Swimming & Diving Opens 2007-08 Season on Friday

10/3/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving

Oct. 3, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington University swimming & diving teams open their 2007-08 season at the Potomac Relays on Friday, October 5, at 4:00 pm. American University is hosting the annual invitational this season. Local schools including GW, Georgetown, George Mason, Mary Washington and Navy are also scheduled to compete. Last season, then men's team took first in the swimming portion of the Invite, while the women placed sixth.

2007-08 Season Outlook
A large incoming class will make the 2007-08 men's and women's swimming and diving teams look unfamiliar, but the Atlantic 10 conference should see the George Washington Colonials in their familiar top five position come seasons end. The men return perhaps the most talented swimmer in the conference, while the women bring back many key performers from 2006-07. With this group of veterans and a spirited group of newcomers, head coach Dan Rhinehart, and first-year assistant, Nicole Fisher, see no reason why both squads should not move up the ranks in the A-10.

Junior David Zenk, who set a pair of A-10 records in the 200 and 400-yard IM at the 2006 conference championships, will lead the men. Zenk should see those times improve even more as a junior as he will also look to qualify for the NCAA Championships. Tom Pullen also returns after two strong seasons in which he has improved significantly in both the IM and butterfly events.

Seniors Drew Boudreau, Mark DeSimone, and Danny Johnson return for their final season with the Colonials. Their dedication to the program has been vital to the team's success the past four seasons, and they will be expected to be key performers in each of their events.

Last years freshman are now seasoned veterans as Cascade Tuholske and Rick Rogers lead a talented sophomore class. Fellow sophomore Stephen Cosme also returns after playing a pivotal role as freshman in 2007.

Adding to a solid roster are newcomers Jim Forrest, Konrad Kopczinsky, Andrew Maguire, David Meyer, Fred Schneider, and Dan Thomann. With the graduation of many key performers from last year's squad, the freshman will be counted upon heavily to replace them. Thomann will make his presence known on the diving platforms, and coach Mike Tober is expecting big things from the two-time All-State diver.

A solid nucleus returns to the women's squad including seniors Molly Moss and Andrea Martin. Moss should lead the team in the fly events and will be looked upon for veteran leadership in the relays. Martin will also be a key performer in the freestyle and backstroke events for the Colonials.

Ariana Berdini and Lauren Fuchs lead a strong junior class that will be asked to step up their times in 2008. Berdini and Fuchs both earned top ten finishes at A10s in 2007, and will look to move higher up the ladder in 2008. Luciana Maggiolo, Jessica Miga, and Laura Myers round out the third-year members and should lead the Colonials in the sprint freestyle events.

A talented sophomore class headed by Emily Leik will look to improve even more from their freshman campaigns where each turned in personal bests. Leik was one of the most consistent performers for the women in 2007 and capped off the year with a pair of top ten finishes at the conference championships. Katrina Timlin and Cissey Ye also return to Foggy Bottom after scoring as freshman at A10s, while Jen Cohn and Christa Gorenflo return as well.

The women will look to Sarah Beggs, Caitlin Brewer, Jessica Chen, Sarah Landry, Paola Leor, Noelle Miesfeld, Lesley Pringle, and Sisi Ruan to boost GW's chances at A-10's as well. Landry was one of the top divers in Massachusetts as she won states as a sophomore and finished in the top three as a junior and a senior.

The A-10 Championships will again be held in Buffalo, NY (Feb. 20-23) at the Erie Community College Natatorium.

-GW-