2003-04 Orangewomen Preview
10/7/2003 6:53:24 PM | Swimming / Diving
It’s October and that means it is time for the Syracuse swimmers and divers to jump in the water and begin another college swimming and diving campaign. The team has actually been practicing since the beginning of September, but official, competitive meets get underway during the tenth month of the year.
SU always looks at its season in two parts. The first half is a 10-week session that culminates at the Nike Cup Championship at the University of North Carolina at the end of November. At this event, some of the top teams in the country congregate to test their times and dives. Then from January until the end of February, the team works to shave seconds off their times and add points to their scores in order to perform their life-time bests at The BIG EAST Conference Championship and hopefully beyond.
Once again, The BIG EAST Conference Championship meet will be held at the Nassau County Aquatics Center in Long Island. The dates this year are Feb. 19-21, 2004. That will also be the site for the NCAA Men's Championship on March 25-27.
On the women's side, senior school record-holder Elyse McDonough is poised for her final season at SU. She and the rest of the Orangewomen will compete for spots at the NCAA Women's Championship on March 18-20, at Texas A&M University.
This year's schedule is a little different than in the recent past. SU will hold back-to-back meets on Oct. 17 at Colgate, and Oct. 18 at home against St. Bonaventure. The team will then travel to Rutgers for a challenging two-day invitational. On Nov. 1, Syracuse hosts defending men’s conference champion Pittsburgh in the first BIG EAST dual-meet of the season. Then, it is on to the Nike Cup three weeks later.
In January, the team travels to Puerto Rico for winter training. They prepare for the conference championship with three league dual-meets in January (West Virginia, at Connecticut and at Seton Hall) and then engage in a final tune-up at Villanova on Feb. 7. A new twist this year is after the BIG EAST Championship on Feb. 19-21, Syracuse swimmers and divers will have the opportunity to advance to the ECAC Championship at Pittsburgh on Feb. 26-28.
“On the women’s side, we’re returning one of the top women’s swimmers that we’ve had here EVER – a multi-university record-holder," head coach Lou Walker declared. "Elyse McDonough is right on the cusp of making the NCAA Championship, which is her goal. It’s her senior year and that, combined with the number of university records that she’s broken, would put her at the top of women’s swimming all-time at Syracuse.”
McDonough's school records are in the 100 butterfly (55.60), the 200 butterfly (2:00.90), the 200 individual medley (2:02.75), the 400 individual medley (4:23.91) and the 200 medley relay (1:46.61). Last season at the BIG EAST Championship, she topped her own times in the 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly and 200 individual medley. She won a silver medal, her best finish ever at the conference meet, in the 200 butterfly.
“You have some experience around Elyse with Kalei Mahi, who’s been a BIG EAST finalist all three years here," Walker said. "Lisa Wittich, who scored at the BIG EAST meet as a freshman, gives us a nice core there.”
Mahi finished in the top six in the 200-yard breaststroke at the BIG EAST Championship last season (2:20.28), and was nearly a finalist in the 100 breaststroke, where she placed 10th with a time of 1:05.14. She still holds the school record in the 100 breaststroke, which she set as a freshman at 1:04.04. If she can stay healthy, she will be considered one of the top breaststrokers in the conference.
Wittich burst onto the college scene last year in the distance events. She placed first in nine of her 11 collegiate dual-meet races. At the BIG EAST Championship, she scored points in the 200-yard freestyle (1:52.25),the 500-yard freestyle (4:56.23) and the 1,650 freestyle (17:04.15).
McDonough and Wittich will serve as co-captains of the women's team this season.
Another key returner is junior Elisa James, a BIG EAST point producer last year in the 200 butterfly.
"All those kids who scored at the BIG EAST meet, in my mind, are getting the job done," Walker praised.
Losing just one senior to graduation in Jennifer Jonusaitis, the Orangewomen look to their large sophomore class for more increased production this season. Kathryn Gold, Christina Jansen, Kristi Westrich and Claire Wong have all been to the conference meet and know what it takes to succeed at this level.
Boosting the talent level on the women's side will be newcomer Vanessa Martinez, out of Maunabo, Puerto Rico. She is fresh off an appearance at the Pan American Games and figures to help Syracuse immediately in any number of events, such as freestyle, individual medley and butterfly.
Fellow rookie Randi Beaulieu is a standout swimmer from up north. In 2003, she became a Canadian National qualifier in the 50, 100 and 200 backstroke and the 50 and 100 butterfly events.
“The challenge for the women really is that we have a number of kids who are going to have to get with the program and it’s going to have to become important to them to achieve their lifetime best times and contribute," Walker said. "And that’s the truth. That’s where we are.”
“Once again, if you look at all the places our kids come from, it’s not New York, New Jersey,” Walker said. “I mean our freshman class, we have Poland and Puerto Rico and Texas, Kansas and Michigan. The length and breadth of our team really is representative of the whole U.S. and around the world. It’s a little unique for us. We really are from all over the world. We really do get out there and recruit kids from all around the world.”
Six divers, including one newcomer, will compete for Syracuse during the 2003-04 season.
SU welcomes back sophomores Erin Cofiell and Ana Stachowiak.
“Erin has to step up for us," head diving coach Jeff Keck said. "She has to get her harder dives down so she can get to the conference meet. She’s at the conference level on the one-meter. She qualified last year on the one-meter. Now we have to get her there on the three-meter. Erin’s strength is her main attribute.”
“Ana is graceful," Keck said. "But she needs to get stronger. She will give us good depth points.
“Our big dual-meet this year will be the Pittsburgh meet here at home. They have some very good divers who we’ll be able to test ourselves against and see where we are.”
