University of Richmond Athletics
Swimming Looks To Tighten Grip On A-10 Title
02/19/2008 | Women's Swimming & Diving
Feb. 19, 2008
COVERAGE: SCHEDULE | LIVE SCORING
BUFFALO, N.Y. - Looking to continue its strangle-hold on the Atlantic 10 Conference title for an unprecedented seventh-consecutive season, the Richmond women's swimming team takes to the pool beginning Wednesday at the 2008 A-10 Championships in Buffalo, N.Y. The meet runs through Saturday evening and provides the final chances to earn spots in the NCAA Championships.
The A-10 Championship commences Wednesday at the Flickinger Aquatic Center in downtown Buffalo with diving in the afternoon, followed by the 200 medley relay finals and the 800 free relay finals that evening. The Spiders currently own the A-10's fastest times in each of the four relay events that will be contested this weekend.
Stay tuned to RichmondSpiders.com through the Championship for updated results following the morning preliminaries, and complete recaps and results each night.
"Wednesday night is really going to set the tone for us," said third-year head coach Matt Barany. "We put a tremendous amount of importance on the relays. Once we get into the individual events, if we perform as a team, we'll be in good shape."
While senior Jessica Witt, junior Lauren Beaudreau and sophomores Katie Sieben and Alex Helland have provided much of the fire-power for the Spiders, an emerging corps of freshmen have stepped to the forefront late in the season.
"I'm really excited to see what our freshmen can do," said Barany, who has won A-10 Coach of the Year honors in each of the last two seasons. "But, in order for us to win this weekend, it's got to be the most complete team effort we've had this season, if not in the last three years."
Freshmen Nicole LePere currently owns the conference's fourth-fastest time in the 200 back (2:05.40) and fifth-quickest in the 100 back (58.75). The rookie also ranks fourth in the conference in the 200 fly (2:07.64).
Three other rookies - Kylie Francis, Hannah Marlow and Buffalo-native Natalie Lewis - have helped impact the Richmond relays with Francis and Lewis swimming the 200 free relay and Marlow swimming the 400 free relay.
Francis, Sieben, Helland and Lewis swam the A-10's fastest 200 free relay time earlier this season at the Terrapin Cup in 1:36.50, while Helland, Marlow, Witt and Sieben own the league's best 400 free relay mark of 3:28.37 - nearly five seconds fastest than the second-ranked relay.
Sieben has already earned an NCAA Championship qualifying "A"-cut earlier this season in the 100 fly and currently owns the A-10's best times in that event (53.73), the 50 free (23.09) and 100 free (50.17). Her 100 fly time at the Terrapin Cup was the school's first-ever "A"-cut and then ranked in the top-five nationally. It currently ranks as the A-10's fastest time by more than three seconds.
Witt - Richmond's senior All-American - leads the conference in four individual events, which includes domination in both the 500 free (4:50.44) and 1000 free (10:19.48) along with the 200 fly (2:04.06) and the 400 IM (4:18.97)
A junior, Beaudreau is the A-10's elite breaststroker with A-10 leading times in the 100 (1:04.40) and the 200 (2:15.35), along with the 200 IM (2:01.52). Fellow junior Cara Smaniotto ranks among the A-10's fastest in both the 200 and 400 IM.
The Spiders have feasted on the big points scored in the relays in recent years, and they'll need all they can get in 2008. Barany's club will enter the Championship with no divers and a shallower-than-normal roster.
"This could be our toughest test so far," said Barany. "Not only are we short in some areas, but the league is very strong overall. Our girls are ready for the challenge. They've had a good two weeks of rest and preparation and are focused for Wednesday night."
NOTES: In 2007, Richmond became the first-ever women's swimming program to win six consecutive A-10 titles last season ... Last season the Spiders captured gold in eight individual events and all five relays en route to outdistancing runner-up Massachusetts, 737-453 ... Jessica Witt (2006) have each earned Most Outstanding Performer honors over the past two seasons ... Katie Sieben became the sixth consecutive UR swimmer to be tabbed the Championship's Most Outstanding Rookie in 2007.
