Landmark Women's Swimming Preseason Poll Tabs Scranton To Repeat

MADISON, N.J. – The University of Scranton women’s swimming & diving team is favored to claim its third Landmark Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship in as many seasons as selected in the Landmark Preseason Women’s Swimming & Diving Poll. The head women’s swimming & diving coaches and sports information directors at each institution that sponsors the sport were polled for the preseason ballot.

Scranton earned each first-place vote in the balloting, compiling 60 points as the clear favorite to earn the title. The voting was tighter for the second and third positions as Susquehanna University placed second with 50 points, just four ahead of The Catholic University of America. Goucher College earned 35 points to secure the fourth spot.

Scranton repeated as Landmark Champions last season, piling up 667 points over the three-day Championship to earn the title under first-year coach Paul DeAngelo. Though the Royals lost four seniors, including the two-time Landmark Swimmer of the Year, 10 All-Conference performers return including Rookie of the Year Carolyn Gillespie.

Susquehanna finished as the runner-up to Scranton last year, improving on a fourth-place finish the previous year. Lindsey Jankiewicz, the winner of the 100-backstroke is one of two returning All-Conference honorees returning for new Head Coach Jerry Foley who joins the program after coaching at Lewisburg High School and Bucknell University.

The Cardinals of Catholic enjoyed a strong season last year, finishing third at the Landmark meet with a young roster in which 10 of the 14 competitors were underclassmen with just two seniors. Four of the team’s five All-Conference swimmers return, led by Lisa Brooks who won two events at the Landmark Championships, and was the only Landmark female swimmer to qualify for the NCAA Championships.

Goucher also brings back a multi-event winner as Britt Hogstrom is back after earning co-Landmark Swimmer of the Year honors and helping the Gophers place fourth at the Landmark meet. She is one of two returning All-Conference swimmers returning, though the team must replace five departed seniors.

Drew University earned 27 points in the voting to hold the fifth position in the poll after finishing fifth at the Landmark Championship a year ago. The Rangers bring back five of the six top-10 finishers from the meet a year ago, led by Kati Eggert who produced the team’s top finish.

The sixth spot in the poll belongs to the United States Merchant Marine Academy which picked up 19 points. The Mariners have dominated the diving competition in the first two Landmark seasons and bring back second-team All-Conference performer Ali Anderson as one of 11 returnees.

Juniata College rounds out the poll with 15 points. The Eagles welcome a new head coach this season as Lauren O’Donnell takes the reigns after two seasons as the assistant coach at SUNY-New Paltz. She inherits a team with seven returning swimmers, including each performer who earned a point for the Eagles at the Landmark Championships.

The 2009-10 season kicked off last weekend with Catholic and Juniata taking part in a tri-meets, and will see competition begin in earnest on Oct. 24 with four teams in action.