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2009-10 Season Preview

The Olivet College women’s swimming and diving team may be small in size, but there is a lot of heart and desire to succeed. The roster features three juniors, three sophomores and six freshmen.

The juniors are April Cupps (Garden City), Sara Griffith (Brighton) and Olivia LaFortune (Westland/Wayne Memorial). Cupps and LaFortune are primarily freestyle swimmers, with LaFortune also able to compete in the backstroke events. Griffith is a diver. All three have turned in their career-best performances at the 2009 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships.

“I am counting on these three juniors,” said Head Coach Jake Taber. “I am expecting them to provide leadership and mentor the younger members of the team.”

The sophomore class consists of Jessica Howard (Fort Wayne, Ind./Home-stead), Caitlin Lohr (Holland/Hamilton) and Megan Waschak (Battle Creek/Central).

Howard is a distance freestyler. She has the fourth-best times in school history in both the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle. She also swam the leadoff leg of the school-record 800-yard freestyle relay.

Lohr competes in the sprint freestyle events as well as the butterfly events. Her time of 24.61 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle ranks as the second-best in school history. In addition, Lohr was a part of the school record-setting 200-yard freestyle relay.

Waschak is one of the best divers in school history. She holds the school record on the one- and three-meter boards in both the six- and 11-dive formats. At her first league championships, Waschak placed fifth on both boards.

The six freshmen on the roster add depth to the team, particularly in the backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events. Look for Crystal Jager (Dorr/Hamilton), Jennie Plamondon (Flushing) and Erica Schlabach (Goshen, Ind./Northridge) to have the most impact on the team. Jager competes in the breaststroke events. Plamondon is a backstroker and butterflyer, while Schlabach excels in the butterfly events. Plamondon and Schlabach can also compete in the individual medley.

The other three freshmen are Jana Blodgett (Sturgis), Chelsea Mullins (Macomb/L’Anse Creuse North) and Rachael Sanders (Brownstown/Woodhaven).