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Back-to-Back Big 12 Champions Begin Season Friday
Oct. 9, 2008
COLLEGE STATION - The back-to-back Big 12 champion Texas A&M women's swimming & diving team will open its 2008-09 season on Friday with a double dual meet against North Texas and Rice at the Student Rec Center Natatorium on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Aggies are coming off their most successful season in school history, having won the Big 12 Championship by more than 200 points and culminated into a school-best fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. However most of A&M's swimmers did not end their season there. The Aggies qualified 12 members of last year's team to the U.S. Olympic Trials while a handful of others spent time qualifying for their respective Olympic teams. Four Aggies swam at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing: Triin Aljand (Estonia), Alia Atkinson (Jamaica), Christine Marshall (U.S.), and Julia Wilkinson (Canada). Three of those swimmers came out of the Olympics with national records while the fourth, Marshall, left with a bronze medal. The Aggies return eight of their 12 U.S. Olympic Trial qualifiers as well as all four of their Olympians. They also add two new swimmers that qualified for the U.S. trials and return another that made finals at Canadian Olympic Trials. The off-season has not been without its setbacks as well. Senior co-captains Kristen Heiss (Casper, Wyo.) and Julia Wilkinson (Stratford, Ont.) will redshirt the 2008-09 season after undergoing shoulder surgery last Thursday.
The Aggies will be guided this season by the senior leadership of 17-time All-American and 14-time Big 12 champion Triin Aljand (Tallinn, Estonia) and 14-time All-American and 13-time Big 12 champion Christine Marshall (Newport News, Va.). The duo have combined to win 10 individual Big 12 titles and have combined to score more than 150 points at the NCAA Championships in their three-year collegiate careers. A&M also returns eight-time All-American and Big 12 champion Codie Hansen (Arlington), junior Alia Atkinson (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), a four-time Big 12 breaststroke champion and six-time NCAA finalist, as well as two-time defending Big 12 400 IM champion and NCAA finalist Melissa Hain (Kingwood). The Aggies also return their entire 200 free relay that placed sixth at the NCAA Championships a year ago as well as future U.S. World University Games member Emily Neal (Plano). The Aggies signed eight newcomers this past season, including a pair of U.S. Olympic Trial qualifiers in Lauren Clifford (Pollock Pines, Calif.) and Megan Latone (Austin). Diver Haley Haynes (The Woodlands) is also now eligible to compete after sitting out last season due to Big 12 transfer rules. Haynes came to the Aggies from Iowa State. Both A&M and Rice are beginning their seasons on Friday. North Texas opened its season last Friday by finishing fourth at the second annual North Texas Relays in their home pool. The Aggies have compiled an impressive 30-4 record against Rice over the years and have yet to be defeated by North Texas (8-0). With a pair of wins on Friday, A&M head coach Steve Bultman will tie Mel Nash as the winningest women's swim coach in school history. Bultman has compiled an impressive dual meet record of 79-20 over the past nine years. Nash rolled up a record of 81-62 over 16 seasons. Friday's meet against North Texas and Rice is free of charge. The 12th Man Team Rewards Program will be in attendance to stamp/scan its members in addition to offering giveaways to a select few in attendance. |
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