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With no seniors,
first-year head coach Andy Waeger knows his Lock
Haven University swimming team is a young, but talented
squad. All six returning swimmers hold a place in the
LHU record books.
“This is an
excellent group,” said Waeger. “Everyone is willing to
try new things in terms of events and technique. It will
definitely have a positive effect on the result of our
season.”
Moving from rival
Slippery Rock University, where he was the head coach of
both the men’s and women’s squads, Waeger is welcoming
the opportunity to coach his team instead of manage
them. Attention to detail is a luxury he didn’t have
with the size of his former squad.
While Waeger doesn’t
have a single senior, he has depth and leadership in his
six-deep junior class. Leading this group, literally,
are team co-captains Becca Rhoades (Lancaster,
Pa./Penn Manor) and Diane Sujansky (Plum,
Pa./Plum).
A distance
specialist, Rhoades will be expected to make some slight
improvements that should “really drop her times”. She
has excellent leadership skills and is one of the team’s
top workers.
A two-sport star,
running track in the spring season, Sujansky is the
team’s top performer in the breaststroke.
“Diane’s the most
coachable athlete I have,” said Waeger. “She should
definitely be eyeing the NCAA ‘A’ Standards.”
Classmates Gerda
Smirnova (Riga, Latvia/Ilguciema Usk.), Isabel
Carneiro (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil/Centro Educacional de
Lagoa) and Katie Grieneisen (Pittsburgh/Plum)
continue the talented junior class. A sprinter, Smirnova
is “perhaps the team’s most technically-sound swimmer”.
The powerful and versatile Carniero is another Lady
Eagle looking toward those ‘A’ cuts. Katie Grieneisen is
another distance specialist and an excellent team
leader.
Kristen Caburis
(Howell, N.J./Mercyhurst North East)
is a junior-college transfer from Mercyhurst North East
and will compete in the majority of freestyle events,
bringing an excellent attitude to the table.
The team’s lone
sophomore, Kelly Grieneisen (Pittsburgh/Plum)
will work on sprints and mid-distance events, and is
primed for some big swims with just a little technical
improvement.
The first freshman
class of the Waeger era features six strong swimmers.
Lindsay Anderson
(Norwich, N.Y./Norwich) is
back swimming after a year off, and will be counted upon
to shore up the distance and butterfly events.
Rebecca Baumgardner (Lanse, Pa./Clearfield) has
taken two years off of competitive swimming, but
possesses an excellent attitude that is helping her
improve on a daily basis.
Kerri Grey
(Bellefonte, Pa./Bellefonte)
will compete in the breaststroke and short freestyle
events, and should adjust to the competitive nature of
college swimming as the season goes along. Shannon
Samanka (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) is a hard worker
looking to specialize in the butterfly and backstroke.
Jenn Sine (East
Stroudsburg, Pa./Stroudsburg)
will see time in the distance events. She’s a great
worker who “always gives her best effort” according to
Waeger. Britnie Spaunhorst (Lake Ariel, Pa./Wallenpaupack)
will add continued depth to the backstroke events and
will be prepped to succeed with some college-style
coaching and training.
The youthful Lady
Eagles have their first test Saturday, Oct. 22 when they
travel to the eight-team Clarion Fall Classic. The first
home meet for LHU stands Saturday, Nov. 5 at 11 a.m., a
dual with rival Mansfield University. The whole season
gears toward the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference
(PSAC) Championships, hosted by Clarion University, Feb.
15-18.
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