October 22, 1998
BERKELEY, Calif. - The fact the 1998-99 California women's swimming team is in contention to be one of the top programs in the nation this season is a testimony to the efforts of coaches Teri McKeever and Mike Walker. It is also a testament to the abilities of veterans Marylyn Chiang, Elli Overton and several others who have helped the Golden Bears steadily improve since 1995. In the last two years, Cal swimmers have set a total of 17 school records, won 25 dual meets and finished ninth in the nation in 1997, and eighth in the nation in 1998.
This season, Cal has an extraordinarily large number of All-Americans (10) and seven school record holders, which bodes well for the Bears chances to once again be one of the nation's elite teams. Chiang and Overton have been absolutely brilliant in their college careers and will go down in history as two of the best swimmers to ever compete for the University of California. Chiang enters her senior year as two-time team MVP and school record holder in the 100 back (53.29) and 100 free (49.58). At last seasonis NCAA Championship she helped set four school records and earned All-America honors for the third straight year. Individually, Chiang placed third nationally in the 100 back, fourth in the 200 IM and seventh in the 200 back. She was also a member of the school record setting 200 medley relay (fifth), 400 medley relay (fifth) and 400 free relay (sixth).
Senior Elli Overton was the Bears team MVP last season, was the Pacific-10 Conference champion and record holder in the 200 IM and is the individual school record holder in the 200 (1:58.25) and 400 IM (4:11.68). At last year's NCAA meet, Overton was second nationally in both the 200 fly (1:57.73) and 200 IM. She also placed sixth in the 400 IM and was a member of Cal's 800 free relay that placed sixth, as well. Overton is on the Bears all-time Top 10 list in eight different events.
But, what really makes Cal swimming one of the elite programs in the nation is the continuous improvement of the entire team. Returning All-Americans Waen Minpraphal, Anya Kolbisen, Nicole Omphroy, Haley Cope, Kristin Imwalle and Adrienne Mattos have all made major drops in their times during their Cal careers to form the backbone of the Bears NCAA team.
"It is true we have a fantastic group of returners for the 1998-99 season," said McKeever. "Yet, the real key to our success is the atmosphere the team creates for one another. It is truly a team effort. The strength of our team is in its ability to work together to bring out the best in each other."
Waen Minpraphal earned individual All-America honors at the '98 NCAA meet by placing sixth in the 200 fly, and was a member of Cal's school-record setting 200 medley relay (fifth) and 400 medley relay (fifth) teams. Anya Kolbisen has the Bear's second-best all-time mark in the 50 free and was an All-American and school record holder as a member of the 200 free, 400 free and 800 free relays. Nicole Omphroy is on the school's all-time Top 10 list in the 50 and 100 free, and was an All-American and school record-holder in the 200 medley relay, 200 free relay, 400 free relay and 800 free relay teams.
Cal received excellent contributions from last year's freshman class and the results were Hanna Jaltner, Haley Cope and Adrienne Mattos all earning All-America honors and helping establish school records. Jaltner has the school's second-best all-time mark and broke the dual meet record in the 100 breast (1:02.52), and was a member of Cal's 200 and 400 medley relays. Cope was selected the team's Most Improved Swimmer after having the school's second-best all-time mark in the 100 back (54.89) and being a member of the school record setting 200 and 400 free relays. Mattos broke the school record in the 50 free (22.76) that had stood since 1986, and was a member of Cal's school record setting 200 free relay.
The Bears have two more All-Americans in their arsenal, senior Kristin Imwalle and sophomore transfer Kasey Harris. Imwalle is an outstanding distance freestyler who earned honorable mention All-America honors as a freshman in 1996, competing in the 800 free relay and swimming the breaststroke leg on the 400 medley relay. She is on the Bear's all-time Top 10 list in the 1650 free (fifth) and 1000 free (sixth). Harris comes to Cal from the University of Michigan where she had a personal best of 1:58.50 in the 200 fly and was an honorable mention All-American after placing 10th in the 200 fly at the '98 NCAA meet. She is an extremely versatile swimmer who could help the Bears in numerous events.
Besides the returning All-Americans, McKeever's squad has several other swimmers who are sure to play key roles this season. Senior Katie Aldworth is a two-time first alternate for the NCAA meet in the 200 IM and has the school's eighth-best all-time mark in that event (2:02.69). Junior Jenni Brelsford has established herself as one of school's top breaststrokers, cracking into Cal's all-time Top 10 list in the 100 (fifth, 1:03.85) and 200 breast (10th, 2:18.84). Junior Amy Simpson had an outstanding summer, helping to set the Canadian national record, swimming the butterfly leg (1:02.58 relay split) in the 400-meter medley relay at the Commonwealth Games Trial in Toronto.
The Cal coaches are also extremely excited about the arrival of newcomers Joscelin Yeo, Loni Burton, Jacqui Schoppe, Alice Henriques, Andi Finlay and Lisa Murray. Although just a freshman, Yeo has years of international experience as she has been a member of Singapore National Team since 1990, was a bronze medalist at the 1994 Asian Games in the 100-meter fly (1:01.11) and has competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympics. She is a versatile swimmer who should help the Bears right away in the butterfly and IM events. Burton is a freshman from Monta Vista High School in Cupertino where she was the Central Coast Section record holder in the 200 free and 100 fly. She also qualified in the 200 free (2:01.30) for the USA Pan American Games team this past summer.
Schoppe is a junior transfer from UC Santa Barbara where she was team MVP as a freshman and had the Gauchos' top times in the 200 free, 500 free and 200 IM. Henriques is a freshman backstroker/IMer from the George School in New Hope, PA, where she was two-time Eastern Interscholastic champion in the 100 fly. Finlay is a freshman backstroker from Menlo School in San Jose where she was a two-time Central Coast Section champion and record holder in the 100 back (55.66), ranking in the top five nationally among high school swimmers. Lisa Murray, from Seattle, WA, has come on strong this year and will be counted on heavily in the middle and distance freestyle events.
The following is an event-by-event look at the 1998-99 Golden Bears.
INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY
The individual medley continues to be one of the Bears strengths with Cal possibly having the best IM group in the nation. The Bears feature two of the best all-around swimmers in Cal swimming history, senior Marylyn Chiang and senior captain Elli Overton.
Chiang placed fourth at the NCAAs in the 200 IM for the second year in a row last season, and was the first Cal women to swim the 200 IM under 2:00.00 in 1997. She is on the Cal all-time Top 10 list in seven different events and is a part of five school record-setting relays.
Overton, the Pac-10 record holder in the 200 IM, has set the school record in both the 200 IM (1:58.25) and 400 IM (4:11.68). At the '98 NCAAs, she placed second nationally in the 200 IM and was sixth in the 400 IM. Overton has entered Cal's all-time Top 10 list in eight different events and is a member of two school record-setting relays.
Junior Waen Minpraphal is another extremely valuable IM swimmer as she place second at the Pac-10 Championship in the 200 IM and has the Bears third-best all-time mark in the 200 IM (2:00.35). Minpraphal is also on Cal's all-time Top 10 list in the 200 fly (fourth) and 100 fly (fifth), and is a member of six school record-setting relays.
Two more top individual medley swimmers for the Bears should be senior captain Katie Aldworth and sophomore transfer Kasey Harris. Aldworth barely missed qualifying for the NCAAs in the 200 IM in 1996 and '97, and has a top time of 2:02.69, eighth-best all-time Cal mark. She also has a solid time of 4:21.35 in the 400 IM. Harris has bests of 4:17.50 in the 400 IM and 2:01.00 in the 200 IM, which would place her fourth and sixth, respectively, on the Cal all-time Top 10 list. Freshman Joscelin Yeo has extensive experience in the 200 IM with a best long course meter time of 2:16.00 and should become a factor at the NCAA level.
Another IMer who will provide depth for the Bears will be junior Cheryl Murphy, who has bests of 4:23.95 in the 400 IM and 2:04.74 in the 200 IM and has scored at the Pac-10 meet in each of her seasons at Cal.
FREESTYLE
The freestyle corps will be led by juniors Anya Kolbisen and Nicole Omphroy, sophomores Adrienne Mattos, Haley Cope and Kasey Harris, freshman Loni Burton, and senior Marylyn Chiang.
Kolbisen and Omphroy are the two mainstays of Cal's freestyle and relay corps. Kolbisen has the school's second-best all-time mark in the 50 free (23.13) and third-best all-time mark in the 100 free (49.91). Omphroy has the school's eighth-best all-time mark in the 50 free (23.36) and sixth-best all-time mark in the 100 free (50.19). Kolbisen swam the freestyle leg of the school record-setting 400 medley relay, while Omphroy swam the freestyle leg of the Bears school-record 200 medley relay. Both swimmers were members of the school record 200 and 400 freestyle relays.
Mattos came on strong in the final months of the season and ended up setting the school record in the 50 free (22.76). She also swam lead-off on the Bear's school record-setting 200 free relay. Cope was impressive as a freshman, as well. She has the school's seventh-best all-time mark in the 50 (23.35) and 100 free (50.46), and swam the second leg on Cal's record-setting 200 and 400 free relays.
Harris and Burton both have prep bests of 1:47.00 in the 200 free and should allow the Bears 800 free relay compete with the nationis elite. Burton should also become a major factor in the 100 free, as well.
Chiang, the school record holder in the 100 free (49.58), also swam lead-off on the Bears school record-setting 400 free relay that placed sixth at the i98 NCAA meet.
Junior Katie Lowes (23.94, 50 free and 51.95, 100 free), who has shown tremendous ability on the relays, will add experience and leadership to Cal's talented freestyle group. Margie Hollister is a senior who can compete in a diverse range of events and can contribute anywhere from the 50 to the 1650 free.
The leader of Cal's distance freestyle events will be senior All-American Kristin Imwalle, who has a lifetime best of 16:31.82 in the 1650 free, which is fifth on the Cal all-time list. Imwalle also has a best mark of 4:52.22 in the 500 free. Another top distance freestyler should be freshman Lisa Murray, with bests of 4:52.00 in the 500 free and 16:45.50 in the 1650 free. Junior Jacqui Schoppe is a talented freestyler from the 200 to the 1650 free. As a transfer from UC Santa Barbara, Schoppe has bests of 1:50/4:52/16:59 and should make an immediate impact with her collegiate experience.
BREASTSTROKE
The breaststroke events for the Bears were bolstered last year by the arrival of Swedish National Team member Hanna Jaltner. Jaltner did not disappoint as she produced the school's second-best all-time mark in the 100 breast (1:02.52) and swam the breaststroke leg on Cal's school record-setting 200 and 400 medley relays.
Another strong breaststroker for Cal is junior Jenni Brelsford, who has excelled the last two years. Brelsford has the school's sixth-best all-time mark in the 100 breast (1:03.85) and 10th-best all-time mark in the 200 breast (2:18.84).
Juniors Amy Simpson and Christina Giovan will also help the Bears in the breaststroke. Simpson has bests of 1:04.90 in the 100 breast and 2:24.70 in the 200 breast. Giovan's top marks include 1:14.08 in the 100-meter breast and 2:39.10 in the 200-meter breast. Senior Brandy Carson will also be called upon to swim breaststroke, as well as the distance free, for Cal.
BACKSTROKE
Backstroke will again be a strength for Cal as the Bears will have several outstanding athletes competing. Marylyn Chiang is one of the school's all-time leading backstrokers, setting the school record and placing second in the nation in the 100 back (53.29) in 1997. Chiang is also outstanding in the 200 back, owning the second-best all-time Cal mark (1:56.30). She swam the backstroke leg on the Bears school record-setting 200 and 400 medley relays last season.
Sophomore Haley Cope was extremely impressive in the backstroke as a freshman, swimming the school's second-best all-time mark in the 100 back (54.89) and sixth-best all-time mark in the 200 back (1:59.92).
Important for the Bears will be the addition of freshmen Andi Finlay and Alice Henriques. Finlay has a best of 55.30 in the 100 back and Henriques has a best of 2:01.50 in the 200 back. Senior Cheryl Murphy will focus more of her efforts in the backstroke this season in order to add depth and scoring for Cal, and junior Dena Lofthus will continue the tough task of competing in the 200 back and the distance freestyle events for the Bears.
BUTTERFLY
The Bears top butterflyers will include Elli Overton, Marylyn Chiang, Waen Minpraphal, Kasey Harris, Loni Burton, Joscelin Yeo, Stephanie Hermann and Amy Simpson.
Overton has the school's second-best all-time mark in the 200 fly (1:57.64), placing second in the nation last year. Chiang has the school's fourth-best all-time mark in the 100 fly (54.25), while Minpraphal has the Bear's fourth-best all-time mark in the 200 fly (1:58.57) and placed sixth at the i98 NCAA meet. Minpraphal has the fourth-best all-time mark in the 100 fly (54.47), as well, and swam the butterfly leg on Cal's school-record setting 200 and 400 medley relays.
Harris, Burton and Yeo are three Bear newcomers who will also help in the butterfly. Harris has a best of 1:58.67 in the 200 fly, which is third on Cal's preseason depth chart. Burton has a best of 54.35 in the 100 fly, second on the Bears depth chart. Last summer, she began working on the 200 fly, which should help the Bears. Yeo is somewhat a mystery as she has a long course meter best of 1:01.00 in the 100-meter fly and is considered a butterfly specialist.
Possibly the biggest surprises for Cal in the butterfly events will come from Hermann and Simpson. Although she was sidelined the majority of last season with mononucleosis, Hermann was a Senior National finalist in 1996 and has prep bests of 56.11 in the 100 fly and 2:02.20 in the 200 fly. Simpson has dropped at least two seconds per year in the 100 fly since her arrival at Cal and she looks to be on track for more time drops after making the finals of the 100-meter fly at the Commonwealth Trials in Canada this past summer.
DIVING
Coach Phil Tonneis 1998-99 diving team will feature junior Amy Hlavaz, redshirt freshman Sian Parry and true freshman Emily Schum. Hlavaz has only been diving competitively for three years, and despite having shoulder surgery twice in 1997, still finished 18th in the one-meter competition (283.70) at the i97 Bruin Invitational. Last season, Hlavaz continued to show potential by placing sixth in the one-meter competition at the Texas Invitational, 28th in the three-meter competition at the Trojan Invitational and 24th in both the one-meter and three-meter competition at the Pac-10 Diving Championship. Parry was both a diver and water polo player in high school and Schum was a club gymnast for 10 years before starting competitive diving as a sophomore in high school.
