Women's swimming team tries to start another dominant season against Rice

By: Timothy Durham

Posted: 10/10/08

The back-to-back Big 12 champion Texas A&M women's swimming team opens its season Friday against Rice and North Texas in a dual meet.

Rice, led by seventh-year Head Coach Seth Hudson, comes off a 2007 season with a 10-4 record in dual meats and a 37th place finish at the NCAA Championships.

The Owls have experience in the sprint freestyle and butterfly events. Rice Senior Carlyann Miller was a qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Trials and sophomore Erin Mattson won the Conference USA 200-meter butterfly in 2007.

North Texas comes into the meet with a 2007 dual meet record of 4-8, including a 184-112 loss to Texas A&M on October 27, 2007. North Texas brought in 12 freshmen this season, replacing nine seniors from the 2007 squad.

The Texas A&M squad had four swimmers who competed in Beijing at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Seniors Christine Marshall, Triin Aljand, Julia Wilkinson and junior Alia Atkinson.

Aljand is a 14-time Big 12 Champion title-winner, six of her championships being in individual events, the others in relays. She holds the all-time Big 12 record for the 100-meter butterfly and competed for Estonia in the Beijing Olympics.

Marshall was a bronze medalist in the 800-meter freestyle relay in Beijing and, similar to Aljand, has 14 Big 12 Championship titles, including the individual 200-meter individual melody and 200-meter freestyle. She was recently named to the 2008-2009 National Swimming Team.

The Aggies are entering the 2008-2009 season with a pair of injured seniors, Kristen Heiss and Wilkinson. Both swimmers suffered shoulder injuries that required surgery during the off-season. Both will red shirt and will swim in the 2009-2010 season.

A&M Head Coach Steve Bultman, who has a record of 79-20 at Texas A&M, said the two swimmers will be sorely missed but the team is making up for it with workable adjustments.

"The other girls on the team are adjusting well to event changes," Bultman said. "The talent we have in the recruiting class and in our returning swimmers is excellent and we will have no problem competing against top teams."

The diving team opens its season as well on Friday. Bultman said the crew is the best he has had in three years.

"We have an awesome chemistry on this team," Aljand said. "With international level swimming, the team is always so distant, everyone is there for themselves, but with Texas A&M, we have great relationships and an incredible team unity. We're really looking forward to another exciting and competitive season."