"The upperclassmen have set up a few goals main goals for the team. We really want to move up a spot at the A-10 Championships from last season. We finished fourth last year, just eight points out of third. We also want to score in every event, which is something we have never done. That's a huge goal and would speak to our versatility. The team atmosphere is something that is very important. They want to create an environment where they want to be there and work hard every day, which they have done a good job of so far. Those are the three main goals of the team. There are also a couple dual meets we always talk about, like Army, Stony Brook and BC that are always good challenges. The academic component is always a big part of the team goals. As long as I can remember we have been over a 3.0 GPA as a team and have tried to maintain that. This year the team has set its goal at an overall GPA of 3.2, which is something we feel they can shoot for."

Scoreboard