2006-07 Media Guide - Washington & Lee - Washington and Lee ...

GENERALS SWIMMING
WOMEN'S SEASON PREVIEW
After winning 13-straight Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships, you wouldn’t
expect much change in the winning formula. However, with the departure of 15-year Head
Coach Kiki Jacobs and the program’s reigns getting handed over to current men’s coach Joel
Shinofield, change is in the air.
Change in this setting may not be such a bad thing, as Shinofield has already won threestraight
conference championships in his three-year career with the Generals and boasts an
all-time record of 19-3.
And, Shinofield wants nothing more than to continue to build on the legacy that Jacobs
created at Washington and Lee.
"I want to continue to have the success in the ODAC that Kiki established," said Shinofield.
"We are aiming to win our 14th consecutive championship this year."
The Generals return six All-ODAC swimmers to the 2006-07 squad, all poised to continue
the tradition that Jacobs established, including 2006 ODAC Rookie of the Year, sophomore
Lindsey Strachan.
“We have a great core of sophomores,” said Shinofield. “They should be able to step up
and fill the vacancies left by the graduating seniors.”
However, it won’t be easy to replace the void left by recent graduate and three-time All-
ODAC performer, Kristine Holda, who’s name is etched in the record books in all five of the
W&L relay records. Luckily, Shinofield also welcomes several freshman into the fold that will
help pick up the slack.
“We have two excellent incoming freshman in Sarah Simpson and Jenna Worsham, who
should contribute immediately, both individually and on relays,” said Shinofeld.
Worsham, a four-year letterwinner on the state championship team at Wesleyan School
in Norcross, Ga., will predominantly swim the breaststroke and individual medley events, while
Simpson will compete in the freestyle events. Shinofied calls Simpson the “heir-apparent” to
Holda and expects her to be competitive immediately.
Combined with the new blood in the program, it will be also up to the upperclassmen to
take ownership of the goals of the team. To do this, Shinofield expects that his two captains,
senior Abbie Sauter and junior Collete Moryan, will set the tone for the season.
“We have excellent leadership in Abbie Sauter and Collete Moryan,” he said. “Not only
are they able leaders, they are very competitive swimmers.”
Sauter, a two-time All-ODAC performer, won the 200 breast at the 2005 ODAC/Atlantic
States Swimming Championships, while Moryan had the second-best time on the team in the
100 fly as a sophomore and placed second in the 100 butterfly at the 2005 ODAC/Atlantic
States Championships as a freshman. Shinofield feels Moryan can make the all-conference
team in those events.
Another swimmer expected to make a splash in the conference is Strachan, the reigning
ODAC Rookie of the Year. She won the 500 free and placed second in both the 100 and 200
back events at the 2006 ODAC/Atlantic States Championship. Strachan’s classmates, Julianne
Miata, Susan Mahoney and Jessica Shaw, will also be key pieces in the bid for W&L’s 14thstraight
ODAC championship. Miata won the 200 butterfly at the 2006 ODAC/Atlantic States
Championships and Mahoney finished second in the 400 IM at the conference championships
as well. Shaw earned a third-place finish in the 200 breast at the 2006 ODAC/Atlantic States
Championships.
As freshmen, Strachan and Miata joined Holda and junior Amy Roberson to set the schoolrecord
in the 200 free relay, while the team of Holda, Strachan, Mahoney and Roberson set
the school-record in the 400 free
relay. Shinofield hopes that the
2006-07 team will continue to
edit the W&L record book.
“Our goal is to break all five
school relay records this year,”
he said. "And, also we want to
see some of our swimmers make
the NCAA's."
And with goals like that, it's
clear that a coaching change,
doesn't mean the program's
goals are altered in the least.
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