Looking Back Over A Successful Season
March 12, 2008 | Swimming
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - In what some consider to have been a rebuilding year after having to replace All-American Terra Wilson, head coach Mike Simpson may have done the best coaching job of his time at Gardner-Webb during the 2007-08 season.
The season was one with many new faces, which went along perfectly for the theme as the Bulldogs entered a newly formed conference – the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association. For the first time since the 2002-2003 season, GWU did not win a conference title. However, despite the youth, the squad posted not only some of the best times in the conference, but also the program's history.
Whitney Hooley and Stepheni Stadnik each won individual conference titles while the 200-medley relay team consisting of Hooley, Stadnik, Rachel Warkentin and Corey Hughey powered home a conference title in a school-record time of 1:46.10.
The team finished third overall and was not far away from first place – even without a diving team (as diving was factored into the scoring). Heading into the conference meet, some of the top performances of the season were by GWU student-athletes.
The top performances enabled the Bulldogs to win their first nine dual meets of the season, downing CCSA foes Radford, Howard, Davidson and the College of Charleston along the way. For the year, GWU finished 13-6 overall, marking the seventh consecutive season the program had reached double figures in wins. The 13 wins also marked the second-most victories in a single year in the program's history.
Stadnik posted the program's best mark in the 100 breast (1:05.54) while 2008-09 returners Victoria Bryant, Elizabeth Ketterer, Sarah Steadman and Rachel Warkentin all recorded times that were good enough to be in GWU's top-10 list in multiple events.
Although the Bulldogs will lose several talented swimmers due to
graduation, the superb ability from this year's underclassmen
should translate into success in the pool for GWU's second season
in the CCSA.
