The Texas A&M women's swimming and diving team was ranked No. 10 in the initial College Swimming Coaches Association of America poll of the 2011-12 season.
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 groups since 12th year head swimming coach Steve 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.
A&M was also 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, who earned Big 12 Diver of the Week honors earlier this week, is the school record holder on both springboards and swept the one- and three-meter dives at the 2010 Big 12 Championships.
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 groups since 12th year head swimming coach Steve 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.
A&M was also 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, who earned Big 12 Diver of the Week honors earlier this week, is the school record holder on both springboards and swept the one- and three-meter dives at the 2010 Big 12 Championships.