Oct. 22, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Up Next for the Lobos:The Lobos will open the season with conference competition Oct. 25, taking on Air Force, San Diego State and Colorado State in San Diego, Calif., at 1 p.m.
Last year vs. Air Force and CSU:UNM fell to Colorado State 171-128, but beat Air Force 217-77 in Colorado Springs, Colo. last year. The Lobos did not compete against San Diego State due to a wildfire which canceled the meet.
2008-09 Outlook:The 2008-09 University of New Mexico women’s swimming and diving team is looking to make a splash this season with a talented team and high expectations. The Lobos will have a loaded team on the pool deck that includes 12 returning letterwinners and 16 newcomers.
Led by fourth-year head coach Tracy Ljone, the Lobo swimming and diving team is looking for improvement both as a team and as individuals. “Our goal is definitely to better our dual meet record and to move up in the conference standings,” said Ljone. “Individually we want to get more girls back to finals every year. We have sixteen freshmen this season. It is really exciting. I have never had so many freshmen on any team I have coached. It is definitely going to be a different dynamic with new faces on the pool deck. We are really excited to have a lot more depth in all of the events.”
Leading the way for UNM is Katrina McLoughlin, the lone senior on the team. “Katrina has become one of our most versatile swimmers,” says head coach Tracy Ljone. “She came in swimming only breaststroke and now is swimming breaststroke and also sprint free which has been amazing for us to be able to put her in whatever event we need. Last year she really stepped up and we were able to utilize her abilities.”
The Lobos are looking for the freestyle to be their strongest event with half of the freshmen looking to compete. Junior Theresa Rogers leads the pack of sprint free swimmers looking to score points in the pool along with sophomores Sally Bellinger and Melissa Neary. Marissa Campbell, a two-time All-American in the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard backstroke and the 50-yard freestyle at the prep level, is one of six freshmen expected to compete in the sprint freestyle events. Joining Campbell will be Tesse Maciejko, Megan Gugerty, Kelli Light, Brittany Anderson and Alyssa Higgs. Ljone is expecting sprint specific training to improve personal times.
Junior Jennifer Patterson is expected to swim mid-distance freestyle events along with Rogers and Tonya Gramstad. In the distance freestyle events the Lobos will be led by Sophomore Jennifer Burgess and Bridget O’Hara, who will be joined by Maria Dudley and Gramstad.
Two time All-MWC selection Ashley Grisdale is expected to lead the Lobos in the butterfly. Also looking to compete in the butterfly events will be returners Nanette Wittenberg, McLoughlin and Patterson along with Nicole Peirce and Campbell.
UNM is looking to the freshmen to produce strong times in the backstroke. Patterson is the lone returning swimmer on the blocks and will be joined by Erica Stuart, Jocie Colella, Anderson, Campbell and Light.
Top recruit Asala Halag will help the Lobos with depth in the breaststroke along with Rogers and Pierce.
The individual medley events will be swum by Grisdale, Rogers, Wittenberg, Colella and Pierce, utilizing the versatility of the swimmers.
Ljone stated the importance of the freshmen to the relay teams. “I am really excited about our relays. We have so much more depth this year with so many new freshmen. It is going to be exciting and I think our relay teams will really be able to step up this year.”
In the deep end of the pool the divers are looking at one of their strongest lineups in recent years.
“We have four solid divers, two returning and two newcomers, that should all score at the conference meet and travel to the NCAA Zone meet,” said Dive coach Abel Sanchez. “Among the four divers, any one of them could qualify for the NCAA Championships. The level of competition in our conference has increased several notches from years past and we’re determined to be above the bar.”
Returning redshirt junior Alex Lusk has improved from last season and is expecting this year to be her time. Sasha Evangulova is looking to make an immediate impact at meets in her first year of competition for UNM. Talented freshman Aubrey Bush and Ashley Erickson will looking for points on the board as well.
“We are very pleased with the recruiting and all of the girls are excited to be here and are going to work well together,” stated Ljone. “Each and every swimmer and diver will add talent and depth to our team. It will be a completely new experience for everyone with so many new faces on the deck but it is an exciting time for our program.”
The Lobos work in the pool is sure to pay off this season. They have the depth, talent and determination to have a successful 2008-09 campaign.