Betany Yeakley
The Wittenberg men's and women's swimming and diving teams
haven't been involved in a competition since Dec. 4 at the DePauw
Invitational. That doesn't mean the teams have been sitting around
simply enjoying the holiday season.
No, they've been working out in preparation for the stretch run of
the 2004-05 season, which starts this weekend with home meets
against Transylvania on Friday and perennial powerhouse Denison on
Saturday. Along with the usual on-campus workouts, the teams
enjoyed their annual Florida training trip over the New Year's
holiday. A lot of hard work was mixed with fun in the sun as the
Tigers prepped for the final weeks of the campaign.
Junior Becca Searcy (Shelbyville, Ky./Shelby
County) has once again been the team's standout through
the first half of the season, and she is currently the only Tiger
swimmer with an NCAA "B" Cut time. Already a two-time honorable
mention All-American, Searcy hopes to be joined by several
teammates at this year's NCAA Division III meet. Among the top
contenders for qualification for the national meet are junior
Betany Yeakley (Wilmington, Ohio/Wilmington),
junior Amy Conner (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville)
and sophomore Jenny Mulligan (Cheyney, Pa./Delaware Valley
Friends), all of whom have achieved B Cut times in past
years.
On the men's side, the Tigers are in a rebuilding year, but there
have been strong performances turned in throughout the early
portion of the schedule and expectations are high that many of the
youngest swimmers will mature quickly as the season winds to a
close. Leading the charge are sophomore diver Cody Nicely
(Knoxville, Tenn./Bearden), who looks to defend his two
NCAC titles next month, and freshman Ryan Schramm
(Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon), who was outstanding in
distance freestyle races early in the season.
Next: 1/14 vs. Transylvania, 6:30 p.m.
1/15 vs. Denison, 1 p.m.