Fresno State Athletics
2002-03 Swimming and Diving Outlook
7/8/2002 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
The word PRIDE can mean a number of things such as self-respect or satisfaction in one's work and achievements, or it can mean a group of lions, whose tenacity towards survival of the fittest goes without saying. For Fresno State, both definitions can be applied. The foremost definition is possibly the most representative. According to head swimming and diving coach, Daniella Irle, Fresno State is a highly respected program among its competitors. Teams know they better 'Bring it' because the Bulldogs will.
"We race hard right down to the last event," said Irle. "We just keep pounding. Each year we challenge ourselves to schedule the best teams. Teams such as Nevada, Pacific, Northern Arizona and Oregon State recognize our tenacity in the pool."
With all of the above teams falling into the 2002-03 schedule, the Bulldogs will look forward to bringing out the other side of their pride, the lion. It takes a large amount of passion to train for competition versus the named teams. A commitment to excel both in and out of the pool pushes the Bulldogs to become the best.
"In our program, we want to start the season out hard and show the team what it is all about," said Irle. "Then in early January we ease it up to have some fun before winding down the season with the toughest, meanest meets. Our performance against our final regular season opponents will prepare us for the WAC and NCAA Championships."
The Bulldogs have a score to settle with Nevada in the first home meet of the season, Saturday, Oct. 12. Last February the women were handed a tough loss by their WAC rival, and they are looking for some redemption. The final and second meet in October will be the Pacific Swimming Invitational, an event predicted to be one of the Bulldogs' toughest of the season. It will welcome NCAA caliber athletes from at least five top 50 programs. The following month of November will showcase a plentitude of solid competition. The Stanford Diving Invitational, a meet that will feature some of California's best divers, opens the month. The next four meets will be held in Southern California, beginning with LMU Nov. 2. Next, the swim team heads to Cal-Baptist, while the divers will be competing at USC in a second diving invite. Fresno State then heads to Riverside, Calif., for the Lancer Cup Invitational, a meet it won last season. The last two meets on the November schedule will be in Arizona versus Northern Arizona and New Mexico State, a team Fresno State swimming and diving has never competed against. December has only two meets slated, opening with the mother of them all, the Speedo Cup Invitational, Dec. 5-7. The second monthly meet is a dual-meet with Cal Poly and LMU in San Luis Obispo, Calif. January marks the annual rite of the UC Irvine Invitational from Jan 5-6. The Bulldogs then head to San Diego and then on to UC Irvine before separating to allow the divers to attend another invitational. The divers have their third big diving invitational at UCLA the 17th through the 18th. Again, the swimmers fly solo with a dual meet at Oregon State. Wrapping up the season in February, the 'Dogs host two home meets, as rivals San Diego State and San Jose State both visit Central High School. Finally, the 28-member squad will culminate a season filled with hard work and dedication at the WAC Championships in San Antonio, Texas, Feb. 26-March 1. The NCAA Diving Zone Championships and NCAA Championships will round out the month. And after all of their hard work, those Bulldogs who want to dedicate themselves for one more month will train for the USA National Swimming Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.
"We train with passion and we are proud of our hard work," said Irle. "Our team realizes we don't become the best we can be if we don't work at it, if we don't push ourselves to tap our full potential."
The squad of 28 members will showcase a solid incoming freshman class and a seasoned cast of 13 sophomores. Under the guidance of the team's leaders in seniors Jessica Klenner and Bethany Starkweather and juniors Kristi Collins and Greer McGettrick, Fresno State will definitely make waves this season.
Freestyle
One of the deeper and more skilled events for the Bulldogs are the sprint freestyles. They will feature the talents of sophomores Jennifer Palmberg, Minja Mickelsen and Melissa Johnson.
"I know this season our 50, 100 and 200 free groups are the deepest we have had in the history of the program," Irle said. "These three will be the core for us in the 50 through the 200 free and will get the job done."
The depth extends beyond the core as Irle welcomes freshmen Julie Heaton and Dana Shaw. In addition, Klenner, Starkweather and Collins will have to handle some of these events. For the long distance free events, Klenner, along with Starkweather, and four sophomores in Johnson, Kristin Leon, Katie Haney and Jolene Valley, will absorb the bulk. Klenner will lead the pack and will be backed by Johnson, Leon, Haney and Valley, all of whom had breakthrough seasons last year. Johnson, who will be the critical performer in the 200 free, will have to assume a greater responsibility in the 500 free as well. She led the squad in the event last season with a leadoff time of 1:53.31. Everyone mentioned will be leaned on to back up Klenner in the 500 free. And all of the above women will have to pull more weight this season in the 1000 and 1650 free. Entering her first season, Shaw will have to use her range as a freestyler to compete in all of the free events.
"Dana has a great range of ability in the freestyle events," said Irle. "We will be able to use her in many different freestyle events, but she will probably see more action in the longer races this season."
Backstroke
Fresno State returns arguably one of the best backstrokers in the WAC, sophomore Carolyn Wigginton. Last season, she became a NCAA cut, while setting a new Bulldog record in the 200 back in a time of 2:02.14. Sophomore Kim Hitch finished second on the squad last season in both the 100 and 200 back behind Wigginton. Hitch ended the year with personal-bests of 59.34 and 2:06.68.
"Carolyn will carry most of the bulk in the backstroke," Irle said. "Kim Hitch had a really nice breakout year in her first season and will be counted on to help us out more in season. These two will be looked upon for consistency and they are certainly capable."
Helping out the backstroke group will be Mickelsen, who was behind Hitch in the two back events. The incoming freshman, Heaton, will also lend a hand in these events.
"Minja and Julie will need to help us out in these events this year because we don't have a lot of numbers," said Irle. "But like I've always said, the quality of a unit is more important than the quantity. We definitely have four ladies capable of great quality."
Breaststroke
The woman to look for in these events is McGettrick. In her freshman season she made her way into the all-time Top Five with the third and fourth-best times. Her personal record of 1:05.52, which improved this past year, ranks third in the 100 breast, while her time of 2:20.72 is fourth in the 200 breast.
"Greer stumbled a bit last season, but we are looking forward to seeing her have a solid year," said Irle. "We are confident that she can pull her weight and really dominate."
McGettrick will not be alone in this event, as coach Irle has added up and coming freshmen, Kathryn Easey, Cassandra Busey and Sarah Batchelor. Also returning is sophomore Stacy Brock. Brock completed her first year ranking second in the 200 breast at 2:23.89.
"Brock had a nice finish to her season last year at the WAC Championships," said Irle. "She, along with Easey, Busey and Batchelor, all of whom have a tremendous amount of potential, will be looked upon to back Greer up."
Adding depth to the event, are Collins and sophomores, Tawne Fishback and Rebecca Cannady. This group will provide some tough competition for any opponent this season.
"Our breaststrokers on a good day might just beat any team we face," said Irle. "They are by far our strongest and deepest group of swimmers on the squad this year. I have confidence in these nine ladies. They really know how to battle and swim passionately."
Butterfly
Fresno State had some key performances in these events last season, but are still looking to find a dominant performer to guide the pride. Collins, Valley and Fishback ended the year with top performances at the WAC Championships. Valley returns as the leader in both the 100 and 200 fly with times of 57.88, fifth fastest time in Bulldogs' history, and 2:05.07.
"We are still looking for a dominating flier day in and day out," said Irle. "Jolene will be counted on to fill this role with more consistent contributions from Collins, Fishback and even from Klenner."
The most seasoned incoming freshman in this group is Elizabeth Trujillo. Her best event, the 200 fly, will initially be her responsibility. Also, the developmental fliers in Nika Nakamoto and Lindsay Palmberg will be looked upon to develop quickly throughout their freshman year. In addition, freshman Heather Twedt will be needed to fill in the gaps in the event, as well as to lend her skills in any area as needed throughout the season.
"This group of freshmen could really help us this season if they step up soon," said Irle. "I really believe they have the ability but they need to believe it."
Individual Medley
Again, Wigginton and Collins fall into the role of the leader of these events as both finished the year with solid times. In the 200, Wigginton tops the squad with a time of 2:07.54, while Collins isn't far behind at 2:09.57. In the 400, Klenner again must have broad shoulders as she and Starkweather take their places. Klenner and Starkweather were close with times of 4:34.18 and 4:34.69, respectively. Easey, Brock and Hitch will be put into the position to add needed depth in the 200 and 400 IMs.
"Last year I think we lacked confidence," said Irle. "These are the events in which we are trying to build and improve on and I know this group of swimmers can do that. They will all have to assume a more passionate and prideful role this year."
Relays
The relay events will be no problem for the Bulldogs who will be catapulting off of last season's success. The squad racked up two records in the 200 and 800 free relays and just missed the 400 free relay. They are returning all but one team member. Johnson, Mickelsen, Palmberg and Klenner all had success on the relays last season.
"The sky is the limit in the free relays," said Irle. "Heaton will challenge for a spot, as well as Shaw as incoming freshmen. We have a good number of returners who will vie for spots on these relays as well."
For the medley relays, Wigginton is a sure fit to lead the Bulldogs to domination, which is exactly what the Bulldogs look forward to.
"There is no question Wigginton is a wrap-up for the leadoff on the medleys," said Irle. "She is quite possibly the best in the WAC backstroke."
McGettrick and Easey will challenge one another for the breaststroke leg. For the third spot, Fishback has established her lead as the 50 flier and Valley will challenge for the fly spot on the 400 medley relay. The fourth and final leg of the medleys will go to the fastest swimmer on any given day.
"In general I want women who swim with passion and pride on relays," said Irle. "If they usually go faster on relays than they do individually, well that's fine with me."
Diving
Sophomore Ashleigh Raley is the only veteran diver, but she returns with a wealth of accolades upon which to springboard the two incoming freshman. Raley finished her first year campaign with four Fresno State records and a NCAA Zone qualification. She set records in the 1-meter and 3-meter dual dives, as well as the platform and 1-meter championship dives. The Bulldogs have added Amanda Hooper and McKenzie Elston.
"Hooper has a lot of developing yet to do and I expect her to do that with the aid of Raley," said Irle. "Elston is a diver that has the ability to dominate and reflect the success of Raley very soon. We feel Fresno State has a solid group of divers this year and we are confident they will help us."
