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Women’s Swimming Ready for 2011-12
HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 12, 2011) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s swimming team will begin its 2011-12 season on Saturday at the De Baun Aquatic Center against rival Montclair State University. The Ducks are coming off a 2010-11 in which they finished a program-best sixth at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.
Leading the Ducks this season will be co-captains Deanna Carrazza (Boonton Townships, N.J.) and Kim McCaffrey (Mullica Hill, N.J.). Carazza is a very hard worker that has improved a great deal during her career. A Mechanical Engineering major, Carazza will earn valuable points for the Ducks in sprint events at the ECAC and Empire 8 Championships, and will help mentor newcomers in practice, in competition and in the pool. McCaffrey is one the Ducks’ top distance swimmers and was the 2011 Empire 8 Sportswoman of the Year for Stevens. McCaffrey is hoping for NCAA cuts and all-conference honors as a senior.
“Both of our captains are well-rounded student-athletes that will be great mentors for the younger team members,” Head Swimming Coach Trevor Miele (New York, N.Y.) said. “They lead by example and are the type of young women you want to have in your program.”
Three other seniors will be key to the Ducks’ success in Hayley Hatfield (Dallas, Texas), Brittany Nycz (Toms River, N.J.), and Sian Pearson (Foothill Ranch, Calif.).
Hatfield has been to the NCAA’s the last three years and is the top returning freestyle sprinter on the team. She is a three-time honorable mention All-American, a five-time All-American, and has conference titles in eight events in her career. Nycz is another freestyler that should contribute points at the championship level, and Pearson, like Hatfield, has been a veteran of the NCAA Championships. The California native will be looking to earn individual All-America honors and continue to contribute on All-America and honorable mention All-America relay teams. Pearson is a 13-time all-conference performer in her three-year career.
“We lost a lot to graduation last year but I am confident in what we have back this season,” added Miele. “We return a great deal of talent that, with continued improvement, will take our program to even greater heights.”
Junior Victoria Baldwin (The Woodlands, Texas) is Stevens’ top returning distance swimmer, missing a trip to the NCAA’s by one-tenth of a second in the 1,650-yard freestyle last year. She was however the Empire 8 Champion in that event. Baldwin holds the program-record in the 1,650 and 1,000-yard freestyle. Junior Marissa Douglas (Cumberland, R.I.) has been a big-time contributor in her first two years on the squad, holding program-bests in the 200- and 400-yard individual medley as well as being a member of the record-holding 200-yard medley relay team. Douglas is an eight-time all-conference honoree and two-time All-American.
Junior Natalie Fitz (Fairfax, Va.) is one of Stevens’ top freestylers and is eyeing an NCAA cut in her middle distance events, while junior Allison Henning (Idaho Falls, Idaho) is looking to make another trip to the NCAA’s after earning an All-America nod in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Henning has worked hard over the last year and should be one of Stevens’ top sprinters.
Sophomore Megan Lisbon (Woodbridge, Va.) had a successful freshman campaign and expects the same as a sophomore. The Virginia native is the program-record holder in the 200-yard backstroke and earned All-America honors in the 400-yard medley relay at the NCAA’s. She is also a two-time all-conference performer.
Sophomore Louise Moores (Mukilteo, Wash.) had a superb freshman season earning, Empire 8 Rookie if of the Year and Rookie of the (Championship) Meet honors. She holds Stevens records in the 100-yard backstroke and 100-yard butterfly as well as 4-of-5 program-record relays. After just one year at the NCAA’s, Moores was a four-time All-American and an honorable mention All-American, after earning all-conference honors in six events.
Coach Miele and his staff brought in a number of highly touted recurits to help fill the void left by graduates Laura Barito (Arkadelphia, Ark.), Amanda Nauman (Mission Viejo, Calif.), and Gabrielle Czernik (Wanaque, N.J.) among others. Kayleigh Barrows (Satellite Beach, Fla.) has looked strong in butterfly and individual events during the preseason, while Ashley El Naggar (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) has looked very good in the 200-yard backstroke. Brittany Geyer (Brunswick, Ohio) turned in NCAA cuts in high school and should be a key contributor in the breaststroke and individual medley events. April Lawson (Corona, Calif.) could factor into Stevens’ top relays and will be solid in sprints as well as breaststroke events. Nicole Miller (Peoria, Ill.) has looked exceptional in preseason in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle, displaying the ability for NCAA cuts already, while Sharon Rooker (Forest Grove, Ore.) has an excellent work ethic and will eye the NCAA’s in the 100-yard butterfly and backstroke.
Following the Saturday dual-meet with Montclair State, the Ducks will head to New York University for a two-day tri-meet with NYU and SUNY Cortland. Stevens will host Misericrodia University on November 5, before preparing for the ECAC Championships December 2-4. Following a winter break training trip, the Ducks will pay visits to Johns Hopkins University and SUNY New Paltz on January 21 and 28, before hosting The College of New Jersey on January 29 for the team’s Duck Country event. Hartwick College will wrap-up the home and dual-meet portion of the schedule.
The Empire 8 Championships are slated for February 22-25 in Rochester, N.Y. and the ECAC Open Championships will take place at the same time in Pittsburg, Pa. The NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships will take place March 21-24 in Indianapolis, Ind.
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