Oct. 29, 2010
By Beau Holder, The Battalion for AggieAthletics.com
Texas A&M has been among the names listed in NCAA swimming and diving's final Top 25 for 15 consecutive years.
In finishing 12th at the 2010 NCAA Championships, head coach Jay Holmes' program gave its best performance in the title meet since 2004 and earned its fifth top-15 finish in seven seasons. Yet Holmes leaves no question about what he and his staff expect of their swimmers in the new season.
“We had a good year last year,” he said. “We were 12th at the NCAA Championships but in my mind and our team's mind, we really want something so much more. We're really trying to find a way, any way we can, to make sure we're in the top 10 this next year.
“We have a team, I think, that believes they can do it.”
The Aggies begin the road to the 2011 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships on Friday when they kick off the season at the annual Southwest College Plunge at the Mansfield ISD Natatorium in Mansfield, Texas this weekend. A&M will face off against several current and past conference foes in Texas, Missouri, SMU and TCU. Each school gets two participants in the “A” and “B” finals in the competition that starts at 6 p.m. on Friday and continues on Saturday at 12 noon.
The Aggies lost seven seniors to graduation, including vital components Nikita Denisyako, Casey Strange, Jason Bergstrom and Tyler Welch. In 2009, the squad returned to the pool minus six seniors, but won dual meets against then-No. 17 LSU and SMU and earned a runner-up finish at the Big 12 Championship meet.
Like many of the past Aggie squads, A&M's strength in the pool with lie with its relays. Last year the Aggies sent all five relays (200-, 400- and 800-yard freestyle relays and the 200 and 400 medley relays) to the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. The Aggies set school standards in the 400 and 800 free relays and the 200 medley relay in 2010.
“Our relays have a legitimate chance of being better [than last year's] and our medleys are going to have to,” Holmes said.
Holmes will lean on an experienced group of NCAA veterans to lead the Aggies to the elusive top 10 at the national meet. Leading the way are seniors Paul-Marc Schweitzer and Jensen Reid will serve as the 2010 team captains, leading a talented squad with high expectations.
“There's so many things that this team can accomplish,” Holmes concluded. “I'm just looking forward to representing Texas A&M at the NCAAs and accomplishing something that Texas A&M can be real proud of.”