Women's Swimming and Diving Preview: Raiders Bring Back Several Key Parts

The Mount Union women's swimming and diving team is looking to continue its progress up the Ohio Athletic Conference ladder. In 2009-10, it placed second at the conference championships – the Purple Raiders best finish since 2000-01.

Senior Kellie Seward (Coshocton/Coshocton) and junior Taylor Harrison (New Philadelphia/New Philadelphia) will captain the squad, which features five all-conference performers and one returning OAC champion.

Victoria Ljubi (Powell/Olentangy Liberty), now a sophomore, won the 200-yard breaststroke in Mount Union record time of 2:27.57 at last year's OACs. She was also fourth in the 100 breast.

The other all-conference performers include juniors Harrison, Allison Davila (Middleburg Heights/Midpark) and Alyson Kolesar (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls) and sophomore Katy Alkire (Akron/Firestone).

Alkire earned three All-OAC awards, placing second in the 400 individual medley, third in the 200 butterfly and swimming on the second-place 400 medley relay team (school record 4:09.76).

Davila, who took third in the 100 breast with a school-record time (1:09.88), and Kolesar, who was third in the 200 backstroke, were also members of the 400 medley relay team.

Harrison was a double All-OAC swimmer, finishing second in the 200 backstroke and third in the 100 butterfly.

Other key returners include sophomores Jennifer Ciccantelli (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), Jocelyn Gaydos (Murrysville, Pa./Franklin Regional) and Elizabeth Juran, (Independence/Independence) who are all members of school-record-holding relay teams, which include the 200, 400 and 800 free relays.

Gaydos, Juran and Kolesar were on the record-setting 200 team (1:40.95); Ciccantelli, Harrison and Kolesar swam for the 400 team (3:39.74); and Ciccantelli, Harrison and Kolesar were on the 800 team (7:58.18).

Other returners for the Purple Raiders are senior Jessica Shetler (Homeworth/Saint Thomas Aquinas), juniors Julia Kaszycki (Solomon, Kan./Salina), Tia Marquinez (Hudson/Walsh Jesuit), Kerry McCann (Bow, N.H./Bow) and Kamiren Veisz (Youngstown/Boardman) and sophomores Callie Jesso (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant), Megan McDonough (Cuyahoga Falls/Cuyahoga Falls) and Madalyn Zalewski (New Kensington, Pa./Valley).

"We have a young roster with a pretty strong foundation," head coach Eric Mojock said. "Our newcomers should make a quick impact."

Those newcomers include seven freshmen: Katherine Dreger (Mentor/Mentor), Courtney Gabel (Fremont/Fremont Ross), Jamie Hays (Brookville, Pa./Brookville), Ann Holy (North Royalton/North Royalton), Shelbey Mitchell (Stow/Stow-Munroe Falls), Erica Pecic (Willowick/Lake Catholic) and Nikki Petricola (Dover/Dover).

Those who should make significant contributions right away are Gobble in the sprints, Mitchell in the backstroke and Holy in the butterfly and distance events.