MANSFIELD, Texas --- The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team will open its 2011-12 season with a 3 p.m. dual match clash against Big 12 foe Missouri on Saturday at the Mansfield ISD Natatorium.
It will be a tough season-opening assignment for the Aggies against the Tigers, who placed 23rd at the 2011 NCAA Championships with placed third at the Big 12 Championships.
"Missouri has a very good team," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "They are a lot better than they have been. We'll have our work cut out for us."
The Aggies will have a pair of tough duals in the next week with Missouri on Saturday and a State Farm Lone Star Showdown with Texas in Austin next Friday.
"We want to see where we are and what we need to be working on," Bultman said. "We've got our invitational (University of Tennessee Invitational) coming up, so we need to start fine-tuning for that. We'll give the girls a little bit of rest for that and try to pick up some NCAA cuts and maybe some Olympic Trials cuts."
The Aggies have 32 returnees back from last year's squad that placed second at the Big 12 Championships and went on to finish 10th at the NCAA Championships. It was the Aggies fifth straight top 10 finish at the national meet.
The 2011-12 Aggies might be one of the most experienced group since Bultman took over the A&M program in 1999. Last season, the Aggies took 17 competitors to the NCAA Championships, which was the largest group of qualifiers in school history and was the largest group of qualifiers from a single school in the NCAA field.
Twelve of the 17 NCAA qualifiers are back in 2011-12: seniors Alyssa Conner, Rita Medrano and Janie Potvin, juniors Maureen McLaine and Tess Simpson and sophomores Cammile Adams, Erica Dittmer, Sarah Henry, Lili Ibanez, Breeja Larson, Paige Miller and Kim Pavlin.
"(Taking that many) was pretty neat. It was our largest group ever," Bultman said. "Most of those girls are back and that's good. They're veterans, but they're young veterans in many cases because seven of them were freshmen last year. They have some experience under their belts and that will help them."
A&M will also be boosted by the healthy return of All-American and 2010 Big 12 Diver of the Year Jaele Patrick, who redshirted in 2010-11 due to an injury. Patrick is the school record holder on both springboards and swept the one- and three-meter dives at the 2010 Big 12 Championships.
"Jaele ran into some back problems last year, just a real aggravating injury," Aggie diving coach Jay Lerew said. "She's good to go, and she's healthy this year, so we're definitely excited to have her back."
A&M's strong core of returnees will be joined by an impressive group of newcomers that includes seven freshmen and a transfer.
It will be a tough season-opening assignment for the Aggies against the Tigers, who placed 23rd at the 2011 NCAA Championships with placed third at the Big 12 Championships.
"Missouri has a very good team," Aggie head coach Steve Bultman said. "They are a lot better than they have been. We'll have our work cut out for us."
The Aggies will have a pair of tough duals in the next week with Missouri on Saturday and a State Farm Lone Star Showdown with Texas in Austin next Friday.
"We want to see where we are and what we need to be working on," Bultman said. "We've got our invitational (University of Tennessee Invitational) coming up, so we need to start fine-tuning for that. We'll give the girls a little bit of rest for that and try to pick up some NCAA cuts and maybe some Olympic Trials cuts."
The Aggies have 32 returnees back from last year's squad that placed second at the Big 12 Championships and went on to finish 10th at the NCAA Championships. It was the Aggies fifth straight top 10 finish at the national meet.
The 2011-12 Aggies might be one of the most experienced group since Bultman took over the A&M program in 1999. Last season, the Aggies took 17 competitors to the NCAA Championships, which was the largest group of qualifiers in school history and was the largest group of qualifiers from a single school in the NCAA field.
Twelve of the 17 NCAA qualifiers are back in 2011-12: seniors Alyssa Conner, Rita Medrano and Janie Potvin, juniors Maureen McLaine and Tess Simpson and sophomores Cammile Adams, Erica Dittmer, Sarah Henry, Lili Ibanez, Breeja Larson, Paige Miller and Kim Pavlin.
"(Taking that many) was pretty neat. It was our largest group ever," Bultman said. "Most of those girls are back and that's good. They're veterans, but they're young veterans in many cases because seven of them were freshmen last year. They have some experience under their belts and that will help them."
A&M will also be boosted by the healthy return of All-American and 2010 Big 12 Diver of the Year Jaele Patrick, who redshirted in 2010-11 due to an injury. Patrick is the school record holder on both springboards and swept the one- and three-meter dives at the 2010 Big 12 Championships.
"Jaele ran into some back problems last year, just a real aggravating injury," Aggie diving coach Jay Lerew said. "She's good to go, and she's healthy this year, so we're definitely excited to have her back."
A&M's strong core of returnees will be joined by an impressive group of newcomers that includes seven freshmen and a transfer.