After a stellar 2008-09 campaign in which the Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams made strides both big and small - individually and collectively - a strong core of returning letterwinners lead the Tigers into what Head Coach Natalie Koukis hopes is an even better 2009-10 season.

The key for both teams appears to be quality depth. The men and women each return a whopping 19 letterwinners, and between the two teams 14 promising newcomers dot the rosters. Koukis, who has won NCAC Coach of the Year once on the women's side and once on the men's in her Wittenberg career, now has more options than ever before as she prepares for both dual meets and gears up for the end of season North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) championships.

A year after the Tiger men took a program-best third-place finish in the NCAC meet, seniors Taylor Smith (Mansfield, Ohio/Senior) and Neil Anderson (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood) again anchor the team. Smith represented Wittenberg at the 2008 NCAA Division III championship meet, competing in the 100 and 200 back and 50 free. His NCAA B Cut finishes in 2008-09 were just short of the standards needed to qualify for the national meet, as were Anderson's B Cuts. Both swimmers were members of multiple record-breaking relays at the 2009 NCAC Championships, and both own individual school records.

Also back in the fold is senior diver Matt Erenpreiss (Columbus, Ohio/Centennial), who broke a school record in the three-meter event a year ago and has scored big points for the Tigers each of the last two years at the NCAC Championships. The senior class is rounded out by Brandon Bock (Bryan, Ohio/Bryan), Pat Deering (Chagrin Falls, Ohio/Kenston) and Bobby Ritzi (Beavercreek, Ohio/Beavercreek), all of whom have been key contributors to the Tigers' rise in the NCAC in recent years. Ritzi was a member of the All-NCAC 200 free relay that broke a school record in 2009.

The junior class is just as strong, starting with 2009 All-NCAC performers Chris Culkin (Novi, Mich./Northville) and Zach Stewart (Vincennes, Ind./Lincoln) andConor O’Rourke (Mendham, N.J./Canterbury School), who excels in the sprint and butterfly events. The junior class is rounded out by Parker Browning (Cincinnati, Ohio/Turpin), Danny Nicholas (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), Phil Bambach (Dublin, Ohio/Jerome) and Adam Schick (Bloomington, Ind./North).

The sophomore class is led by Matt Parker (Delaware, Ohio/Hayes), who earned all-conference honors and set a school record as a member of the 800 free relay in 2009. The sophomore class alos includes divers Gus Appenbrink (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley) and Liam McDonald (Lakewood, Ohio/Lakewood), Andrew Tran (Columbus, Ohio/Upper Arlington), Mickey Murphy (Carmel, Ind./Carmel),John Gruber (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Shaker Heights) and Ted Hutchinson (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury Regional).

The roster was bolstered by the addition of six newcomers, all of whom are expected to immediately contribute.

The list of returning letterwinners on the women's side starts with senior All-American Adeline Brym (Mansfield, Ohio/Lexington), who holds multiple school records and placed eighth in the 200 back at the NCAA Division III Championships a year ago. She earned multiple All-NCAC designations in 2009 after leading the Tigers to a fifth place finish in the conference championship meet.

Brym leads a deep, talented senior class, which also includes Janna House (St. Thomas, Ontario/Central Elgin Collegiate Institute), who was a member of the 800 free relay team that garnered all-conference honors in 2008 and is also a member of the record-setting 200 free relay quartet from a year ago. In addition,Megan Bundy (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield), Emily Elliott (Cincinnati, Ohio/Clark Montessori), Laura Joseph (Weston, Conn./Weston), Amy Prugh (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central), Emily Ellermann (Littleton, Colo./Littleton) and Emily Roesch (Oakland, Mich./Lake Orion) all figure prominently in the team's plans in 2009-10.

The junior class is headlined by standout diver and two-time All-NCAC performerMegan Shubitowski (Columbus, Ohio/Watterson), who broke the school record in the 1-meter diving event a year ago. Other returning juniors include Ingrid Holda (Strongsville, Ohio/Strongsville) and Katie Sbrocco (Highland Heights, Ohio/Mayfield).

The sophomore class is dynamic, led by Keaton Hannon (Peachtree City, Ga./McIntosh), who broke a pair of individual school records a year ago and swam on two other record-breaking relays, All-NCAC distance standout Rachel Lee (Hickory, N.C./Hickory), Megan Tassone (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline), who broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke and swam on a pair of record-breaking relays at the NCAC meet, and Cecilia Wille (Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut), who earned All-NCAC honors and helped the 200 free relay to a school record. The sophomore class also features Nicole George (Independence, Ohio/Independence), Jessica Konczak (Mansfield, Ohio/Madison), Rachel Leeds (Bexley, Ohio/Bexley), Sinjin McNicholl (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis), Jenna Montali (Richmond Heights, Ohio/Regina) and Victoria Parker (Columbus, Ind./North).

The freshman class offers plenty of potential, starting with freestyler Ward McNulty (Glencoe, Ill/New Trier). She is one of eight newcomers on the 2009-10 roster.

Photos By: Erin Pence