Bowling Green State University Athletics
2005-06 Falcons Swimming Outlook
October 10, 2005 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Oct. 10, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio- - The 2005-06 Bowling Green State University Falcons are back in the water and looking to place even higher than their 2005 top five finish in theMid-American Conference. Entering into her fourth season, head coach Keri Buff marks this season as one of her most special to date. The current seniors will be the first class she has coached throughout their BGSU career.
"Our seniors have been outstanding and they have been some of the people which have built this program into what it is today," said Buff.
Fourteen swimmers competed in the conference championships last year with Stephanie Buckner taking the gold in the 100 free and third in the 50 free. Dana Schultz took home two individual medals with a second-place finish in the 100 fly and placing third it the 200 fly. The members of the 200 free relay not only came home with a bronze medal, but also set a new BGSU record.
Diving coach Jane Wobser will return one veteran diver but has the ability to showcase a talented freshman class.
"These girls have massive potential and they are going to help us with the depth we lacked last year," said Wobser of her three newcomers. Buff notes the strength of the program and the promising future ahead of the diving program due to the stellar performance by Wobser.
Newly added to the Falcons for the 2005-06 season is coach Rich Murphy who shares numerous years of past coaching experience with Buff.
"I believe it is not going to take one person to make the team successful," said Buff. It is a team effort and is going to take everybody stepping up their performance and coming together to have the best meet possible that we possibly can."
The focus for the 2005-06 season is the Mid-American Conference meet and to shatter the previous records set by Falcon swimmers.
"Every time we get in the pool we expect to swim well and to win, said Buff. "That is why we work so hard, so that we can achieve our goals by the end of the season."
Butterfly
As past results show, this is a strong event for the Falcons. The flyer corps, consisting of Michael Carriaga, Lisa Hipp, Kim Albin and Schultz, has many chances for the swimmers to place top eight at the MAC meet. Schultz is a pre-season favorite to take first and has the ability to break the BGSU records in both the 100 and 200 fly.
Backstroke
This event will provide excitement for the Falcons who will have the veteran leadership of Brit O'Connor and Tina Sestan. This event could turn into the most improved for the Falcons with the addition of Alisha Yee and Sarah Johnson who, out of high school, are among the top in this event in the MAC. Yee has already preformed times that would place her in the top-five of the MAC.
Breaststroke
With swimmers vying for spots on the medley relays, the breaststroke will be the event which pushes the team to make individual improvements. Jennifer Betts and Christina Vaca will headline the event. Each Falcon will be have competition not only at meets but also at practice it the friendly confines of Cooper Pool as they are similar swimmers. Kara Ohngren and Albin will have the early chance to contribute to the team effort.
Freestyle
Experience will be the key for the Falcons as they have made this their strongest event with the return of the defending 100 free champion Buckner and fellow seniors Jessica Guinness, Lauren McClave and Onghren. The Falcon freestyle underclass is comprised of Hipp, Jennifer Wright, Traci Eversoll and newcomer Sami Jordan whom will all contribute as either sprint or distance strength. Several school records have the chance to fall under this talented group. It is possible for the Falcons to finish at the top of the conference in each distance of the freestyle.
Individual Medley
While not the deepest event, the IM could prove to be a surprise for the Orange and Brown. Ohngren, the returning top scorer and a top eight finisher, will be joined by fellow scorer Albin. Yee will also join the group with high expectations.
Diving
Anchoring the squad will be lone returnee Jill Auer. Auer, a consistent diver, will be looked upon to once again score points in every meet and will be a vital player on the 3-meter board. Joining Auer on the 3-meter will be Brittany Collins who has a strong competitive background.
Off the 1-meter board, Sarah Parker will add a level of consistency and elegance while Ashley Belrose is sought to be the best hope for a top eight finish at the conference level. The freshman adds the strength and difficulty a diver needed to qualify for the NCAA Zone Meet.
The Falcons will begin their season Friday, Oct. 14, when they host the Tom Stubbs relays. The diving competition will begin at 11:00 a.m. with swimming begining at 5:00 p.m.
