Arguably the most competitive conference in the country, the SEC includes both the men’s and women’s defending NCAA champions (Auburn), as well as perennial powerhouses Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. The past few years has been marked with more big meet qualifiers then any other conference, a host of Olympic team coaches, and some of the most intense rivalries in the world of swimming. This season looks to be no different, but with major coaching departures (and acquisitions), the prominence of Olympic year red shirts, and the ever-increasing parity of the conference will come together to make for a very interesting regular season and an even more explosive Championships season. Here are a few things to look for as the season unfolds!

 

University of Alabama 

Head Coach: Eric McIlquham(5th season)

SEC Finish: Women: 7th of 9; Men: 5th of 8

NCAA Finish: Men: 14th

The Alabama pool deck will be full of new faces again this year as coach Eric McIlquham adds another 22 freshman to his roster, 12 women and 10 men. 

Returning to lead the men will be former NCAA finalist Mark Randall, as well as Chris Perry and Alin Mihalia, members of the school record setting medley relays. All-American diver and NCAA top-8 performer, Aaron Flesher, will also play a pivotal role for the Crimson tide this season. The men’s side will suffer a big hit with the loss of two time NCAA champion and school record holder, Vlad Polyakov as well as the departures of NCAA finalist Hunor Mate and Apostolos Tsagkarakis, the school’s record holder in the 50 free (19.32).

On the women’s side, Alabama returns top performer and SEC finalist Erin Sparks, as well as freestyle specialist and relay standout Vanessa von der Heyde. The loss of school record holder Victoria Genova (200 fly) will be felt strongly during the dual meet season, but the influx of 8 incoming swimmers and 4 divers should help fill the gap.

McIlquham has committed himself to taking Alabama to the next level, and bringing in two large, strong classes in a row is a step in the right direction, look for this young team to develop throughout the season, getting strong as they gain experience at the colligate level.

 

University of Arkansas

Head Coach: Jeff Poppell(3rd season)

SEC Finish: Women: 9th of 10?

NCAA Finish: -

A host of newcomers look to propel this developing program up the SEC ladder, as head coach Jeff Poppell, formerly of the Bolles School, returns with the goal of not only moving up in the conference, but also sending a squad to the NCAA Championship. With three incoming freshman at the Olympic trials level and a former NCAA scoring transfer, chances are good that Poppell’s team will shock a few people at conference time.

Distance specialist, Stephanie Carr, who blossomed under Poppell at the Bolles School and looks to do the same at Arkansas, was forced to sit out last year due to in-conference transfer rules, but is looking forward to returning to top form at this years NCAAs. (Carr finished 12th in the mile and 13th in the 500 at the 2006 NCAA Championships) Freshmen Jamie Mark (long breast and IM), Katie Kastes (fly), and Ashley Largo (distance) add a trio of Olympic trials qualifiers whose presence will be immediately felt during the season and during the Championship season.

Adding a total of 12 new faces to the pool deck, the Razorbacks have doubled their numbers, Erica Totten, a developing sprinter, Florida State High School Champion, and Bolles School Alum, among them. With such a strong class of newcomers, and suffering no significant losses, the outlook is very good for Poppell and the University of Arkansas to put themselves back on the conference radar.

 

Auburn University

Head Coach: Richard Quick (1st year)

SEC Finish: Women: 1st of 9 Men: 1st of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 1st Men: 1st

A strong summer of high-level performances may have silenced some critics, but with the departure of former head coach Dave Marsh, and the hiring of 6-time Olympic Coach, Richard Quick, the Auburn landscape looks to be very different in the upcoming years. As the defending Champions on both the Men’s and Women’s side, the Tigers look to carry the momentum from last season and this past summer into their 2007/08 championship campaign.

The women return 11 All- Americans including NCAA Champions Rachel Goh (100 Back) and Ava Ohlgren (400IM), as well as NCAA finalists Emily Kukors, Kristen Hastrup, Maggie Bird, and Melissa Marik. Freshman Micah Martindale will be called on to help Quick deal with the loss of distance stars Hayley Peirsol and Adrienne Binder, who finished 1-2 in the Mile at last year’s championships. National junior team member Erica Messner and Swedish stand out Josifine Wede (breast) will also be asked to make an immediate impact. The Tigers will also say good bye to sprinting star Kara Denby, as well as, Tawnie Bethume, Anne Amardeilh, and diver Lyndsey Segraves. Also missing from the Tiger’s roster are All- Americans Alicia Jensen and Julie Stupp.

The Auburn men return 10 All-Americans including NCAA champion and record holder Cesar Cielo (50 Free- 18.69, 100 Free- 41.17), as well as three out of the four members of the NCAA record setting 200 and 400 Freestyle relays and all four members of the record setting 200 Medley relay. Individual returnees include NCAA finalists Mark Targett, Alexei Puniski, Kelly Marx (diver), Scott Goodrich, and Jakob Andkjaer. Quick will turn to Auburn’s four freshmen to help fill the gaps caused by the loss of NCAA champion diver Steven Segerlin and NCAA finalists James Wike, John Scott, as well as relay standout Bryan Lundquist. Freshmen include Adam Klein (breast) and Robert Looney (fly), a pair of Junior National Team members.

 

 

University of Florida

Head Coach: Gregg Troy(10th season)

SEC Finish: Women: 3rd of 9; Men: 2nd of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 7th; Men: 4th

The 2006/07 season looked like it would be one of rebuilding as the Gators lost several outstanding swimmers to both graduation and transfers, but several of the men and women of Florida stepped up, performing above and beyond expectations. This year, both teams are coming off of amazingly strong summer performances, lose very few big meet points, and return a large number of experienced, individual point scorers. Coach Greg Troy, returning for his tenth season, is expecting big things from his very experienced squads.

On the ladies side, Coach Troy returns all of his individual point scores including NCAA champion Gemma Spofforth, and top 5 finishers Caroline Burckle and Leah Rentrum, as well as relay swimmer Stephanie Napier. The gators will look to incoming Jr. National champ Molly Houlton (400IM), Sarah Sykes, and Julianne Lago to make an impact at conference time.

On the men’s side, the Gators lose school record holder and top 5 finisher Bill Mrazek and top 10 finish Lucas De Matteis, yet still return 13 NCAA qualifiers. These include Top 5 finishers, Lucas Salatta, Bradley Ally, and Shaun Fraser, to name a few. Incoming freshman Alex Martin should make an immediate impact on the freestyle relays, and transfer Ryan Crete (Georgia Tech) will be a force in the distance come conference.

 

University of Georgia

Head Coach: Jack Bauerle(29th season-women; 25th season-men)

SEC Finish: Women 2nd of 9; Men: 3rd of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 5th; Men: 13th

Coach Jack Bauerle returns to top form leading the perennial powerhouse that is Georgia swimming into another record-breaking season. Having already been named the women’s 2008 Olympic team head coach, Bauerle will make a run to see just how many Bulldogs he can take with him to Beijing.

Graduation was hard on the lady’s side as the Bulldogs say good-bye to all star, All-American Kara Lynn Joyce, who never lost the 50 or the 100 free at the NCAA level. Georgia will also lose standouts Claire Maust, Gretchen Corliss and Melissa Klein. Coming in to ease the pain will be what collegeswimming.com has called the No.1 recruiting class in the country, including the likes of Kelsey Ditto, Chelsea Nauta, and Morgan Scroggy, as well as seven other outstanding swimmers posed to put Georgia back in the running for an NCAA trophy.

The Georgia men will have an easier time as they return all of their individual NCAA point scores, including former NCAA champion Sebastien Rouault (mile) as well as NCAA top 5 finishers Gil Stoval and Neil Versfeld. Rejoining the Bulldogs after a year absence, due to representing the US at the 2007 FINA World Championships, is Chris Colwill, Georgia’s first national champion in any diving event (1-meter and 3-meter at the 2006 NCAAs). Losing ten to graduation, the Bulldogs bring in a strong class including Mark Dylla, coming off of a very strong summer season, as well as Billy Cregar and Martin Kata. Look for this experienced squad to make great strides this season as they attempt to break into the nations top ten at Championship time.

 

University of Kentucky

Head Coach: Gary Connelly(17th season)

SEC Finish: Women: 4th of 9 Men: 7th of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 12th; Men: 39th

Coming off another amazing season, the ladies of the University of Kentucky are looking to build off their upward momentum with the goal of breaking into the nations top 10 this season. Coach Connelly will turn to seniors Heather and Jenny Bradford, both are former NCAA finalists in the sprints and strong relay swimmers, to lead the ever improving Wildcats through a tough conference schedule and on to the NCAA championships. Also returning are All-American and member of the SEC champion 200 free relay, Lauren Willis, as well as NCAA top-16 finisher Kari Rentrum (diving). The Wildcats will look to incoming sprinter Jenna Newsome to fill the hole left by Nikia Deveaux, a strong relay swimmer. Also joining the line up are Lindsey Graessle (breast), Becky Rentrum (distance), and diver Jessica Snowden. Possibly the biggest loss will be that of NCAA champion diver, Taryn Ignacio, who was the top individual point scorer for Kentucky last season. Even so, the Cats are looking for a top ten birth and a summer of strong performances show that they are moving in the right direction.

On the men’s side, Kentucky had a bit of a rebuilding year last season and after losing only one swimmer to graduation, are looking to break back into the nations top 25. Coach Connelly will turn to senior and SEC finalist Will Veitti to lead a very young team. Connelly has a gift for coaching sprinter and will return Alex Forbes, Warren Grobbelaar, and Shane Eliason, who look to make an impact on the relays come conference time. Also joining the Wildcats will be sprinter Colin Faris and standout diver Stephen Andrews, both of whom should make an immediate impact on the Cats quest to get back on top.

 

Louisiana State University 

Head Coach: Adam Schmitt(4th season)

SEC Finish: Women: 6th of 9; Men: 6th of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 17th (Tie); Men: 28th

After finding some success at the end of last season, both Louisiana State squads are driven and eager to begin a fresh season. “We want to continue to build on what we as a coaching staff have started over the past two years,” said assistant coach Dave Geyer. “We want to take the program to the next level of competition in hopes of breaking into the Top 25 at the NCAA level.”

Even though their 17th place finish was the school’s highest since 2001, the Lady Tigers left last season slightly less then satisfied and hungry for another chance. This season, the team returns 3 All-Americans and 18 letter winners, including school record holder Katie Gilmore, Sabrina Messmer, and Katherine Noland. The addition of former Syracuse stand out, Vanessa Duenas, will have an immediate impact both during the dual meet season and at Championship time. Coach Adam Schmitt is leading his Lady Tigers to a break through season in 2008.

On the men’s side, the Tigers are looking to carry the moment created last season, a break through year, that saw the Tigers break five school records, crack into the CSCAA top 25 poll for the first time since 2000, and earn it’s highest finish ever at the SEC championships. Returning 2 All-Americans and 14 letterwinners, Coach Schmitt is looking to continue up the ladder at both the SEC and NCAA level. Returning NCAA finalist Julius Gloeckner (400 IM) leads the way, along with NCAA qualifiers Miko Malberg and Cristoph Lubenau. Look for Kevin Braud (back), Connor Farber (free), and Sean LaNeave (fly/IM) to make big impacts around conference time.

 

University of South Carolina

Head Coach: McGee Moody (1st season)

SEC Finish: Women: 8th of 10; Men: 7th of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 36th; Men: 31st

A new coach and a new direction is in store for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, with McGee Moody, formerly of William and Mary, taking on the task of rebuilding both the men’s and women’s programs.

Making this difficult will be the loss of the Gamecocks only individual scorer in diver Lyndsey Havens, who scored top 16 on both springboards as well as school record holder Lindsey Tibero (100 breast). But Coach McGee has brought in 11 fresh faces, 9 of which are swimmers to fill the void. Also returning for USC are school record holder Christy Williams (100 fly) and Sharntelle McLean.

On the men’s side, the Gamecocks will have an easier time returning three out of their four NCAA participants. Having placed 11th in the 800 freestyle relay, Coach Moody will lose only Colby Mack, while Dominique Lendjel, Kyle Cormier, and Dan White return to lead a young squad back into the fray. With a summer of hard work and a new coach, look for both Gamecock squads to make a surprise impact at both the SECs and NCAAs.

 

University of Tennessee

Head Coach: Women: Matt Kredich (3rd Season)

Men: John Trembley

SEC Finish: Women: 5th of 10; Men: 4th of 8

NCAA Finish: Women: 10th; Men: 11th

Both the men and women of Tennessee are coming off break through seasons, the women finally cracked the top 10. On the men’s side, the Volunteers missed out on top 10 by just three points, and returning the majority of their relay swimmers will be vital for coach John Trembley to break back onto the top of the national rankings this season.

The men suffer the loss of their only individual 2007 All-American, Bradley Boswell, as well as Andrew Engle. One of the keys to the success of the 2007 season was the strength of Tennessee’s relays, with 3 returning in the top 8 and placing the other 2 in the top 16. So the return of relay standouts Octavio Alesi, Barry Murphy, and Nolan Morrell will be key to the Vols success.

The Lady Vols are also looking pretty hot as they head into the 2007/08 season. Leading the way is Christine Magnuson, who gained both national and international interest with a breakout summer. Coach Kredich will look to returnees Michele King, Carly Mathes, and Lauren Leroy to join Magnuson in leading Tennessee this season. Losing NCAA finalist Megan Tomes, top breaststroker Tiffany Clay, and distance star Misty Cain will leave a large hole in the Vols line-up, but Kredich has brought in a pair of National Junior team members, Sarah Sargent and Tricia Weaner, as well as three other freshman, and a transfer, Alex Barsanti. With the opening of the Alan Jones Aquatics Center in January, Tennessee has put itself at the forefront of college swimming, with the excitement that surrounds the pool this year, anything is possible.

 

Vanderbilt University 

Head Coach: Jeremy Organ(2nd season)

SEC Finish: Women: 10th

NCAA Finish: -

Competing in the same conference as the reigning national champions is hard enough, but trying to establish a program is such an environment can seem down right impossible, but when other D1 schools were cutting back, Vanderbilt decided to add a women’s program.

 “I’m excited to start our program up from the ground floor. It's going to be a lot fun just to build something from scratch and Vanderbilt is already a great fit for swimmers. I'm very excited to build the program and watch us grow.” Said head coach Jeremy Organ last year. Now in it’s second year, the Vanderbilt program is making steady strides towards a national level program. With no significant losses and the addition of ten freshmen, Organ and Vanderbilt seem to be on the right track.