Oakland
Head Coach: Men and Women: Peter Hovland
Mid-Continent Conference Finish: Men 1st ; Women 1st
NCAA Finish: Men 35th ; Women N/A

The Mid-Continent Conference is now the Summit League, but Oakland University is still Oakland University. Both the men and women Grizzlies took home to Rochester, MI eight Mid-Continent team crowns and will look to do the same in the new Summit League. Another team goal for the Grizzlies is to qualify more men and women for the NCAA championships. On the men’s side, Marcin Unold will look to improve upon his 13th place finish in the 100 back at the NCAA championships. Along with Unold, Zoltan Horvath, Aaron Holdsworth, and Bryon Tansel will help comprise what Assistant Coach Shawn Kornoelje believes as a squad that has the makings to be the most successful team in school history. This will bode well in their team’s attempt to rank in the top 25.

The Grizzlie women’s team, which will also look to rank among the top 25, will be led by Sophia Gustaffson, Julie Hintermeister, Rachel Girard, Ashley Bronkema, and Sarah Ludema. The top additions to the women’s team will be Agnes Solan and Lauren Patterson. Solan, a native of Pulawy, Poland, will help immediately in the backstroke events. The team will also add incoming freshman Chelsea Oates, a diver from East Grand Rapids, she was State champion last year for the Michigan HS. Emily Wike a freshman breaststroker is also a new addition to the Grizzlies. Both will make an impact on the team this season. Coach Kornoelje believes that the 2007-2008 squad will be deep and will look for them to make progress on the national level.

Eastern Illinois University
Head Coach: Men and Women: Ray Padovan
Mid-Continent Conference Finish: Men 3rd ; Women 3rd
NCAA Finish: Men N/A ; Women N/A

The Panthers will have step up this coming season in order to make up for the losses of Bill Senese and Matt Latham. The duo were part of three school record setting relays and named to the 2007 Mid-Continent Conference 1st team. Even with the departure of Senese and Latham the team has reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season. Ray Padovan’s team returns three All-Mid Continent Conference team members for his 38th season as the men’s head coach. Joe Ethington and Matt Crittenden will lead the way in the sprints and should be a key member on relays. Brent Noble will be Eastern Illinois’s top breaststroker and IMer.

The Lady Panthers will also miss a pair of senior leaders. Marlise Davidson and Brittany Wininger helped to lead the Panthers to a top three finish last season while setting a school record in the 800 free relay. Laura Nilsen, Chelsie Hahn, Lauren Zillmer, and Jen Beresheim return as they combined to finish 3rd in the 200 medley relay at the conference meet.

Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI)
Head Coach: Men and Women: Jim Schuck
Mid-Continent Conference Finish: Men 6th ; Women 7th
NCAA Finish: Men N/A ; Women N/A

Jim Schuck will enter his eighth season as head coach for the IUPUI Jaguars and he brings back a strong line up. Junior Jaron Tuttle earned Mid-Continent Conference Diver of the Year for his great performance at the 2007 conference meet in which he took the top spot on the 3m board. Tuttle will team up with Josh Riedy to make a strong one-two punch on the boards for IUPUI. Brian Wheeler will be the Jaguars top IMer this season. The team will also return Justin Shaw (Sprint Free) Ryan Magner (Fly) and Craig Noakes (Breast). The team will welcome swimmer Zach Blackwood and diver Billy Pennington who will add their unique abilities to a strong squad.

The women’s team returns all the members from a squad that set three school records and earned Diver of the Year. Elizabeth Scott earned the top diver of the year honors and named to the conference’s 1st team after she swept both 1 meter and 3 meter boards. Sara Smith, Alexandra McCreight, and Victoria Wheeler helped set the school record in the 800 free relay last season and will try to lower that time again this season. New school record holder Emily Moore returns after her great conference meet performance in the breaststroke events. McCreight will also be back and try to lower her school mark in the 500 free. Coach Schuck signed Blair Miller, Kate Stephens, and Holly Reed this past off-season and all look to make a big impact this season for the Jaguars.

South Dakota State University
Head Coach: Men and Women: Brad Erickson
Mid-Continent Conference Finish: Men 5th ; Women 4th
NCAA Finish: Men N/A ; Women N/A

Head Coach Brad Erickson returns most of his squad from last year in which the team broke nine school records and tied a tenth at the 2007 Mid- Continent Conference championships. The Lady Jackrabbits will miss All Mid-Continent performer Mariah Pavlicek and Nicole Ramirez. The team returns a strong group led by sophomore breaststroker Emily Tschetter, who will led the way after setting three new school standards in the 100 and 200 breast and 400 IM events last season. All Mid-Continent honorees Rachel Musser (Free/IM) and Mallory Onisk (Fly) will also strongly impact the Jackrabbits this upcoming season. Coach Erickson welcomes a talented recruiting class that should help the team out. Alexandra Hoffman is a transfer from the University of Minnesota who should help in the back and free events. Julia Dicostanzo, Amanda Jones, and April Peterson are all strong in the IM events and will also contribute in other events.

The men’s team will miss senior leader Chad Thomsen who leaves Brookings, SD as the fastest breaststroker in school history. The team returns All-Conference performers Mark Garrigues and Chris Holzwarth who both made the 400 IM final at the conference meet last year. Matt Josephson will be the top returning backstroker for the Jackrabbits. Cade Roberts will try to fill the void left by Thomsen in the breaststroke events. Coach Erickson brings in nine new swimmers and divers for this season. The recruiting class is led by Kyle Farbridge-Currie, Patrick Heyen, and Andrew Martin who should all help immediately.

Valparaiso University
Head Coach: Men and Women: Bryan Morrison
Mid-Continent Conference Finish: Men 7th ; Women 6th
NCAA Finish: Men N/A ; Women N/A

The lady Valpo Crusaders bring back five of their six 2nd team All Mid-Continent honorees, as Amanda Gregory graduated. The team returns a great nucleus that has the ability to move the team up in conference rankings. Anna Orwick returns after an effort at the 2007 conference meet that led her to runner-up finishes on both boards. Elizabeth Thompson and Rachel Majercik come back as the team’s go to swimmers in the butterfly events. After breaking school records in the 200 and 400 free relays last season, Majercik along with Jaclyn Krause and Katlyn Smethurst will team up again this season and to try to lower them again.

The men Crusaders return a very young squad that boasts only one senior. Coach Morrison will miss graduated senior Dave Peterson as he was the squad’s top breaststroker. The team will look to improve upon their 2007 finish and will do so with a beefed up schedule that includes a home duel meet against Big Ten foe Michigan State. Adam Jajtner will lead the charge in the distance and IM events. Ansel Hillmer will be the Crusaders top returning butterflyer.

Western Illinois University
Head Coach: Men and Women: Nathan Mundt
Mid-Continent Conference Finish: Men 4th ; Women 2nd
NCAA Finish: Men N/A ; Women N/A

The Western Illinois women’s team is coming off a remarkable performance at the 2007 Mid-Continent which landed head coach Nathan Mundt Coach of the Year honors. Mundt brought only 13 swimmers to the championships, which is five under the limit for how many athlete the conference allows a team to bring, makes the teams performance that much more amazing. The squad will have to make up for the losses of Erin Hall and Madeha Farrar to graduation, both had a big hand in helping the team to a runner-up finish last season. The team does return individual event champion, Laura Dinkelmann who took the top spot in the 200 fly. Jennifer Madgiak and Amanda Smith return to make a formidable sprint duo. Shannon Nelson will be Western Illinois’s top returning breaststroker. Taylor Martin also returns to the team and will provide some spark in the freestyle and fly events. The team brings in Molly Carrignan (Diving), Whitney Kropp, and Kaley Rowe who will make immediate contributions for the Westerwinds.

The men’s team will bring back a great distance group led by Jason Meinhardt, the 2007 mile champion. Zack Johnson will join Meinhardt in the distance group. Darius Wolny (Back) and Gregory Thede (Breast) will be the Leathernecks best in their respective strokes. Western Illinois will bring back two All-Mid Continent Conference divers in Anthony Holzhauer and Eric Campbell. Mundt will add Phil Kurz, Jeff Davis, and Dillion York who will all add to the teams sprint free and fly events.