Wasps Sit Second, Yellow Jackets Tabbed Third
FOREST, Va. --- Washington and Lee University
headlines the 2014 ODAC Women's Swimming Preseason Poll as the
Generals collected eight first place votes and 64 total points in a
survey of the league's head coaches. Emory & Henry
College received the remaining top nod and 56 total tallies, two
more than in 2013-14. Randolph-Macon College rounds out the
top-three after garnering 50 points.
The Generals collected 953 total points at the 2013-14 ODAC
Swimming Championships to wrap up their seventh straight and 24th
overall conference crown. Washington and Lee won an ODAC-best
10 events, including three relays. Emory & Henry College
made the jump to second place in the team standings (585 pts.) by
winning four individual disciplines and the other two relays.
Randolph-Macon College (481 pts.) and Sweet Briar College (349
pts.) claimed top prize in the remaining two individual
events. In total, 29 ODAC meet or overall record times were
established, some in the same event.
There is no shortage of familiar names entering the new season as
29-of-36 All-ODAC honorees from a year ago are back in action in
2014-15. Also set to return are all four special award
winners, including Allison Fowler and Michaela Nolte from Emory
& Henry, the reigning ODAC Swimmer and Rookie of the Year,
respectively. W&L’s Stephanie Foster earned
ODAC/Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete honors, and Guilford
College’s Morgan McKinnon was the Bonnie Kestner
Sportsmanship Award recipient.
The cupboards in Lexington are overflowing with returning
standouts as Washington and Lee features 15 all-conference swimmers
and a host of athletes that posted times in top-three individually
20 times. That list does not include the return one other
former all-conference athlete that did not compete in last
season’s championships at the Greensboro Aquatic
Center. Seven swimmers earned a spot on last season's
All-ODAC First Team. In addition to Foster (1st in 100-back
at 2014 ODAC Championships), junior classmate Emma Swabb (1st in
200 IM), seniors Sydney Gay (2nd in 1650-free) and Caroline Hamp
(1st in 100 fly), and sophomores Elisabeth Holmes (1st in 500- and
1650-free), Jillian Leigh (2nd in 200-breaststroke) and Emily Rollo
(2nd in 100-back) earned first team accolades. Seven more
garnered a spot on the All-ODAC Second Team, including senior Mary
Gabe (4th in 200-breaststroke), juniors Meredith Murphy (4th in
200-fly) and Sarah Schaffer (3rd in 100-breaststroke), and
sophomores Rachel Baker (4th at 100-fly), Natalie Brendsel (4th in
200-free), Monica Flocken (3rd in 500-free) and Haylee Rademann
(3rd in 200-fly). Junior Lizz Platt (5th in 1650-free) picked
up All-ODAC Third Team laurels. Senior Hannah Melkun returns
to the pool after earning first team honors in 2013.
Emory & Henry’s rise up the ODAC championship team
standings has been meteoric, going from ninth in 2012 to fourth in
2013 and ultimately second in 2014. Wasps placed in the
top-three in individual events 13 times last season. E&H
welcomes back 7-of-8 all-conference honorees from a year ago.
Fowler (1st in 400-IM and 200-fly) and Nolte (1st in 100- and
200-breaststrokes) are just two of five first teamers back in
action. Juniors Taylor Guardalabene (2nd in 500-free) and
Payton Shirey (2nd in 50-free) and sophomore Jessica Richardson
(2nd in 100-free) complete the quartet. Also back is a pair
of third team honorees in junior Nicole Powell (6th in 200-fly) and
sophomore Jordan Greenburg (6th in 200-back).
Randolph-Macon has three All-ODAC swimmers back in action in
addition to several experienced athletes looking to take the next
step. Those returners helped the Yellow Jackets to a trio of
top-three finishes. Sophomore Emily Plowman earned first team
status by winning the 50-yard freestyle, while classmate Sierra
Collins (6th in 200-free) and senior Jordan McConnell (6th in
400-IM and 1650-free) received third team recognition. The
Yellow Jackets will also look to seniors Emily Maltby (8th in
500-free) and Elizabeth Nordquist (11th in 100-fly), as well as
junior Rachel Leigh (12th in 100-back), to build on solid showings
at last season’s championships.
Sweet Briar is one of two teams in the conference with a new head
coach leading the way, but the Vixens new mentor has previous head
coaching ties to the ODAC. Former Randolph-Macon
Woman’s College (now Randolph College) coach Donna Hodgert
steps into the lead role at SBC, and she enjoys the return of a
trio of all-conference swimmers. Sophomore Megan Monahan (1st
in 200-back) leads that group after earning first team
accolades. Classmates Mollie Smith (4th in 1650-free) and
Mary McDevitt (6th in 100-breaststroke) picked up second and third
team recognition, respectively. SBC also welcomes back
juniors Lydia Fleck (10th in 200-fly) and Margaret Raymond (9th in
400-IM), as well as sophomore Abbey Brieske (8th in
200-breaststroke).
Bridgewater College is the remaining school to feature a returning
all-conference standout. Junior Emily Townsend (5th in
200-breaststroke) earned third team laurels in 2014. The
Eagles also benefit from the return of senior Kelsey Hess (15th in
1650-free), juniors Allie Stewart (8th in 400-IM) and Gabrielle
Harbour (9th in 200-fly), and sophomores Keli Groux (13th in
400-IM) and Abigail Youngen (14th in 1650-free).
Greensboro College will be under new leadership in 2014-15 as
former Millersville University assistant coach Katie McNerney takes
hold of The Pride’s reigns. She will look to seniors
Regina Robertson (8th in 50-free), Erin Gard (9th in 1650-free) and
Sierra Zentz (11th in 200-fly) to lead the way.
Notre Dame of Maryland University, Hollins University and Guilford
College all feature solid returners entering the new season.
The Gators will look to senior Jessi Duffy (11th in 1650-free),
junior Emily Jordan (7th in 200-breaststroke) and sophomore
Julianna Randazzo (15th in 200-fly) to lead the way. Senior
Morgan Wheaton is also back after a semester abroad last
spring. Hollins gets a big boost this season thanks to the
return of 2013 second team honoree, junior Claire Webber, following
a year away from the pool. Senior Meg O’Brien (14th in
400-IM) and sophomore Hayley Caulfield-James (14th in 200-fly) are
also back. The Quakers make the climb up the ODAC ladder
behind McKinnon (17th in 200-breaststroke) and junior Nina Troy,
who reached the finals of the 100-yard butterfly last season but
was unable to compete.
Listed below is the 2014-15 ODAC Women's Swimming Preseason
Poll. For more information, visit any of the participating
schools’ websites, or go to the ODAC’s home on the
Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don’t
forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter.
2014-15 ODAC SWIMMING PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes
1. Washington and Lee (8) | 64 pts. |
2. Emory & Henry (1) | 56 pts. |
3. Randolph-Macon | 50 pts. |
4. Sweet Briar | 40 pts. |
5. Bridgewater | 38 pts. |
6. Greensboro | 27 pts. |
7. Notre Dame of Maryland | 21 pts. |
8. Hollins | 19 pts. |
9. Guilford | 9 pts. |