Swimming Preview
September 23, 2008 04:13 PM | General
September 23, 2008
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - Entering the 2008-09 season, second year Head Coach Vic Riggs hopes the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams can improve on last season’s strides to regain the top spot in the BIG EAST.
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| Pablo Marmolejo returns after taking a year off to train for the Olympics.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
Last season, the men’s and women’s swimming and div¬ing teams finished with identical 9-8 records and the men placing fourth and the women finishing third at the BIG EAST Championships respectively.
This season’s squads should provide entertainment on both the men’s and women’s side with the men returning 11 athletes, including their biggest recruiting class ever with 17 incoming freshmen. The women have 13 returners and add six freshmen.
“I think we have a very talented men’s squad this season,” says Riggs. “We have a great freshman class and the return on Pablo (Marmolejo) will definitely help us.”
Marmolejo returns to Morgantown after taking an Olympic waiver to train with Mexico for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. However, the Mountaineers lose Kevin Donohue, who last year became the first ever individual All-American for the program.
“Pablo will really help us mainly in the butterfly and IM events,” says Riggs. “We are really hoping to have him make a huge impact at both the BIG EAST Championships and the NCAA Championships.”
Not only will the Mountaineers return Marmolejo, they also bring back Michael Walker who had an excellent junior season. Walker broke a meet and school record with a time of 3:50.14 to win the 400 IM at last year’s BIG EAST Championships.
The Mountaineers look for seniors Nathan Farmer and Payton Brooks and junior Tim Field to make an impact after improving dramatically throughout the 2007-08 season.
Some key recruits include Taylor Camp, Eric Johnson, Martin Vanis and George Farquhar.
Camp looks to be a contributing swimmer in both the freestyle and backstroke events, while Johnson is a distance swimmer and Vanis will swim freestyle. Farquhar, who has junior eligibility, will be a key component in the breaststroke events.
“This class will be one of the top in West Virginia swimming and diving history with the amount of talent we have coming in both academically and athletically,” says Riggs. “We will look for them to help us both individually and with the relay squads.”
The women’s team returns the majority of last year’s roster that includes junior standout Morgan Callaway.
“With all of the returning talent this year, the women should have another great season and hopefully improve upon what they started last year,” says Riggs. “We have some great swimmers at each event and I am hoping to make a push for at least second at the BIG EAST Championships.”
Callaway represented the Mountaineers well last season at the NCAA Championships in the 500 free, 100 back and 200 back. She also broke six school records at the BIG EAST Championships.
“Morgan had a great season last year and I think that she is what you would call a silent leader,” say Riggs. “She was voted captain by the team and that shows you what kind of person she is and how much she is respected and after a breakout season last year we will look for her to continue what she did and place in the NCAA Championships.”
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| Morgan Calloway qualified for NCAAs in three events last year as a sophomore.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
At the NCAA Championships last season, she broke her own school records in the 100 back (54.13) and in the 500 free (4:46.02). The first school record Callaway broke at the BIG EAST Championships was as a member of the second place 800 free relay team (7:17.69). Her other school records and first-place finishes were in the 500 free (4:47.86), the 100 breast (54.60) and 200 back (1:57.95). She also contributed to the first-place 200 medley relay team (1:40.80) and the first place 400 medley team (3:41.46).
Along with Callaway, West Virginia returns senior Lindsey Largo and juniors Kayla Andrews and Stephanie Shupe.
Largo qualified in the 500 free, 400 IM and in the 1650 free at last season’s NCAA Championships and was also a member of second place 800 free relay squad at the BIG EAST Championships.
After putting together one of the best rookie seasons ever and following it up with a solid sophomore campaign, Andrews will look to continue on her successes in the sprint, free and free relay events. Last season the Newark, Del., native posted a school and meet record at the BIG EAST Championships in the 100 free with a 48.33 time.
Shupe will add to the success of the relay teams as she helped the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay each come in first at the 2008 BIG EAST Championships.
The women also return Maritza Paredes, who is coming back after taking an Olympic waiver year to train with Mexico for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Paredes will look to help the squad in middle distance free and relay events.
The season will begin with the WVU Blue/Gold Meet on Oct. 4 and continues the following weekend, Oct. 11, when the Mountaineers travel to Marshall to take on East Carolina, Xavier and Marshall.
The first of two home meets occurs on Oct. 22 against rival Penn State before the team travels to Virginia Tech on Oct. 25 for a three-team meet that also includes NC State.
The BIG EAST competition starts with a trip to Louisville on Nov. 7 and then a visit to Cincinnati the following day.
After nearly a month off, the Mountaineers jump back into action with the Georgia Invitational from Dec. 5-7 and then travel to Arizona over the second half of winter break, Dec. 30-Jan. 9.
The BIG EAST schedule continues on Jan. 10 with the Mountaineers traveling to Pitt and then to the Shamrock Invite at Notre Dame on Jan 23-24.
The second and final home meet will take place in the WVU Natatorium on Jan. 31 against Maryland. The final meet of the season is on Feb. 6 at Ohio State with the team testing their luck in the BIG EAST Championships from Feb. 19-21 in Indianapolis, Ind.
