Oct. 10, 2012

This Week In Milwaukee Women's Swimming & Diving

Friday, Oct. 12 • Wisconsin
Hosted by Wisconsin • UW Natatorium & SERF • 4 p.m.

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team begins the defense of its Horizon League Championship with the start of the 2012-13 season with a non-conference dual meet against Big Ten competition this Friday. The Panthers head to Madison for their annual showdown with cross-state rival Wisconsin for a 4 p.m. meet.

LAST YEAR
Milwaukee won two individual events and one relay in a 175-116 loss to Wisconsin in the season-opener last year. Becky Yokosh won the 200 backstroke in her first-ever swim with Milwaukee and Emily McClellan took the top spot in the 100 breaststroke to lead the Panthers.

UP NEXT
UWM stays on the road again next week, heading to Allendale, Mich. for a dual-meet match up with Grand Valley State Friday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.

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The 2011-12 season truly was one to remember for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's swimming & diving team. The Panthers had a record-breaking season and were crowned Horizon League Champions after a dominating performance at the league meet. But the team is not content after winning the conference title for just the second time in program history and the women are ready to begin their title defense.

"The women are excited to do it again," Milwaukee head coach Kyle Clements said. "They waited so long and finished runner-up so many times; now that it's theirs, they are not letting it go any time soon."

As usual, the Panthers graduated some of their top talent from last season. But, despite the loss of two Horizon League champions, Milwaukee is arguably even more talented at the start of this year than when they won the title last March.

"With the talent that we brought in, we are actually a more talented team than we have ever been," Clements said. "Now, a lot of them are new and they're not as polished yet, but as a collective group this is the most talented I have seen our group. I know the girls have been putting in the work toward this season already and we have the talent to not only not step back, but to continue to step forward. That is what is exciting to me."

Sprints
Of all events, nowhere do the Panthers lose more from last year's group than in the sprint events. While two of last year's graduates make up the team's top-four times in each sprint event, there really should not be much of a drop off considering this season's squad.

"We lost two of our top sprinters from last year, but Sierra Townsend is going to be the one that holds the sprints down for us." Clements said. "She did a lot of it last year for us, a lot of relays and to save some of our other swimmers from the relays. Sierra is the one that's going to be doing the heavy lifting for us. She will be in every 50 and 100 and a lot of the relays."

While Townsend, who broke the freshman record in the 50 free a year ago, looks to be the anchor at the position, Milwaukee has so much flexibility with its roster this season that individuals who didn't even swim a sprint last year might be leading the team this year.

"Our team has gotten so big and we're so deep that we are going to get a lot of contributions from people who have already been here," Clements said. "Diana Diel, who has been our school-record holder and the won the Horizon League in the 100 fly as a freshman, she's actually going to do a lot of sprint free this year. It's something that she has always had in her, but we've never had to use it because of the upper classmen that we've had. Becky Yokosh, too; she's an upper classmen that can swim sprints but we've just never needed her to."

The Panthers will also get some help from its incoming freshmen, one of the largest and deepest incoming classes in program history.

"We brought in Maggie Maxstadt, who is going to swim a lot of sprints for us this year," Clements said. "She's got the perfect build for it and she has the times to do it. It's going to be a pretty quick group."

Middle-Distance/Distance
Perhaps its most overlooked area from last season, at least from the outside's perspective, Milwaukee actually gained a lot of valuable points in the middle-distance and distance events en route to their league title last year. Senior Karmyn Van Dewettering swam in the final of the 500, 1000 and 1650 freestyle last year and will lead a young but very talented group.

"When it starts getting into the thick of it, you've got to go right to Karmyn," Clements said. "She's been right there. She's going to be right there again. The other distance events you've got Chloe Lewis and Kelly Theis, both have been in the program for more than a year now."

Milwaukee also adds newcomers Abby Duke and Kaela Ropson, both tout impressive high school marks and should be ones to watch as the season progresses.

Butterfly
Milwaukee has been solid in the butterfly events for years and 2012-13 should be no different. Junior Diana Diel leads the way as the school-record holder in the 100 fly and league champion as a freshman. Newcomers last year Diandra Prutton and Sierra Townsend added more depth, and a late-season surge by Mary Kuyvenhoven point to this being another strong year for this group.

"What's going to be really exciting is, we already know what we have in Diana, Diandra and Sierra and Mary and all of our returners. There are a lot of good butterflyers there, but we also added the Wisconsin (high school) state champion in Leah Winckler. She's been swimming really fast and Leah's going to be there for every fly event, especially the sprint fly. You add her to an already veteran group and the flies are going to be tough for us."

Backstroke
The Panthers have continued to produce record-breaking results in the backstroke events for numerous years in a row. Last year, sophomore Becky Yokosh broke both school records and also set the new league standard in the 200 back with an NCAA `B' cut time to cap an impressive season. Milwaukee does lose one of its former backstroke specialists in former school-record holder Danielle Chapman, but there are more newcomers ready to fill those shoes.

"Danielle graduated, but we brought in the No. 2 swimmer out of Iowa and she's going to be able to help us in a lot of events," Clements said. "Kelsey Abbas almost got the school record as a high school senior, she's only about a second or so off. She's going to slide into that role and try to take over right where Danielle left off. I have no doubt in my mind she'll be just fine doing it."

Clements also added newcomer Emily Dean to the talented group that also includes team captain Erika Pliner (sixth in the 200 back at conference last year) and Diandra Prutton (seventh in the 100 back at conference last year).

Breaststroke
When it comes to the breaststroke events at UWM, everyone knows both of those events belong to Emily McClellan. The junior shattered both school and league records last year, recording the Horizon League's first-ever NCAA `A' cut times in both events.

After just missing a spot on this past summer's Olympic team and earning a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2013 World University Games, McClellan obviously will grab most of the headlines in both events again this year, but her unique abilities have been helping those around her.

"Emily is Emily. She's only getting faster everyday, which is exciting, but she's pushing everyone else," Clements said. "Lindsey Verhulst swims the breaststroke with her almost every time and finished top-eight in the Horizon League last year. She'll continue to drop time.

"Then you've got Brianna Huth, who swam a lifetime best at the end of the year last year and would have made it back to Horizon League. Emily Blohm is one that has been there before and then Hannah Lucas - she comes in with a time that would be top-eight Horizon League, as well. It's a deep breaststroke group and it's going to be a very quick breaststroke group this year."

Individual Medley
McClellan also posted an NCAA `B' cut time in the 200 IM a season ago in earning All-Horizon League First-Team honors and will lock down the event again this year. Diana Diel also had an impressive year, taking fourth at the league meet a year ago as part of a very deep IM group.

"With each new roster, it's a different lineup," Clements said. "When you have Emily McClellan, who swims this at the NCAA Championships, and then you have the others that always do this event - Maggi Beck, Hilary Woldt, Erika Pliner, Hannah Lucas, again her time is a top-eight time coming out of high school, Leah Winckler has a scoring time...we could really take our pick in the two IM."

In the 400 IM, Milwaukee has Beck, who holds the freshman record, and Woldt, who swam with Beck at the league meet a year ago. Chloe Lewis and Emily Blohm also have experience in the event and should be in the mix.

"We are just going to try to figure out the new pieces," Clements said. "This is a very deep roster and we're just trying to piece it all together for the finished product."

Diving
Arguably Milwaukee's weakest events last year were the diving events. Now-senior Aubrey Griffiths finished in the top eight on both boards at the league championships, but there was only one other diver on the team last year and Griffiths serves as the team's lone returner this season.

Welcome to the group three exciting freshmen who figure to make a big splash right away and Milwaukee should have a greater impact this year in the event.

"Rachel Margis just broke all Aubrey's old city records right before she got here. She has been a state champion in Wisconsin many times and is going to do very well here," Clements said. "Anna (Percival) and Leah (Hennes), they were two of the top divers in the state of Minnesota last year. (Diving coach) Todd (Hill) is very excited about both of them. There is a lot of potential with this group and is excited to get them out on the boards."