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Gopher Women’s Swimming and Diving 2019-20 Preview
10/2/2019 2:20:00 PM | Women's Swimming & Diving
With the 2019-20 Minnesota Swimming and Diving season set to begin at home next week against Florida on Oct. 11, it is time to preview the next several months ahead for the Gopher women's team. On the heels of an exceptional 2018-19 season, head coach Kelly Kremer and the Gophers are primed for yet another year of exciting action in the pool.
2018-19 Recap
After finishing 11th at the NCAA Championships and fourth at the Big Ten Championships in 2019, the Minnesota women welcome back three of their nine All-Americans from a season ago: Emily Cook, Lindsey Kozelsky and Tevyn Waddell.
Last year, all three members of this trio received All-American honors in the 400 medley relay, while earning All-American Honorable Mention nods in the 200 medley relay. Kozelsky also garnered All-American status in the 100 breast, while Waddell was an Honorable Mention All-American in the 800 free relay.
On the other end of the spectrum, Sarah Bacon, Kristen Hayden and Mackenzie Padington will all be taking the year off to train for the Olympics. Zoe Avestruz, Rachel Munson and Chantal Nack all departed via graduation.
Of the three Gophers that will be absent for Olympic training, Bacon had a particularly successful season a year ago. In 2018-19, the Big Ten Diver of the Year won her second consecutive National Championship in the one-meter dive and set a new NCAA record in the event.
Even with the absence of several key contributors from last season, Kremer and the Gophers are keeping their expectations high for the year ahead. With the returns of Cook, Kozelsky and Waddell, Kremer does not expect to miss a step.
"We're a pretty consistent top-10 team and we were almost there again last year by a half-point," said Kremer. "You just don't know which swimmers and divers are going to come through and get those points on the board for you and how the relays are going to come together. Year to year, our expectations pretty much remain the same."
In addition to a formidable existing core, the Gophers will introduce a strong group of 14 newcomers to the fold in 2019-20. These first-year student-athletes will join an already lengthy list of potential breakout candidates for Minnesota's ensuing campaign.
Roster Breakdown
Headlined by senior All-American Waddell, backstroke projects to be an area of strength for the Gophers. Cook enters her sophomore season in The Great North after a terrific debut campaign, while junior Patricia Van Law appears poised for a breakout year after turning in a standout summer. Freshman Jordan McGinty should also provide some surplus support, having raised some eyebrows at Minnesota's Maroon vs. Gold Intrasquad meet on Sept. 27.
"Backstroke is going to be a strength of ours," said Kremer. "It's been really good for us. Tevyn [Waddell] has just been an anchor in that group now for three years."
Moving onto breaststroke, 2019-20 should entail much of the same success for the Gophers as in years past. All-American senior Kozelsky embarks on her final year with lofty expectations and senior captain Madison Preiss will bring much-needed versatility as a top performer in both the breaststroke and individual medley. Grace Bennin, a freshman from Mount Horeb, Wis., is also making some early progress and should be prepared to contribute significantly come Feb. and March.
"Breaststroke, traditionally, has been a strength of ours and it continues with Lindsey Kozelsky being a senior," said Kremer. "It's just a good group."
One area the Gophers will need several swimmers to step up in will be the butterfly. Heading into 2019-20, Waddell will serve as arguably the team's best butterflyer. Among those who could see substantial growth in their roles this season are sophomores Bronwyn Tuff and Emma Linscott, both of which Kremer feels are ready to take their swimming to the next level in 2019-20.
"It's probably the event we need to see some growth in," said Kremer. "We've got some people who can do it, but that's an event that's a little thin for us right now."
As for the freestyle, Minnesota possesses a reliable core group from the 50 on up. The Gophers will still need several swimmers to step up in this event, with sophomore sprint freestyler Olivia Bloomer and freshman Maggie Summit being candidates to fill the need. Additionally, senior freestyler Katherine Wagner and junior freestylers Abbey Erwin and Brittany Horn will lend some experience for a group that also features the talents of sophomores Abbey Kilgallon, Kelli McCarthy and Kate Sullivan.
"I'm excited because I think there's a great core group of people from the 50 on up," said Kremer. "It's just going to be a matter of development, but I think we could put some really good things together in the freestyle events."
Despite the absences of Bacon and Hayden in the diving well, the Gophers should hold their own in 2019-20 thanks to diving coach Wenbo Chen. The women's team will enjoy the arrival of an impressive collection of incoming divers this season in Hannah Craley, Jaclynn Fowler, Yasmin Nasimova, Jae Sarkis and Joy Zhu.
"Wenbo Chen and his group always do the best job of putting together an incredible diving group, so I just feel like we're a real balanced team," said Kremer.
2019-20 Schedule
In just over one week, the Gophers will compete in their first meet of the season as they play host to the Florida Gators on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6pm. The team's first road meet will come the following weekend in the form of a trip to Florida State on Oct. 19.
"Going down to Florida State, it's a perfect first travel trip," said Kremer. "You have to go on the road to unfamiliar conditions and I just like that test and that challenge early."
As for the 2019-20 Big Ten Conference slate, the Gophers will host Wisconsin (Nov. 8), while traveling to Iowa (Oct. 26) and West Lafayette, Ind. for a tri-dual against Purdue and Northwestern (Jan. 31-Feb. 1). The Gophers will also host the Minnesota Invitational from Dec. 4-8 and attend the Michigan First Chance Invitational from Feb. 15-16.
"The Big Ten Conference schedule is always awesome," said Kremer. "With Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern, we've got plenty of opportunities to test ourselves."
As for the remaining non-conference schedule, Minnesota is set to face off on the road against Hawaii (Jan. 11) and USC (Jan. 17), while also traveling to the University of Tennessee Diving Invite (Jan. 3-5).
The 2020 Big Ten Championships will take place from Feb. 19-20, with NCAA Championships following suit roughly one month later from Mar. 18-21. NCAA Diving Zones will be held from Mar. 9-11.
2018-19 Recap
After finishing 11th at the NCAA Championships and fourth at the Big Ten Championships in 2019, the Minnesota women welcome back three of their nine All-Americans from a season ago: Emily Cook, Lindsey Kozelsky and Tevyn Waddell.
Last year, all three members of this trio received All-American honors in the 400 medley relay, while earning All-American Honorable Mention nods in the 200 medley relay. Kozelsky also garnered All-American status in the 100 breast, while Waddell was an Honorable Mention All-American in the 800 free relay.
On the other end of the spectrum, Sarah Bacon, Kristen Hayden and Mackenzie Padington will all be taking the year off to train for the Olympics. Zoe Avestruz, Rachel Munson and Chantal Nack all departed via graduation.
Of the three Gophers that will be absent for Olympic training, Bacon had a particularly successful season a year ago. In 2018-19, the Big Ten Diver of the Year won her second consecutive National Championship in the one-meter dive and set a new NCAA record in the event.
Even with the absence of several key contributors from last season, Kremer and the Gophers are keeping their expectations high for the year ahead. With the returns of Cook, Kozelsky and Waddell, Kremer does not expect to miss a step.
"We're a pretty consistent top-10 team and we were almost there again last year by a half-point," said Kremer. "You just don't know which swimmers and divers are going to come through and get those points on the board for you and how the relays are going to come together. Year to year, our expectations pretty much remain the same."
In addition to a formidable existing core, the Gophers will introduce a strong group of 14 newcomers to the fold in 2019-20. These first-year student-athletes will join an already lengthy list of potential breakout candidates for Minnesota's ensuing campaign.
Roster Breakdown
Headlined by senior All-American Waddell, backstroke projects to be an area of strength for the Gophers. Cook enters her sophomore season in The Great North after a terrific debut campaign, while junior Patricia Van Law appears poised for a breakout year after turning in a standout summer. Freshman Jordan McGinty should also provide some surplus support, having raised some eyebrows at Minnesota's Maroon vs. Gold Intrasquad meet on Sept. 27.
"Backstroke is going to be a strength of ours," said Kremer. "It's been really good for us. Tevyn [Waddell] has just been an anchor in that group now for three years."
Moving onto breaststroke, 2019-20 should entail much of the same success for the Gophers as in years past. All-American senior Kozelsky embarks on her final year with lofty expectations and senior captain Madison Preiss will bring much-needed versatility as a top performer in both the breaststroke and individual medley. Grace Bennin, a freshman from Mount Horeb, Wis., is also making some early progress and should be prepared to contribute significantly come Feb. and March.
"Breaststroke, traditionally, has been a strength of ours and it continues with Lindsey Kozelsky being a senior," said Kremer. "It's just a good group."
One area the Gophers will need several swimmers to step up in will be the butterfly. Heading into 2019-20, Waddell will serve as arguably the team's best butterflyer. Among those who could see substantial growth in their roles this season are sophomores Bronwyn Tuff and Emma Linscott, both of which Kremer feels are ready to take their swimming to the next level in 2019-20.
"It's probably the event we need to see some growth in," said Kremer. "We've got some people who can do it, but that's an event that's a little thin for us right now."
As for the freestyle, Minnesota possesses a reliable core group from the 50 on up. The Gophers will still need several swimmers to step up in this event, with sophomore sprint freestyler Olivia Bloomer and freshman Maggie Summit being candidates to fill the need. Additionally, senior freestyler Katherine Wagner and junior freestylers Abbey Erwin and Brittany Horn will lend some experience for a group that also features the talents of sophomores Abbey Kilgallon, Kelli McCarthy and Kate Sullivan.
"I'm excited because I think there's a great core group of people from the 50 on up," said Kremer. "It's just going to be a matter of development, but I think we could put some really good things together in the freestyle events."
Despite the absences of Bacon and Hayden in the diving well, the Gophers should hold their own in 2019-20 thanks to diving coach Wenbo Chen. The women's team will enjoy the arrival of an impressive collection of incoming divers this season in Hannah Craley, Jaclynn Fowler, Yasmin Nasimova, Jae Sarkis and Joy Zhu.
"Wenbo Chen and his group always do the best job of putting together an incredible diving group, so I just feel like we're a real balanced team," said Kremer.
2019-20 Schedule
In just over one week, the Gophers will compete in their first meet of the season as they play host to the Florida Gators on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6pm. The team's first road meet will come the following weekend in the form of a trip to Florida State on Oct. 19.
"Going down to Florida State, it's a perfect first travel trip," said Kremer. "You have to go on the road to unfamiliar conditions and I just like that test and that challenge early."
As for the 2019-20 Big Ten Conference slate, the Gophers will host Wisconsin (Nov. 8), while traveling to Iowa (Oct. 26) and West Lafayette, Ind. for a tri-dual against Purdue and Northwestern (Jan. 31-Feb. 1). The Gophers will also host the Minnesota Invitational from Dec. 4-8 and attend the Michigan First Chance Invitational from Feb. 15-16.
"The Big Ten Conference schedule is always awesome," said Kremer. "With Wisconsin, Iowa, Purdue and Northwestern, we've got plenty of opportunities to test ourselves."
As for the remaining non-conference schedule, Minnesota is set to face off on the road against Hawaii (Jan. 11) and USC (Jan. 17), while also traveling to the University of Tennessee Diving Invite (Jan. 3-5).
The 2020 Big Ten Championships will take place from Feb. 19-20, with NCAA Championships following suit roughly one month later from Mar. 18-21. NCAA Diving Zones will be held from Mar. 9-11.
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