Agnes Scott College

ASC Swimming Preview 2008-09

“I always look forward to my second year with a team,” Head Swim Coach Laura LeDuc said.

 

“All of the unknowns are behind us. The swimmers know me, know my coaching philosophy, and understand how we work together to achieve their goals. I also know them—how they train, how they compete, and how they respond to my coaching. We have established trust and have become a family working toward the same team ideals. In the second year, all the uncertainty is in the past and you can really focus and refine. It is an exciting time for a coach.”

This year’s Scottie Swimmers will have to work hard to top last year’s performance, a season that ended with Agnes Scott’s first NCAA All-American and 13 school records falling. While the results from last season will be difficult to top, Coach LeDuc is confident that 2007-08 was just a glimpse of what’s in store for the future of Scottie Swimming.

The Scotties return their top three scorers from the 2008 Atlantic States Swim Championships, including NCAA All-American and Atlantic States Swimmer of the Year April Whitley (Las Vegas, NV). As a sophomore, Whitley will look to rewrite the ASC record book again this season, particularly in the breaststroke and IM events. Inspired by a summer trip to Omaha to watch the USA Olympic Swimming Trials, Whitley is poised and excited to make a run for her second NCAA Championships as a more experienced and seasoned competitor.

Whitley will team with talented juniors Caitlin Shull (Rochester, MN) and Maggie Hamilton (Atlanta, GA) to improve on last season’s fourth place finish at Atlantic States. Shull will dominate the distance freestyle events, while Hamilton will lead the team in the backstroke events and middle distance freestyle. Each of them will have the opportunity to break into the top-8 finishers in all of their individual events at Atlantic States in 2009 and to provide leadership for their new crop of teammates. This trio will likely be joined by first-year Katherine Curtiss (Bristol, TN) as the Scottie’s top relay combination.

Sophomores Haifa Wright-Hulett (Chamblee, GA) and Sophia Newton (Conyers, GA) return to the squad with more experience. LeDuc expects both to continue improving dramatically with each meet, and to challenge each other in the backstroke and distance freestyle events.

The versatile Curtiss is the top new prospect for the Scottie squad, not only adding depth to the team in her specialty IM and freestyle events, but also vying for team records in nearly every stroke. Joining Curtiss is a strong supporting cast of first-years. Blake Snyder (Raleigh, NC) will specialize in the sprint free and 100 strokes, while Victoria Campbell (McDonough, GA) and Emily Thrower (Atlanta, GA), will work toward defining their specialties on the Scottie squad and adding depth for relays.

“We worked hard last year to build the foundation for the future success of this program,” LeDuc said. “The skeletal structures of Scottie Swimming are now in place—it is time to start putting the meat on the bones.”