Sept. 29, 2006

While most collegiate teams are usually considered either a young team or an experienced team, the Northern Colorado swimming and diving program will enter the 2006-07 season bearing both distinctions.

Last year's team featured 10 freshmen, and under the tutelage of head coach Nancy Hinrichs, each excelled.

Four of the top-six point scorers last season were freshman, and seven of the eight returning swimmers from that class were in the top-17 on the team.

"They were very strong last year," said Hinrichs, of her freshman class last season. And now they "have a solid year under their belt."

With the new freshman adding depth to an already successful team - the Bears had won the season-ending House of Champions Invitational to close the 2004-05 season - the program looked poised to take the next step in their growth as a new Division I program.

Proof of that growth as a program came in their first invite of the season, at the Early Bird Invitational, hosted by Colorado State.

"Northern Colorado had never gone there and won an event," said Hinrichs, who is entering her 19th season at the helm of the Northern Colorado aquatics programs. In the second day of competition Katie Schmitt, one of the team's vaunted newcomers, won the 200 freestyle, breaking the Early Bird meet record as well as the Northern Colorado school record held by former All-American and NCAA Champion Teresa Stratman. The day before, Schmitt had erased the school record in the 200 IM.

"To break a school record that early in the season was wonderful and really gave us a preview of the strength of our freshmen class."

Swimming against established Division I schools like Colorado State and Texas Christian, a transitional school winning an event and setting a meet record seemed unlikely. "I think it proved to them that we're here, and we're here to compete. We had several people place in the top-5."

When we were Divison II, "our philosophy was that if you could place in the top-16 at the CSU Invite, then you had the potential to place at Division II Nationals."

This year, "I believe we can go in there and win more than one event."

Nikki Plunkard will provide valuable leadership as the team's only senior.

Proving their early championship success was no fluke, the team proceeded to grab second place in both the House of Champions Invitational and the 14-team Pacific Coast Championships, and run off seven dual-meet victories.

Leading the charge last season was Schmitt. Schmitt, who came to the program from Los Alamos, New Mexico, opened the season with a pair of dual-meet victories in the 100 freestyle and 400 individual medley, and never looked back.

Before the season was over, Schmitt would lead the team in scoring in 19 of 21 meets, score a team-high 755.75 points, smash three Northern Colorado school records - in the 200 free, 200 and 400 IM's - enter the school's top-10 rankings 14 times, and win 24 individual events and seven relay titles.

"Katie is so well rounded and versatile," said Hinrichs. And she "is definitely a strong leader both in and out of the pool.

"She won the University of Northern Colorado Weight Training Award and Outstanding Female Athlete of the Year Award at the spring student athlete award celebration."

Another leader on this team will be lone senior Nikki Plunkard.

"[Nikki] trained really hard over the summer, the hardest she's ever trained during the club season," noted Hinrichs. "I think she's always been a huge contributor and I expect her to do the same this year and to improve her placements at the championships."

The junior class will be led by Jessica Leach and Kati Falger. Leach is the team's top returning diver, having scored 118 points last season, as well notching top-5 all-time marks on the 1- (2nd) and 3-meter (4th) boards.

Falger is among the best freestyle swimmers on the team, and the consistency she has exhibited over her first two seasons is unparalleled.

Also included in the junior class are Jennifer Bailey, Kimberly Brown, Michelle McReynolds, Claire Rawley and Lizzy Wyman.

Chesney Randolph was second on the team in points scored during last season's freshman campaign.

Returning as a sophomore is Chesney Randolph, whose 523.5 points were second on the team. Randolph entered the school's record book with all-time top-10 performances in four events - the 100 backstroke (7th), 400 IM (5th) and as a part of the 200 medley relay (4th) 800 free relay (3rd) teams.

"She was huge for us last year and my expectations haven't changed, she's going to continue to be a leader for us."

Krista Griffin was the team's sixth-leading point scorer last season, competing mostly in the breaststroke. During the team's winter training session in Florida, she placed first for UNC in the 5K Open Water Ocean Competition.

Alexis Glessner enters her sophomore year as the owner of the school's 100 butterfly record, a mark she set at the PCSC Championships. She is also second on the all-time top ten performances in the 200 fly, and was the team's 4th leading scorer last season.

Hinrichs counts on her to be a leader and said that she and Schmitt set the tone for the team in training and are expected to set a great example for the new swimmers. Possessing the versatility that Hinrichs loves, Glessner is likely to be used in several different events this season.

Hinrichs loves that her team is full of swimmers like Glessner; those who are capable of dominating in their best event, yet have the natural ability and work ethic to excel in multiple events, giving their team a deeper roster.

"I feel we have great depth. When I used to look down at our lineup at a championship meet, I might say `I have eight athletes that can scores in finals, but today I have 17 swimmers I know can score.'

"I've always had the philosophy of `you're going to swim where you can score the best, because that's what will help the most.'"

Junior Jessica Leach will be the Bears top returning diver.

Other membes of the sophomore class include Whitney Dahms, Sammy Haus, Nicole Lydin and Lauren Tucci.

This season, aided by the transition into Division I - which the school is in its final year of before becoming a full-fledged, postseason-eligible program in 2007-08 - Hinrichs went out and recruited another stellar freshman class that she expects to be competitive immediately.

Among the newcomers is the program's first swimmer from China, Nan Liu. Liu swam for the Liao Ning Province in the National Games and the Chinese Championships, and was a top-3 finisher in both the 50 and 100 butterfly events. The Chinese Swimming Association named her "Outstanding Junior Swimmer" while the Liao Ning Province awarded her "Most Outstanding Athlete" honors.

"She's going to have a huge impact," said Hinrichs, who noted that Liu is a powerful and very versatile swimmer who will participate in multiple events.

"I love bringing young women on to the team and then discovering new events that they can excel at. It's exciting for them to try different events that they have the potential to contribute in."

Among the other newcomers expected to make an impact is Hanna Jennings. A seven-time individual state champion, and six-time state relay champion at Newcastle High School in Wyoming, Hinrichs anticipates that Jennings will compete for the lead in the butterfly events.

She was a four-time all-state selection, winner of eight individual conference championships, four-time all-conference selection and the 2005 Wyoming Swimming Coaches Association 3A Swimmer of the Year and Swimmer of the Meet at the state championships. She was also her high school team captain, and is her school's record holder in the 100, 200 and 500 freestyle events.

As an all-conference academic pick in at Newcastle, Jennings will fit in well with a Bears team that last season was given the All-Academic Team award by the College Swimming Coaches Association of American (CSCAA). The Bears cumulative GPA was 45th nationally.

Junior Kati Falger is among the team's top freestyle swimmers.

"Academic performance is always a priority and we will continue to strive for excellence in the classroom. Their education is the foundation for their future and we hold it with our highest regards."

Becca Getz is yet another talented freshman that comes in with high expectations. "She's loaded with talent. She's someone we know we'll be able to count on this year." She was a finalist at the USA Sectional Championships this summer and comes prepared for collegiate competition.

Andi Naughton is a freshman out of Omaha, Nebraska who was the High School State Champion in the 50 free last year.

"Andi will help make our relays more competitive with other Division I teams."

Rounding out the freshman class, which Hinrichs feels is one of the best during her tenure, is Dawn Adams, Laurel Anderson, Jennifer Betts, Sarah Cook, Cassie Mitchell and Kelly Sanford.

The strength of the newcomers, coupled with the talent of the upperclassmen, figures to pave the road to a successful season

One of the team's goals for the year is to "gain on our position toward first place at the PCSC, and to distance ourselves greater from third place."

Also, we'd like "to get some NCAA `A' or `B' cuts this season and to break some relay school records, as well as some individual ones."

If last season's success is any indication of what to expect, this team will have no problems rewriting the Northern Colorado record book.