BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University women's swimming and diving team is looking to make waves in 2016-17.
Sixth-year head coach Laura Wolff-Demaline returns 16 letterwinners (seven men and nine women), three All-Oho Athletic Conference performers, two OAC champions and one NCAA Division III All-American from last year squads that finished fifth and fourth, respectively, at the OAC Championships.
"This is a really exciting time for BW swimming and diving," stated Wolff-Demaline. "We are looking for big things this season as we return three All-OAC performers, an NCAA Division III All-American and with 18 newcomers we have added both talent and depth to our rosters."
"Our goals as a program are to have more student-athletes reach the podium at the OAC Championships and a continued presence at the NCAA Championship in March," continued Wolff-Demaline. "In addition, our student-athletes have taken it upon themselves to set academic goals of being named to the Academic All-OAC and College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCCAA) Scholar All-America teams. I am extremely proud of these student-athletes for the goals they have set and our staff looks forward to helping achieve those goals."
BW is led by juniors Lena Kortis (Canton/Massillon Perry), Courtney Severns (Bucyrus) and sophomores Sarah Krupp (Williamsville, N.Y/Williamsville South) and Claire Onchuck (Darrien, Ill./Hinsdale South). Kortis, Severns and Onchuck were members of the school-record 200-yard freestyle relay team and Krupp set the school-record in the 400-yard individual medley.
In addition, juniors Jordyn Miller (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) and Nicole Gladish (Fairview Park/Fairview) and sophomores Mackenzie Biastre (Eden, N.Y.), Rebecca Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Lawrence Central) and Elizabeth Sant (Mount Vernon) all provide added leadership and depth.
First-year student-athletes Jenna Ball (Salamanca, N.Y.), Ellie Clymer (Independence), Alexis Farb (Erie, Pa./McDowell), Shari Gordnier (Centerville/Dayton Reginal Stem), Kallan Holzapfel (Reynoldsburg/Pickerington Central), Olivia Jacob (Canton/McKinely), Alyssa Mahle (Aurora), Erica Nockengost (Cuyahoga Falls), Alyssa Peto (Port Clinton), Olivia Plunket (Haddonfield, N.J) and Allie Thorson (Amherst/Marion Steele) will look to waves this winter.
The Yellow Jackets open the 2016-17 season on Saturday, October 22 with an OAC meet against Wilmington College in the Wilmington Natatorium at 3 p.m. BW then swims a non-conference meet against Ohio Wesleyan University on Sunday, October 23 inside the Meek Aquatics and Recreation Center at 11 a.m. The first home meet of the season is on Saturday, November 5 when the team hosts an OAC meet against Manchester (Ind.) University in the BW Natatorium at 1 p.m.
The 2017 OAC Swimming and Diving Championship will be contested from February 16-18 inside the Ocasek Natatorium on the campus of the University of Akron.
