Women's Swimming Preview

This season, or any other for the women's swimming team, is not about the record.

"It isn't really about place standing at the end, it's about seizing one hundred percent potential," said UB Head Coach Dorsi Raynolds, who is in her eleventh year. "I'll be happier if I see the hundred percent potential than if we place first and seize only fifty percent potential."

After finishing in fifth place at the MAC conference meets last year, the team is looking for its swimmers to attain their personal bests this year.

"There is a ton of great leadership in the four kids that are seniors." Raynolds said. "The four of them are different personalities."

Coach Raynolds is very confident that with her group of returning veterans including senior captains Lisa Boettrich (middle distance), Melissa Schafer (middle distance), Trina Sinclair (long distance), Stacey Zimmerman (sprints), and sophomore dynamo Jennefer Brankovsky (middle distance), the team is very capable of breaking new and old records for the school.

Sprinters Tiffany Woods, Sara Defendorf, Bethany Miller, Amanda Meyers (all sophomores), and freshman Olga Wojcik will try to fill the void left when senior captain Carrie Quinlan graduated last year.

An inter-conference transfer has also bolstered UB's strength in the sprint events.

"We have a transfer from Eastern Michigan that's actually Canadian, Tanya Ng Yuen. She brings a lot of talent in the sprint area," Raynolds said.

There is a good deal of flexibility on the team when it comes to the middle distance events, as a number of the swimmers can do long distance events as well. Jennifer Raimondi, Jolie Pun, Heather Rochette, Rachael Rubin and Janet Reynolds will be counted on the most in both middle distance and long distance events.

"She (Reynolds) is like the engine room of the team. She gets people going even when she isn't sure she wants to be going herself." Raynolds said.

Brankovsky tore up the record books last year, setting seven school records in the MAC finals. For this and her other achievements during the year, she was awarded with the Most Valuable Player award by the team and earned First Team All-MAC.

"I've been on a lot of teams, and this is a great team. It's just so positive," Brankovsky said.

"She's a really inspirational teammate," said Sinclair.

The divers are the youngest members of the team, with sophomores Kim LaHaye and Tracy Hoover, and freshman Ashlee Burton. Hoover, in her freshman year, broke the school record with 275.20 points in six dives in a dual meet against Cornell last year. She also received the Top Newcomer award from the team.

UB Diving Coach Kara Sixbury was awarded the Mid-American Conference Diving Coach of the Year for her work with the team.

"If you didn't count in the swimming in the MAC, they would've been second overall," Raynolds commented. "We're hosting NCAA Zone Meets here this year because of her."

Raynolds knows that in the end it comes down to what is in the swimmers' attitudes and hearts.

"The first thing we always look for (in recruiting) is character. One of the things I'm proudest of after coaching here ten years is the character of this team. We're a really great character team, and high academic achieving team, which makes for a lot of no nonsense and it makes for a good setup for seizing potential," said Raynolds.