2004-05 Women's Swimming And Diving Season Review
4/18/2005 8:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming & Diving
April 18, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland women's swimming and diving team concluded a landmark season in March in which they won the program's first-ever ACC Championship. The Terps posted a perfect dual meet record of 11-0, including 7-0 in the conference, going undefeated for the second straight season and finishing the year ranked 12th in the country.
Eight school records fell during the 2004-05 season, and several Terrapins nabbed numerous post-season honors.
The Terps started the season strong and never looked back. After easily handling Johns Hopkins (174-51) and Howard (176-37) in the first meet of the season, Maryland dominated the two-day ACC quad meet in Atlanta, breaking five Georgia Tech Aquatic Center records and defeating Florida State (228.5-124.5), new conference member Virginia Tech (240-113) and host Georgia Tech (265-86).
The Terps took a 5-0 record into the three-day Terrapin Cup Invitational and finished first in the 10-team field. Senior Marina Mulyayeva broke her own school record in the 200-yard individual medley (2:00.48) and automatically qualified for the NCAA Championships. She also recorded NCAA `B' cut times in the 100-yard breaststroke, the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard freestyle, winning the 100-breast and placing second in both the 100-fly and the 100-free. Mulyayeva also was a member of four of the Terps' winning relays - the 200-free, 200-medley, 400-free and 400-medley. She was named ACC Swimmer of the Week for her achievements.
After a two-month break from competition, the Terps returned home to face ACC rival N.C. State and non-conference opponents Pittsburgh and Villanova in a two-day quad meet. The Terrapins beat the Wolfpack (281-72), Panthers (244-108) and Wildcats (281-65) to run their record to 8-0 and push their winning streak to 19 straight dual meets dating back to the beginning of the 2003-04 season.
The Terps went on the road for the final three meets, traveling to Tobacco Road for meets against Duke and North Carolina, then heading to Charlottesville, Va., to face reigning ACC Champion Virginia.
Maryland defeated the Blue Devils (180-63) a day before taking on the No. 15 Tar Heels. Despite having only beaten North Carolina twice in school history, the Terps won 12 of 14 events and won the meet 175-125.
Now No. 12 Virginia was the only remaining obstacle in No. 13 Maryland's path to perfection for the second straight season, and the two teams battled down to the wire. In the end, the Terps came out with a narrow 119.5-117.5 victory over the Cavaliers. Senior Elizabeth Lavell was named ACC Swimmer of the Week for her performance, in which she won the 500-free with an NCAA `B' cut, as well as the 1,000-free in a career-best time.
The Terps had been here before. Just like last season, they posted an 11-0 overall record, mowing down every opponent who dared cross them and were poised to win the program's first-ever conference title. But Maryland found bad luck and misfortune at the ACC Championships and finished fourth.
Things would be different this year.
Returning to the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center, where they had much success earlier in the season, the Terrapins got off to a torrid start, winning both relays on the first evening of competition. The 800-free relay (7:13.29) shattered the school record by more than four seconds, and it broke the ACC mark by four-tenths of a second. The 200-medley relay also broke the school record.
After winning only one conference title last season, the Terps came away with 10 in 2005, including all five relays. Senior Chrissy Miller was named Most Valuable Swimmer of the meet, as she won the 100- and 200-free, placed second in the 500-free and was part of three winning relays. Mulyayeva took first in the 200-IM, while Lavell won the 400-IM and sophomore Gigi deToll claimed her second straight 100-fly title.
Ten Terps garnered All-ACC honors for their top-three finishes in each event, as well as the members of each winning relay: Miller (100, 200, 500 free; 400, 800 free relay; 400 medley relay), Lavell (400 IM; 500, 1650 free; 800 free relay), Mulyayeva (200 IM; 200, 400 free relay; 200, 400 medley relay); deToll (100 fly; 200, 400 medley relay); senior Megan Knepper (100, 200 back; 200, 400 free relay; 200, 400 medley relay), senior Cynthia Weir (100 free; 200, 400 free relay; 200 medley relay), sophomore Sasha Malanina (400 IM; 800 free relay), junior Krisztina Kovacs (200 breast), freshman Meghan Sackett (800 free relay) and sophomore Amber Walter (200 free relay).
Nine Terrapins qualified for the NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., and Maryland finished 22nd with 40 team points. Lavell had the best showing, placing eighth in the 400-IM and 16th in the 500-free, breaking both school records in the process. With her eighth-place finish in the 400-IM, Lavell became the Terps' first All-American since Shandra Johnson in 2003. Lavell also notched Honorable Mention All-America status in the 500-free, as did Knepper (100-back) and deToll (100-fly), who placed 15th in their respective events.
Three Maryland relays also earned honorable mention status at the meet. The 200-medley relay team of Knepper, Mulyayeva, deToll and Weir took 10th, while the 200-free relay team of Miller, Knepper, Weir and Mulyayeva placed 13th and the 400-free relay team of Miller, Knepper, Weir and Mulyayeva finished 16th (3:23.01).
After the season, head coach Jim Wenhold was tabbed ACC Coach of the Year for the first time in his career.
