2001-02 Wittenberg University swimming seniors: (from
left) Alicia Freed, Jana Steiger, Josh Schnacke, Kyle
Dunaway
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The Wittenberg University men's and women's swimming and
diving program may have a great deal of youth on their teams in
2002-03, but don't mistake that for inexperience or a lack of
talent. The Tigers, while they have now graduated seven of the
eight swimmers who made school history at the NCAA Division III
meet in 2001, field a deep squad this year capable of big
things.
Junior Steve Rader (Painesville,
Ohio/Cleveland St. Ignatius) was the only Tiger
swimmer to win a North Coast Athletic Conference individual title
and the only male to earn a trip to the NCAA Division III
championship meet in 2002. Rader finished fourth in the nation in
the 200-yard butterfly, 10th in the 100 fly and 11th in the 200
Individual Medley.
The junior class is both strong and deep for the Tiger men's
team. Among the other stalwarts in that class who are again
expected to make some noise at the conference and possibly even the
national level in 2003 are Steven Barry (Rocky
River, Ohio/Rocky River), Alex
Berger (Findlay,
Ohio/Findlay), Scott Olmsted
(Castle Rock, Colo./Cherry
Creek) and Matt Werbach
(Painesville, Ohio/Hawken). Joining them is a strong
group of newcomers, led by sophomore transfer
student Blake Troxel (Bluffton,
Ind./Norwell.
The Tiger women don't have a returning swimmer as
accomplished as Rader leading them, but they do have strength in
numbers and several outstanding new recruits. The top returning
swimmers figure to be juniors Nicole Kinzeler
(Centerville,
Ohio/Alter) and Courtney
Galliger (Eagan, Minn./Eagan), both of whom earned
all-conference designations in 2002. The diving experience of NCAC
finalist Jen Ingwalson (Lake Mary, Fla./Lake
Highland) and new
additionCatherine Gray (Ft. Thomas,
Ky./Highlands) will make a powerful combination
throughout the NCAC season.
The recruiting class lends not only depth to a team that
finished fourth in the NCAC a year ago (behind Kenyon, Denison and
Wooster, three of the top 10 teams in the nation each of the last
two years), it adds several swimmers who figure to challenge for
conference honors before the season concludes. Among the leaders of
this group are freshmen Amy Conner
(Noblesville,
Ind./Noblesville), Becca Searcy
(Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby County
Bloomington) and Betany
Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington).
Second-year Head Coach Leslie Ramsey, who was recently named
one of the 50 greatest women's swimmers in the 50-year history of
the Atlantic Coast Conference, has loaded up the schedule in
2002-03 with some of the best teams in the nation in hopes of
preparing her team for new levels of national success. Among the
dual meet opponents are defending national champion Kenyon,
perennial conference powers Denison and Wooster and NCAA Division I
Wright State.