2006-07 Outlook (W)

2006-07 Women's Swimming & Diving Outlook

Since winning the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship in 2002-2003, the Rider University women’s swimming & diving team has placed runner-up in the conference every year. This could be the year to break that trend and return to the top spot.

“The thing that separates this year’s team from other years,” said head coach Steve Fletcher, “is the absolute commitment of the seniors to the team culture, which values hard work and dedication. This senior class is a hungry class. They want to be part of a championship team. I think we’ll be extremely competitive for the top spot in the MAAC. I really do.”

The Broncs will be led by the return of six seniors, including Courtney Clark and Lauren Urbanski.

Clark won the 500 free, the 1000 free and the 1650 free at the MAAC Championships last year and placed third in the 1650 free and fourth in the 500 free at the ECAC Championships. “Courtney is arguably one of the best distance swimmers in the conference,” said Fletcher. “She’s the one to beat in her events. She already holds the MAAC records in the 1,000 and 500, but she’s trained hard for a great senior year. She wants to go out on top.”

Urbanski is a team captain this season. Last year she won both the 100 and 200 butterfly at the MAAC Championships, setting a conference record in the 100, and was a member of three MAAC gold medal-winning relays. At the ECACs, she had a pair of top six finishes. “Lauren is one of the hardest workers on the team when it comes to training,” Fletcher said. “She doesn’t back down to challenges in practice. She still has untapped potential and can get even faster.”

Other members of the class of 2007 include Adrianne Glasgow, Shannen Kahler, Ryan Mitten, and Hayley Wittsack.

Glasgow is a team captain who placed third in the 400 IM, fifth in the 200 butterfly and ninth in the 200 IM at the MAAC Championships last year. “We’re relying on Adrianne’s senior leadership,” said Fletcher. “She is coming back from back surgery and
is doing remarkably well in her training. She was very aggressive in her rehab and I expect her to have a good senior year and finish well.”

Kahler finished fifth in both the one-meter dive and the three-meter dive at the 2006 MAAC Championships and again placed fifth on the three-meter dive at the ECAC Championships. “Shannen competed in dive shows for an entertainment group at amusement parks this summer and has really honed her skills,” Fletcher said. “She has made a large improvement this year. She’s the diver to beat on our team.”

Mitten placed third in the 100 fly and the 400 medley relay and was sixth in both the 200 IM and the 200 fly. “Ryan is one of our senior leaders who is a great representative of our program,” Fletcher said. “She had a breakthrough performance at the conference
championships with her first 100 yard butterfly swim under one minute. She continues to improve in her four-year career. She’ll be a top eight (in the MAAC) competitor in the 100 fly, the 200 fly and the 200 IM. She’s a major point scorer at the conference championships.”

Wittsack finished 14th in the 400 IM and 16th in the 200 back at the MAAC Championships last year. “Hayley is another part of our strong senior class that is so important to our program,” said Fletcher. “She is an incredible trainer with a lot of talent
and this year has more confidence. I think she’s going to have a terrific senior season.  She’s always a finalist at the conference championships contributing to our team point total.”

The biggest returnee is sophomore Priscilla Modrov who was named the Most Outstanding Female Performer at the 2006 MAAC Championships. “Even at the top levels of our sport there are things where the athletes can improve,” said Fletcher.  “Priscilla has learned that despite how fast she is now, she’s confident she can be better.”  Modrov placed first at the MAACs and set records in both the 200 free and the 400 IM, and also won the 200 IM; and was part of the winning 200 and 800 free relays.  “She’s open minded to changing things to get better. Although she was a standout competitor as a freshman, she still has a lot of potential. She’ll achieve that because of her attitude.”

Other key returnees include juniors Stephanie Cosentino and Rebecca Sanbower and sophomores Ericka Kriedel, Kelsey Tokar and Kristen Warwick.

Cosentino placed third in both the 100 and 200 freestyle events and was part of the winning 200 free and the 800 free relays. “Steph is an important contributor to the team on the relays,” said Fletcher. “She is more experienced this year and has really developed as a swimmer. We’re going to rely on her to be one of our top four sprinters in each event and she should be a conference finalist in the 50 and 100.” At the 2006 ECAC Championships, Cosentino was part of the 200 free relay which placed fourth and the 800 free relay which placed sixth.

Sanbower placed ninth in the 1000 free and eleventh in the 1650 at the MAAC Championships last year. At the 2006 ECAC Championships she placed eleventh in the 1650 free and was part of the 800 free relay team which finished sixth. “We’re optimistic that we’re getting Becky back on track this year after injuries have kept her from training,” said Fletcher. “She has had several surgeries, but the last one should be her last. She has competed for us, but not nearly at the level she is capable of because of the injuries. Having overcome those obstacles, we’re counting on seeing her do a lot more.”

Kriedel placed second in the 100 back, third in the 200 back, and eighth in the 50 free at the 2006 MAAC Championships and was part of the second place 200 medley relay and the third place 400 medley relay. “Ericka was a surprise for us as a freshman,” said Fletcher. “She was a very consistent trainer and really swam well at the conference championships. She was named our Most Improved Swimmer on the women’s side and that was a result of the competitiveness we saw in her.”

Tokar placed third the 1000 free, fourth in the 1650 free and sixth in the 500 free at MAACs last year. “Kelsey is one of the freestylers that is always a threat at the conference meet,” said Fletcher. “We expect her to be a finalist at the championships again this year.” 

Warwick placed fifth in both the 1000 free and the 1650 free and finished seventh in the 500 free. “Kristen is one of the distance freestyle swimmers that separates us from most of the conference teams,” Fletcher said.

The key newcomers include Kellyanne Tomasula, Amanda Burke and Lovette Leonhard.

Tomasula was a U.S. Open qualifier in the 100 free and the 100 backstroke and earned All-American honors. She placed second in New Jersey in the 100 free while at Vernon Township High where she set five team records and won seven county titles.  “Being a high school All-American is quite an accomplishment,” Fletcher said. “We haven’t been able to recruit many of those. Coming in, her times in high school would be among the best the conference has ever seen in both the 100 free and the 100 back.  She is very talented, but also has a lot to learn. She should do very well in the conference and can get better.”

Burke finished fourth at the PIAA State Championships and was awarded MVP of the William Tennent High School team. “Amanda is certainly one of the key newcomers,” said Fletcher. “We’re excited to have her this year. She was a student last year, but this is her first season competing. She should be favored to compete with the top three divers in the MAAC in both the one-meter and the three-meter this year and she has the potential to be even better than that. She should have an impact right away.”

Leonhard was a Scholastic All-American as well as a member of both the National Honor Society and the National Art Honor Society at Piscataway High School.  “Lovette swam for a club program that emphasized the distance events so she has a large background in those events, both training for them and competing in them,” said Fletcher. “She will add depth to our already strong distance events.”

Other key newcomers include Liz Muller and Erica Yaszemski.

Muller was a member of the National Honor Society with distinguished honors for four years as well as the class secretary at Ocean City High. “Liz dove for (former Rider coach) Rich Coppola at Ocean City High and could be a finalist in the conference
championships as early as this year,” said Fletcher. “She’s learning the three-meter, which is one of many new experiences for her. She’s a motivated athlete who is always positive.”

Yaszemski was an All-Burlington County selection in both 2004 and 2005 and earned second team honors in the 100 breast at Moorestown High where she was a four year state finalist. “We’re going to rely on Erica a lot this year in both dual meets and the championship meet,” said Fletcher. “She should contribute as a finalist in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke.”

As always, the goal is to have individuals improve and to strive for a conference title.

“This team wants to win the conference,” said Fletcher. “That is their goal as a team.  We are getting closer and closer to athletes qualifying for the NCAA Championships and that is certainly another over riding goal of our program. We’re going to continue to focus on that. Talent-wise we are as good as we’ve ever been and every member of the team is important. We lost the MAAC championship by one roster spot last year.  We don’t intend on doing that again.”