Picked to finish sixth at the ODAC Championships, the Sweet Briar College swimming team enters the 2015-16 season with hope and optimism for a successful campaign.
Under the direction of second-year head coach Donna Hodgert, the Vixens will return eight swimmers and welcome two new faces to the roster. While initially a concern of Hodgert, the smaller roster has proven to be a blessing.
"I have more time to watch each athlete and we have been able to focus more on technique and establishing good habits early in the season. Because of the extra focus and attention, I feel like I am getting more out of the team at this point in the year than I did last year."
With such a small squad, every girl will play a critical role in helping the team win dual meets and finish strong at the ODAC Championships.
Senior Lydia Fleck will be leaned on heavily to lead the charge in the butterfly events and 200 free. The Poquoson, Va. native qualified for the conference championships last season in the 200 free, 100 fly, and 200 fly, bringing home an 11th-place finish in the 200 fly. She also swam a leg for the sixth-place 400 freestyle relay team.
Her classmate Katriana Jorgensen will anchor the distance and backstroke events for the Vixens. Hailing from Bellingham, Wa. Jorgensen has proven her versatility the last three years by qualifying for six different events at the ODACs.
A welcome return to the pool deck will be junior Mary McDevitt, who missed all of last season with an injury. Current school recorder holder in the 100 breast, the Yulee, Fla. native will be critical in the sprint events this season for the Vixens. As a first-year, McDevitt collected four top-ten finishes at the ODAC Championships and was named Third Team All-ODAC.
The addition of Appomattox, Va. resident and first-year Caroline Thomas will be very important for the Vixens in the backstroke events. She will be joining the team after soccer season, along with Paige Chamblin, who Coach Hodgert hopes to have in the top-10 this year in the 100 fly.
"The entire team will play critical roles this season, because we have gaps to fill and the team has been training so they can swim any event, on any given day," said Coach Hodgert. "Swimmers like Caroline Shepard, Kiersten Garcia, and Claire Zak will see action in events they never dreamed they would swim and they are ready for the challenge."
The Vixens will get their season underway Saturday at the ODAC Relays hosted by Washington & Lee University.
