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Swimming & Diving
vs. Indian River
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Swimming Opens Season on Friday
10/5/2004 12:00:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
Oct. 5, 2004
Men's Swimming
With 19 freshmen and only two seniors on the Florida Atlantic University's men's swimming roster, 2004-05 could be the proverbial rebuilding year. But heading into the newly formed Sun Belt Conference for men's swimming, the Owls are anxious to see what they can do knowing that each SBC Championship is a record.
"Going into a new conference we are entering unchartered waters and don't know quite what to expect," said head coach Steve Eckelkamp. "We have good solid athletes that we need to step up and swim at the next level. If we do that with our depth, we should be a contender in the conference."
Expected to lead the team are returners Pavel Babaev who holds the school record in the 50 free and captains Kenny Anderson and Adam Zeibig.
"We are looking for Pavel to have a good year," said Eckelkamp. "He swam well over the summer and we need our returners to lead by example with such a large new class."
Babaev finished fourth last season at the National Independent Conference Championships in the 50 free, and Anderson and Zeibig teamed for 5th and 6th place finished in the 200 fly. In his freshman season, Christian Baker came away with a third place finish in the 1650 free.
The addition of three freshman divers will be a welcomed change after only having one diver for half of the season last year. Nick McMahon will lead the trio that should provide points that lacked last year when the team competed at the NIC Championship.
The swimmers are looking forward to being a part of the first men's swimming team fielded by the Sun Belt Conference. They realize that they will be part of history and have a chance to hold SBC records with each conference championship someone wins.
Eckelkamp is excited about being in a conference for the first time in his career at FAU. "It is nice to be part of the building of a conference program. It is good for the sport and for the men and women to swim in the same conference. It is nice for both teams to swim in the same championship."
The team will face two SBC members, Western Kentucky and Denver, in dual meets and are looking forward to gauging their standing entering the conference championship. Denver competed last year in the NIC and finished one spot ahead of the Owls.
Before it faces conference opponents, Florida Atlantic will host the University of Florida to open the season at home on October 8th.
Women's Swimming
As the first program at Florida Atlantic University to compete for a Sun Belt Conference Championship, the women's swim team is looking forward to being part of a conference that the university will be competing in.
"We are really excited about the Sun Belt Conference," said head coach Steve Eckelkamp. "It is nice to have a home. It is the first time in my 15 years at FAU to represent the school in a conference that it belongs to."
Heavily laden with underclassmen, the team will rely on its depth. Having six divers on the roster after not having any listed for the past three seasons adds a new dimension that to squad.
Under first year head diving coach Ashleye Henyan, six freshmen divers are looking forward to the challenge of collegiate competition. "They have so much excitement within them," said Henyan. They're looking forward to their first college season. I think we are going to be very strong in the conference with all of the depth, core athletic ability and how well everyone works together. They are very talented and are good athletes."
The swimmers will look to build on a strong 2003-04 season after Ellie Weberg advanced to the NCAA Championships as a freshman and the squad broke every relay record at the National Independent Conference Championships last year.
With three out of the four members of each relay gone due to graduation, freshmen will need to step up into some important roles.
"I think with this many new people you have to take a year to get everybody on the same page and to believe in the system and in FAU," said Eckelkamp. "I guess it is a building year for us, but I still think that with our depth we can be a pretty strong player in the conference if we just keep our heads and some of our freshmen mature to the point where they swim well in pressure situations."
Sophomore Geni Burts has matured in her short stay at FAU and is expected to be a team leader. Last year at the NIC Championships, she brought home a second place finish in the 1650 free and a three place in the 500 free.
Senior captain Valeria Dalmastro finished 4th last year in the 50 free and will be a true leader on the squad as she pushes for a championship. The only other senior on the squad, Christina Horton advanced to the finals of the 200 IM along with Weberg at the NIC meet.
The squad will face SBC opponents New Orleans, Western Kentucky, Florida International and Denver in dual meets before heading to the conference championships on February 17-19 in Little Rock, AR.
Players Mentioned
Free/Fly
/ Swimming & Diving
Free
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/Breast
/ Swimming & Diving
Free/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast
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