2003-04 Season Preview: Terps Look To Build On Strong 2002-03 Season
10/16/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
Oct. 16, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With four returning NCAA qualifiers and three returning All-Americans, the women's swimming and diving team is poised to build on last season's 12-2 record and fourth place finish at the ACC Championships.
"We have a great returning group, and we probably have the strongest incoming class of freshmen and transfers that we've ever had in Maryland history," said head coach Jim Wenhold. "All in all, we have great potential, but the team is very young. A lot of our success is going to depend on the upperclassmen providing leadership."
Those upperclassmen include juniors Elizabeth Lavell (Annapolis, Md.) and Megan Knepper (Williamsport, Md.), who both competed in the NCAA Championships and earned All-ACC and honorable mention All-American honors.
Last season, Lavell broke the school records in the 1000- and 1650-yard freestyle, and she was also a part of the 800-yard medley relay team that set the school record. She qualified for the NCAA's in four events, finishing as high as 13th in the 1650-yard freestyle. She also had three top-ten finishes at the conference championship.
Knepper set the school record in the 100-yard backstroke last season, and she was part of three relay teams that broke school records. She competed in three events at the national championships, finishing as high as 15th.
Sophomores Inbal Levavi (Ichad, Israel) and Krisztina Kovacs (Budapest, Hungary) also qualified for the NCAA meet last season, and Wenhold expects similar accomplishments this year. As a freshman, Levavi was earned All-ACC and honorable mention All-American honors, and she broke school records in the 200-yard backstroke, the 200-yard individual medley and the 800-yard freestyle relay. Kovacs had two top-10 finishes at the ACC meet and finished as high as 22nd at NCAA's. Wenhold also expects a strong season from junior Marina Mulyayeva (Almaty, Kazakhstan), who just missed qualifying last season.
The deep incoming class includes freshmen Amanda Burke (Bethesda, Md.), Gigi deToll (Culpeper, Va.), Orsi Ferenczy (Fot, Hungary) and Amber Walter (Kalispell, Mont.) and Kentucky transfer Chrissy Miller (South Seaside Park, N.J.), all of whom Wenhold believes have the potential to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
The Terps concluded last season ranked 20th in the nation by CSCAA, and ranked as high as 16th during the season. The women broke 13 out of 19 school records, sent six swimmers to the national championships and had five All-Americans. They tied for 22nd at the NCAA meet, the highest finish in team history. "Last season was a great season with some pretty strong accomplishments," Wenhold said. "It was a successful year, but we plan on building on that this upcoming year."
Wenhold said that on paper, North Carolina and Virginia appear to be the toughest dual meets on the schedule. Virginia won the conference crown last season, with North Carolina, who had won the previous three titles, came in second. "We've got a strong schedule," he said. "But our biggest focus is going to be on doing well at the ACC Championships and getting people to the NCAA Championships and scoring points there."
The regular season begins Oct. 18 at conference rival N.C. State and concludes Feb. 7 against Virginia. The ACC Championships are Feb. 18 to 21, with the NCAA meet one month later, March 18 to 20.
With such strong returning nucleus and the solid incoming class, Wenhold is eager to find out what this season brings. "I just think it's a great group, and the potential is very exciting," he said.
