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Oct. 19, 2004

University of Tennessee Women's Head Swimming Coach Dan Colella, Diving Coach Dave Parrington and Assistant Coach Jamie Bloom are ready to hang 10 and "Ride the Wave to Success" following the momentum generated by back to-back strong campaigns. A bevy of returning talent and the third-straight stellar class of newcomers with limitless potential has everyone stoked about the 2004-05 season.

"We are expecting a continuation of the progress we have been making over the last two years," Colella said. "We feel that with this year's freshmen class and the addition of Julia Stowers, we are in a much different position than last year. We have much more depth in all our events across the board for both dual meets and the championship portion of the season. One area in particular where we will be expecting a sizeable improvement is in the freestyle and medley relays.

"Last year it was the ripple effect; this year the theme is riding the wave," Colella said. "The rise of this program really began two years ago which was the season that our current juniors first arrived on campus. Each year the wave has been getting bigger. We now feel we are at a stage to really make an impact at the national level once again, thus riding the wave."

The amount of talent on the squad has the excitement swelling through the coaching staff in Big Orange Country. Colella and Parrington are long-time fixtures at UT, as Colella enters his 12th season as head coach and 15th overall at Tennessee, while Parrington begins his 14th year in charge of the divers. Both have a longstanding history of success, as Lady Vols have earned 132 All-America certificates under Colella's mentoring, while divers have become All-Americans 36 times under Parrington's tutelage.

"We had a great season, though we were disappointed with our final standing at NCAAs last year," Colella said. "I really don't think that it reflected the type of training and competing that this team did last year. A number of athletes who may not have scored at SECs or qualified for NCAAs have demonstrated that they are ready to take it to a new level. When you look at what we accomplished last year in the medley relays, and now that we have added considerable depth in the freestyles, I would expect to see all of our relays be potential point-getters at NCAAs. Individually, we expect to see those who scored last year strive to swim at an even higher level and to help bring the others along to reach our goals for the season."

While last year's squad was successful, with five NCAA qualifiers and a fourth-place finish at the SEC Championships, the transition has been made from a small ripple in the water to a series of waves that the Big Orange will ride all year long.

"Our ultimate goals are to raise the bar, both from a training and competitive perspective," Colella said. "If we succeed in this goal, the results will speak for themselves. We are looking for a top-four finish at SECs as well as to qualify twice the number of athletes as we did last year for the NCAA Championship."

A duo of returning All-Americans has the Big Orange ready to take off this year. Lauryn McCalley (Moultrie, Ga.) will help fill the leadership role as one of five seniors on the squad. The Georgia native earned two more All-America certificates last season, raising her career total to five. She finished in 12th place in the 1m springboard competition and took sixth place in the three-meter final. McCalley was impressive all year long for the Lady Vols, as she won 13 individual diving titles, including the three-meter platform at the NCAA Zone B event.

Jacque Fessel (Cincinnati, Ohio) returns for her junior campaign. Last season, she became the first orange-clad swimmer to earn All-America status in two consecutive seasons since Sarah Nichols strung together four straight meets from 1996-99. The Ohio native earned a certificate in both the 100m and 200m backstroke. She also broke four-time All-American Pam Hanson's school record in the 200y backstroke with a 1:55.53 readout at the SEC Championships and lowered her school-record time in the 100y backstroke to 54.30. In addition, Fessel clocked the second-fastest time in school history in the 100y butterfly (53.69), narrowly missing Hanson's effort of 53.37.

Two rookie NCAA qualifiers return to UT for their sophomore campaigns. Megan Tomes (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Tiffany Clay (Mason, Ohio) are ready to prove their bonzer seasons as freshman were no fluke. Tomes won 19 individual event titles a year ago while also swimming a leg on 11 relay wins. Additionally, she swam the fifth-fastest time in school history in the 200y freestyle, when she clocked a time of 1:48.25 at the SEC Championships.

Clay won eight individual crowns last season while also swimming a leg on six relay teams that were victorious. She and Tomes also were members of the record-setting 200y medley relay squad, which blazed to a time of 1:41.08 at the SEC Championships.

Other key returnees who are helping UT carve the pipeline are juniors Betsy Brockman (Batavia, Ohio) and Graciela Breece-Rodriguez (Boulder, Colo.) The duo has helped turn the ripples from the last few years into swells, by forming a lethal one-two punch in the 200y butterfly. Brockman also was vital for the Lady Vols in the 400y IM, swimming the two fastest times of the season. On the year, Brockman won four individual titles while Breece-Rodriguez claimed two of her own.

In the sprint free, Abbi Terveer (Lima, Ohio) returns to provide the Big Orange with some depth. A year ago, the junior proved she could be a consistent scorer for UT, as she took home 10 individual crowns. She also posted the third-fastest time on the squad in the 50y freestyle and the second-best mark in the 100y freestyle.

Misty Cain (Marietta, Ga.) and Elizabeth Christy (Indianapolis, Ind.) are two other stellar sophomores on the squad who will not stall as they head into their second years at UT. Cain was strong in the distance events all-season long, winning seven events on the year. Christy proved her worth in the relays, as she was a member of seven winning groups, including the fastest 800y freestyle relay team of the year.

The remaining sophomore swimmers on this year's squad are Julia Lutz (Lilburn, Ga.), Sarah Ridgway (St. Croix, Virgin Islands) and Ashley Yeager (Mechanicsburg, Pa.). A year ago, they fit in with the locals very well. Lutz finished in the top five seven times, including a second-place showing in the 200y butterfly in the season-opening dual-meet win over SEC foe Kentucky. Ridgeway, meanwhile, got her feet wet in several events on the year and helped the 200y freestyle and medley relays earn a pair of third-place finishes in a close contest against Florida. Yeager didn't get caught in any lulls, as she finished outside of the top 10 just four times on the year.

Tatiana Athayde (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Jessica Blevins (Bluefield, W.Va.), Kara Boland (Lafayette Hill, Pa.), Kristin McGrath (Durango, Colo.), and Elizabeth Wueste (Norcross, Ga.) are other veteran swimmers who will help provide leadership to the squad and keep everyone amped. Athayde spent most of her time in 2003-04 on various relay squads, helping the Big Orange to four victories throughout the year. Blevins competed in several events on the year, earning four individual top-five finishes, and helped the Big Orange secure a pair of second-place relay placings. Boland is back from a medical redshirt year, while McGrath will again join the squad in mid-season after her duties with the soccer team are complete. Wueste earned nine top-10 finishes a year ago, including a second-place showing in the 500y freestyle during a narrow loss to the second-ranked Florida Gators.

Brittany Fulmer (Maryville, Tenn.) returns to join McCalley in the diving ranks. A year ago, she earned six top-five finishes with back-to-back fourth-place performances against Northwestern and Arkansas.

Adding to the excitement of this year's squad are seven gifted newcomers who arrive on Rocky Top with a wealth of accolades and experience. Make no mistake about it, these group of hodads are very capable of shredding waves just as well as the veterans.

"All of our newcomers will contribute immediately," Colella said. "We feel that this class has really strengthened our relays at the national level, so from that standpoint we expect to see some great results in that area. Individually, you can expect to see several of these young ladies scoring at SECs and qualifying for NCAAs. I'm speaking of individuals like Kaitlyn Orstein, who already has NCAA qualifying times, and Christine Magnuson, who is just shy of the cuts coming into Tennessee."

Perhaps the newcomer who has registered the most decorated career to this point is Julia Stowers (Knoxville, Tenn.). The Rocky Top native comes to UT with a highly-decorated international résumé as a member of the 2000 USA Olympic Swimming team that competed in Sydney, Australia. Stowers earned a gold medal in the 800-meter free relay by swimming in the preliminary round. In 1999, Stowers swam with the USA Pan American Games Swimming Team, earning a silver medal in the 800-meter free relay and taking fourth place in both the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle events. In 1997, she also competed with the USA Swimming National Junior Team, doing so after a prep career in which she was ranked as high as 10th in the world in the 1500-meter freestyle.

Also primed to make an immediate impact on this year's squad is Kaitlyn Orstein (Pittsburgh, Pa.). While still just a freshman, she will not get caught in the impact zone. Orstein amassed 15 All-America certificates during her time at Mt. Lebanon High School Her impressive résumé includes state-champion honors in the 200y individual medley during her junior season as well as three state crowns in the 100y breaststroke from her freshman, sophomore and junior campaigns. A four-year letterwinner in swimming, Orstein led her squad to the 2002 state championships as well as the three consecutive district crowns (2001-03).

Christine Magnuson (Tinley Park, Ill.) will join the Orange and White ready for ripping. She was a six-time All-American, and earning the distinction four times in 2002 as a member of the 200 and 400y freestyle relays as well in the 100 and the 200y freestyles. She also was tabbed to the All-America squad in 2003 in the 100 freestyle and the 200 freestyle. A four-time all-state recipient, Magnuson claimed the state championship in the 100 freestyle in 2002.

Sallye Hartman (Gates, Tenn.) makes the trip across the state to begin her collegiate career with the Lady Vols, though she will not look like a quimby. She comes to The Hill as a two-time All-American at Halls High School. During her prep career, she swam the 50y freestyle, 100 breaststroke and the 200y breaststroke. Hartman also competed for the Memphis Thunder at the U.S. Summer Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Laura Fehrman (St. Charles, Ill.) will enter UT ready to surf into the tube. She was a member of the 2003 Illinois Elite Camp at the United States Olympic Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., in May and garnered several All-America selections. During the past two seasons, Fehrman led her prep squad to two-straight Illinois High School Association sectional championships, while serving as team captain her junior year.

Danyelle Vincent (Rohnert Park, Calif.) is the final newcomer for the swimmers, but do not assume she is only capable of handling ankle slops. Vincent enters UT having already garnered National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association (NISCA) All-America consideration in the 100 freestyle in 2002. She was a member of the All-Empire first team in both 2002 and 2003 and paced her squad to a North Bay League co-championship in 2001. As a member of the Piranha/Pacific swim club, she claimed the 100 freestyle event crown and runner-up status in the 50 freestyle at the 2002 Western Zone Championship.

The lone addition to Parrington's divers is Lauren LeRoy (Oshkosh, Wis.) She is ready to go aerial, after a prep career in which she was a four-year letterwinner who earned a pair of YMCA national one-meter diving crowns and All-America nods in 2002 and 2003. In addition to finishing as the three-meter runner-up in both years, she nabbed the 2002 and 2003 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletics Association state diving championships with the latter coming on a record-setting performance.

The Lady Vols will be challenged by several waves in varying sizes and locations during the 2004-05 season. Some will be of the dual meet variety, while others will be ridden in invitational format. Nonetheless, all will reach the shoreline in an effort to prepare UT for the SEC and NCAA Championships.

"We will always put together a schedule that will provide our athletes with great competition," Colella said. "It is our philosophy that if you want to be the best, you need to swim the best. We have accomplished this by providing our athletes an opportunity to swim some of the top teams in the nation at the invitationals we are attending and in our dual meets. Every team we will compete against has NCAA qualifiers, so it will definitely provide our young ladies with an opportunity to work on their skills throughout the year to be better prepared for the championship season."

The initial foray into the water will come during the bi-annual Orange and White meet. The team will be split up into two different squads in an exhibition meet on Oct. 1. The Lady Vols will then take their leashes off their boards, wax them and re-enter as the regular season begins on Oct. 15 with a home dual meet against Richmond. After a two-week hiatus from the sprays, UT will welcome SEC foe Kentucky into the Student Aquatics Center on Oct. 29. Six days later, UT heads to West Lafayette, Ind., the site of the 2005 NCAA Championships, for the Purdue Invitational over Nov. 5-6. In its final event before the new year, Tennessee travels to Atlanta, Ga., to compete in the Georgia Tech Invitational over Nov. 19-21.

After the long lull, the divers kick off the spring season for UT by visiting Athens, Ga., for the Georgia Diving Invitational over Jan. 3-5. Then, the divers rejoin the swimmers on a road trip to Evanston, Ill., to battle Northwestern in a split-session dual meet scheduled for 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Jan. 8. The Lady Vols continue the safari on Jan. 10 with a contest against Arkansas in Fayetteville, before returning home for Senior Night against LSU and Virginia on Jan. 15. The regular season is capped off with a dual meet in Gainesville, Fla., the site of both the swimming and diving conference meets, against Florida on Jan. 29.

The postseason begins with the 2005 SEC Diving Championships over Feb. 11-13 in Gainesville, Fla. as Parrington's contingent will battle for conference supremacy. Next, the swimmers compete in the SEC Swimming Championships over Feb. 16-19 in Gainesville as well. The squads then have one last opportunity to quality for the national meet over Feb. 26-27 in Athens, Ga., at the Bulldog Invitational. The divers then move on to the NCAA Zone B Diving Championships in Atlanta, Ga., over March 11-13, where they will vie for an opportunity to join UT's individual qualifiers at the 2005 NCAA Championships in West Lafayette, Ind., on March 17-19.

Colella and Parrington hope that combining the savvy returning shredders with sterling newcomers will put the Lady Vols in a position to "Ride the Wave to Success" into a remarkable season, culminating with outstanding performances at the SEC and NCAA Championships.