The Seattle University swimming program will begin its 2010-11 season this coming weekend with meets in West Point, N.Y., Moscow, Idaho, and Pullman, Wash.
On Friday, Oct. 8, the men will travel to West Point, N.Y. to take on Stony Brook, Boston College, and Army at 2:00 PM Pacific. The women will trek across the state to the University of Idaho, also beginning at 5:00 PM, and then will move to Pullman on Saturday morning to compete against Washington State University.
With one of the largest squads ever for Seattle U, this year promises to be an exciting one in terms of new records and competitive swimming. Over the course of the 2009-10 season, the men and women combined for 21 new school records, seven on the men’s side and 14 for the women.
“Large squads mean many opportunities for inner team competition and establishing a baseline for success. The group is focused and ready to race. I think we are going to see several records fall,” said head coach Kat Cuevas.
Returners to watch out for on the men’s side include senior Andrew Martinez (Concord, Calif.), juniors Jordan Anderson (Newberg, Ore.) and Eric Pedack (Snohomish, Wash.), and sophomore Murray Longbotham (Mercer Island, Wash.), all of whom will be looking to improve on records from last season.
“Jordan Anderson will make a run at breaking the :20 mark (in the 200M freestyle),” said Cueavas. “Eric Pedack is showing early speed in the fly and IM events, and Murray Longbotham looks to improve his records.”
For the women, Seattle U will see seniors Kelsey Henan (Billings, Mont.) and Heather Nelson (Bremerton, Wash.), juniors Casey Hoffman (Burien, Wash.) Hayley Cobb (Irvine, Calif.), Alexis Morehouse (Vancouver, Wash.), and sophomore Briley Boggs (Federal Way, Wash.) returning. The Redhawk women have a very experienced roster this year, having only graduated two seniors from the previous season.
“Casey Hoffman has been training focused and faster than ever,” said Cuevas. “Briley Boggs will be a powerful contributor in the sprint events, and Hayley Cobb has brought a great focus and leadership to the team.”
In addition to the veterans, SU has several talented newcomers to the team.
“Nicole Doi shows signs of being a highly talented sprinter, and we have several freshmen men who have shown great ethic over our preseason together,” said Cuevas.
Seattle University is in year three of the Division I classification process. Both swim teams will be eligible for NCAA championships in the 2012-13 school year.