Three New Squads Bring Fresh Competition to League

FOREST, Va. --- Three new squads join the ranks of ODAC women's swimming in 2017-18, but despite the fresh infusion of competition, the view from the top remains the same. Washington and Lee University, winners of 10 straight conference women's swimming championships, picked up 11 first place votes towards a perfect 121 points to lead the ODAC Women's Swimming Preseason Poll.

Randolph-Macon College received the remaining top nod on the way to 109 tallies. Just one point separates third from fourth as Emory & Henry College edged Bridgewater College for the higher position with 97 points.

The conference's women's swimming membership grows to 12 total members in 2017-18. Randolph College, which previously sponsored a women's squad, returns its program to ODAC waters with the added bonus of establishing a brand new men's program. Roanoke College and Virginia Wesleyan University complete the new trio as the two latter programs inaugurate fresh men's and women's squads.

The new season begins on the heels of a stellar 2016-17 campaign that saw Washington and Lee hoist its 27th league trophy by nearly 500 points over second place Randolph-Macon. The Generals won 10 individual events and all five relays on the way to racking up 1,042 points. Twenty ODAC championship or overall records were set or, in several instances, reset from prelims to finals. While former Emory & Henry national qualifier Michaela Nolte set conference championship and overall records in the 200-yard breaststroke, the remaining standards were established by W&L athletes, of which four return.

Ali MacQueen, Elle Chancey, Cassidy Fuller, and Emily Hageboeck all return after setting multiple records each. MacQueen, last year's Rookie of the Year, leads the way with her name next to 10 record swims, while Chancey contributed to seven standards, Fuller to six, and Hageboeck to three.

RELATED: 2017 Championship Results

The season didn't end with the ODAC championships for nine swimmers. E&H's Nolte was joined at the NCAA Division III Championships by current W&L standouts Chancey, Fuller, Hageboeck, MacQueen, and Kelly Amar as well as Laura Bruce and recent graduates Elisabeth Holmes and Emily Rollo, who garnered her second ODAC Swimmer of the Year laurel following the conference championships. The eight Generals combined to earn 21 All-American Awards, including 12 first team honors. That showing, which included 10 ODAC record-setting performances, led to Washington and Lee racking up 140 points to place seventh in the team standings.

RELATED: 2017 NCAA Recap

Yet another strong campaign could be in store in 2017-18 as 28-of-36 All-ODAC honorees are set to return to conference pools. That includes seven All-ODAC First Team selections -- each of which don W&L colors -- and 21-of-23 standouts from the All-ODAC Second and Third Teams. For Washington and Lee, which leads the way with 12-of-17 honorees back in Lexington, previously mentioned first-teamers Amar, Chancey, Hageboeck, and MacQueen are joined by Katherine Degner, Taylor Ecleberry, and Jordan Watson.

Randolph-Macon is next in line with all nine of its All-ODAC standouts back for another swim. That includes a pair of second-team choices in Lindsei Hamilton and Laney Sanchez.

Emory & Henry features a trio of returning all-conference performers, while Bridgewater welcomes back two from the second team. Sweet Briar College rounds out the all-league returners with its lone honoree in Taylor Allen back in Amherst.

RELATED: 2017 All-ODAC Awards

For the new ODAC programs, competition will be steep upon diving off the blocks in their first competition. For Randolph, head coach Taylor Steele expects his 11-woman squad to progress each week and possibly break some records from the previous iteration of the program (then as Randolph-Macon Woman's College) that featured more than 30 All-ODAC First Team awards. Steele, a former assistant at Washington and Lee, features several athletes to watch including Erynn Hunting (sprint free), Libby Exline (distance free), and Leah Dorman (sprint free and breaststroke).

Roanoke opens its inaugural campaign under head coach Scott Thacker, who boasts a wealth of experience directing club and select programs throughout the Commonwealth. His first Maroons' squad features 12 swimmers with talent at all four stroke disciplines. The Maroons have already hit the pool for an early season matchup at William Peace, where the 200-yard relay team of Reilly Bird, Sarah Virginia Scott, Tessa Kenney, and Hannah Sells posted the first time (1:58.03) and victory in program history, leading to a team win (158-6).

Virginia Wesleyan begins its first campaign with Mike Ginder holding the reins. Ginder, a former assistant coach and soon-to-be Hall of Fame standout at Washington and Lee, features a 10-woman roster that already has a strong senior class to provide leadership in Allie Ghazaleh, Morgan Lucas, and Ashley Whipple.

Listed below is the complete 2017-18 ODAC Women's Swimming Preseason Poll as well as preview capsules for each of the ODAC previously established women's swimming programs.  For more on ODAC swimming, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, 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, follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

* Returning Athlete in 2017-18

2017-18 Poll Position: 4th (96 pts.) Head Coach: Gwynn Harrison Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: Emma Daw, Kelley Hilliker   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 4th (404 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   100 BS: Emma Daw --- 4th - 1:08.94 *   400 IM: Kelley Hilliker --- 4th - 4:51.73 *   200 BS: Emma Daw --- 5th - 2:30.53 *   100 BACK: Kelley Hilliker --- 5th - 1:00.59 *   200 IM: Emma Daw --- 6th - 2:13.75 *		2017-18 Poll Position: 6th (67 pts.) Head Coach: Patrick Richardson Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 5th (212 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   200 FREE: Alex Sanchez --- 8th - 2:11.72 *   200 FLY: Debra Henke --- 10th - 2:41.13   200 BS: Lucine Manjikian --- 10th - 2:50.65   100 FLY: Maya Schattgen --- 10th - 1:06.03 *   200 FLY: Alex Sanchez --- 11th - 2:43.29 *
2017-18 Poll Position: 3rd (97 pts.) Head Coach: Cody Skinner Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: Brianna Chessock   Third Team: Olivia Anson, Kelsey Jones 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 3rd (451 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   100 BS: Michaela Nolte --- 1st - 1:04.35   200 BS: Michaela Nolte --- 1st - 2:19.43   50 FREE: Michaela Nolte --- 2nd - 0:23.95   100 BACK: Jessica Richardson --- 2nd - 0:57.73   100 FREE: Jessica Richardson --- 3rd - 0:52.66		2017-18 Poll Position: 2nd (109 pts.) Head Coach: Brent Kintzer Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: Lindsei Hamilton, Laney Sanchez   Third Team: Zoe Campbell, Abigail Crank, Megan Granger, Lauren McCoy, Haylie Moore, Savannah Pierce, Kacey Pool 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 2nd (551 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   1650 FREE: Lindsei Hamilton --- 3rd - 18:21.21 *   100 BS: Laney Sanchez --- 3rd - 1:07.84 *   200 BS: Laney Sanchez --- 3rd - 2:29.69 *   100 FLY: Zoe Campbell --- 5th - 1:01.08 *   400 IM: Abigail Crank --- 5th - 4:52.50 *   1650 FREE: Savannah Pierce --- 5th - 18:51.67 *   200 BACK: Kacey Pool --- 5th - 2:11.15 *   200 IM: Laney Sanchez --- 5th - 2:14.24 *
2017-18 Poll Position: T-10th (28 pts.) Head Coach: Margaret Parcell Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 9th (114.0 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top 5 Individual Performances   1650 FREE: Melissa Teeple --- 11th - 20:18.39   400 IM: Mackenzie Borellis --- 13th - 5:42.13   200 BACK: Shannon Johnson --- 13th - 2:43.57 *   200 FREE: Melissa Teeple --- 13th - 2:13.19   100 BACK: KP Patrick --- 17th - 1:17.64 *		2017-18 Poll Position: 7th (59 pts.) Head Coach: Donna Hodgert Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: Taylor Allen   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 6th (183 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   400 IM: Taylor Allen --- 3rd - 4:48.65 *   100 BS: Taylor Allen --- 6th - 1:10.61 *   100 BACK: Taylor Allen --- 6th - 2:12.26 *   100 FREE: Mary McDevitt --- 9th - 0:55.91   50 FREE: Mary McDevitt --- 11th - 0:25.87   100 BS: Mary McDevitt --- 11th - 1:11.86
2017-18 Poll Position: T-10th (28 pts.) Head Coach: Kathryn McNerny Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 7th (128 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   1650 FREE: Meg Sutton --- 9th - 19:56.83   100 BACK: Jurnee Dutremble --- 11th - 1:05.06 *   200 BACK: Jurnee Dutremble --- 11th - 2:24.91 *   200 BS: Kayleigh Hunt --- 15th - 3:15.29   500 FREE: Meg Sutton --- 16th - 5:47.25		2017-18 Poll Position: 1st (121 pts.) Head Coach: Kami Gardner Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: Kelly Amar, Elle Chancey, Katherine Degner, Taylor Ecleberry, Emily Hageboeck, Ali MacQueen (ROY), Jordan Watson   Second Team: Caroline Florence, Cassidy Fuller, Tori Hester, Alison Murtagh, Mara Tynan   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 1st (1042.0 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   50 FREE: Ali MacQueen --- 1st - 0:23.88 *   100 FREE: Ali MacQueen --- 1st - 0:52.04 *   200 FREE: Elle Chancey --- 1st - 1:51.64 *   500 FREE: Elisabeth Holmes --- 1st - 5:04.48   1650 FREE: Taylor Ecleberry --- 1st - 17:39.93 *   100 BACK: Emily Rollo --- 1st - 0:56.14   200 BACK: Emily Rollo --- 1st - 2:01.90   100 FLY: Ali MacQueen --- 1st - 0:55.09 *   200 FLY: Laura Bruce --- 1st - 2:05.67   200 IM: Emily Rollo --- 1st - 2:06.39   400 IM: Taylor Ecleberry --- 1st - 4:36.02 *
2017-18 Poll Position: 12th (19 pts.) Head Coach: Ashley Cox Returning All-ODAC Swimmers   First Team: None   Second Team: None   Third Team: None 2017 ODAC Champs Finish: 8th (127.0 pts.) 2017 ODAC Champs - Top-5 Individual Performances   200 FREE: Carolyn O'Halloran --- 9th - 2:09.01 *   200 BS: Isabel Gutierrez --- 11th - 2:53.42 *   100 FREE: Carolyn O'Halloran --- 12th - 0:58.03 *   100 FLY: Hannah Rouse --- 12th - 1:23.70   200 BACK: Kate Nunke --- 14th - 2:46.79 *