2006-07 PAC Swimming & Diving Preview

2006-07 PAC Swimming & Diving Preview

The Westminster Titans took home both the men’s and women’s team titles for the 2005-06 season. The PAC was well represented in both team and individual events at the NCAA Division III Swimming Championship in March. Individually, every swimmer earning first team All-PAC honors in 2005-06 will return this season to defend their individual championships. The PAC welcomes Saint Vincent into the PAC for the 2006-07 season which will add more excitement to the highly competitive conference.

BETHANY COLLEGE
The Bethany College swimming and diving team is beginning the 2006-07 season different than any of the 26 previous under head coach John McGowan. This season, for the first time McGowan has not been involved in a fall sport to split his attention from swimming, meaning the Bison will start their season at the same time as the other teams in the conference.

Leading the Bison men this season will be senior Stephen Zinz (left), a three-time All-PAC performer in the 100 Butterfly and captain of this year’s men’s squad. Last year Zinz broke his on school butter fly record and according to McGowan, could have a shot at freestyle records this winter. Also providing leadership for the Bison will be senior freestyler Michael Giovanetti and sophomore breaststroker Travis Edwards.

For the women, the Bison will be led by junior Erin Staniech, who swam the anchor leg on the 400 freestyle relay that broke a school record last year. Also leading the Bison will be sophomore distance swimmer Brenda Maxwell (right).

The Bison begin their season earlier than usual on Saturday, October 28at the Pitt-Bradford Relays.

GROVE CITY COLLEGE
The Grove City men’s swim team looks to grow on a fantastic 2005-06 season, while the Gove City women enter the 2006-07 season as one of the youngest in recent years.

The Grove City men are looking for their 56th consecutive winning season, a return to the NCAA Championships where they finished 13^th overall last year. For the Grove City men, three seniors and four NCAA Division III All-Americans will combine to give the Wolverines experience and a deep nucleus for 2006-07. Included in that group is the first even Grove City nation swimming champion, Caleb Courage (left) who won the 100 freestyle at the NCAA Championships in March. Courage has also earned All-American status in the 50 and 200 freestyle races in his career. Sophomores Drew Snyder, Tim Whitbeck and Mitch Young are also returning for Grove City after earning All-American honors last season at the NCAA championship.

The Grove City women feature just two seniors and two juniors, who will lead a deep and talented sophomore class as well as an influx of promising freshmen. Seniors Lauren Gallo and Virginia Larsen will help lead this youthful squad. Both are three-year letterwinners for the Wolverines. Gallo has emerged as one of Grove City’s top distance performers during her career. Larsen is one of Grove City’s top breaststrokers, and as a junior, posted top 10 finishes in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the season-ending PAC Championships.

Juniors Ellen Keefer and Ria Swanekamp will also provide leadership to a young Grove City team. Keefer helped Grove City’s 200 free relay provisionally qualify for the NCAA Division III Championships last year and is one of the Wolverines top returning freestyle sprinters. Swanekamp is another strong distance veteran and will likely contribute in those events again this season for Grove City.

The Wolverines start the 2006-07 season Friday, October 21, at the Clarion Fall Classic.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON COLLEGE
The Washington & Jefferson College men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams enter the 2006-2007 season with high expectations after successful campaigns a year ago under head coach Mike Orstein, who will be his 19^th year with the Presidents. Orstein is just 10 wins shy of 300 victories as the Presidents head coach.

For the men, Orstein will rely on sophomores Daniel Mancuso and Eddie Werner (left) who were one of the top duos in the PAC a year ago. Mancuso set school records in the 500 freestyle, 200 butterfly and 400 individual medley and captured a pair of PAC titles, while Werner owns the school’s 200-backstroke record and placed second at last year’s conference meet in the 200 IM.

On the women’s side, two-time conference MVP, Kaitlyn Orstein (right), who collected her third national championship a year ago and is primed to lead the Presidents in 2006-07. Also leading the Presidents will be senior Brandi Shoupe, and sophomores Susanne Seward and Alicia Sutton. The trio combined with Orstein to claim the 200 and 800 freestyle relays at last year’s PAC Championships. Seward captured the 50 freestyle, while Sutton will be the defending champion in the 500 freestyle. Shoupe also earned first place at the conference championships in the 100 butterfly last season.

The Presidents will start their season Saturday, November 4, when they host Frostburg State.

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE
The 2005-06 PAC men’s and women’s swimming champions, the Westminster Titans, enter the 2006-07 season looking very solid. Both teams have tremendous depth in all of their events, the roster size for both teams are at an all-time high, and the experienced senior class is stout with leadership.

“Most teams have one of two good swimmers, but we just keep coming,” said Titan head coach Rob Klamut, who enters his 22^nd year with the Titan men’s team and his 19^th with the women. “Entering the season, I don’t see a weak event.” The Titan men return 19 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 9-1-1 en route to a PAC title, while the women welcome back 12 letterwinners from a PAC championships team that went 9-2.

The men will be led by three-time All-American Ryan Trunk. Trunk collected two All-America honors last year including a sixth-place finish in the 100 freestyle and eighth in the 50 free at the 2006 NCAA Division III National Championships. Also leading the Titans in defense of their conference championship are 2005-06 PAC individual champions Chip Hothem, Adam Rady and Pat Smith.

For the women, senior Megan McLaughlin, a talented freestyler and backstroker, and classmate Brittany Thomas will bring the Titans senior leadership. Thomas is back to defend her PAC title in the 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle, while sophomore Megan Meir is a returning PAC champion having captured the 100 backstroke title a year ago.

Westminster opens the 2006-07 season at home Friday, October 27, hosting the Titan Relay Carnival.

SAINT VINCENT COLLEGE
The Saint Vincent Bearcats will swim their first season as members of the PAC in 2006-07, as the college makes the switch from NAIA competition. Both the Saint Vincent men’s and women’s swim teams competed at the Grove City Invitational last season, competing well in numerous individual and relay events. The women placed eighth at Grove City and 14^th at NAIA Nationals, while the men placed fourth overall at Grove City and ninth at the NAIA National meet.

Returning to lead the Saint Vincent men this season will be junior Josh Shrum, who placed seventh last year in the 100 breaststroke at the Grove City Invitational and PAC Championship meet. Also back from last year will be sophomores Jon Okonak, Eric Clouse, and Greg Jackson who all swam well at Grove City last year against PAC competition. The Saint Vincent men also placed relays in the top five of four of the five relays in the invitational.

The Saint Vincent women will be led by lone senior Kristy Hartbauer, who finished seventh in the 200 breaststroke and eighth in the 100 event last year. Also leading the Bearcat women will be juniors Catherine Bittner, Olivia Cinberg and Karli Sue Buday.

Saint Vincent starts the 2006-07 season Saturday, October 28, at home in the newly renovated Frank and Elizabeth Resnik pool, against Division II West Virginia Wesleyan.

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