Sept. 27, 1999
When the 1999-2000 season begins for the UK women’s swimming & divingteam, the squad will be looking to build on one of the most successfulseasons in school history. In 1999, the UK women’s team finished third atthe Southeastern Conference Championships, the highest finish at theconference meet in school history.
Can the Cats come up big again? To do so, UK will have to overcome the lossof several key swimmers, including three-time SEC champion and SEC Swimmerof the Year Rachel Komisarz. However, returning NCAA qualifiers AnnabelKosten, Melissa Olson and Carolyn Rader, coupled with a strong incomingfreshman class, should be more than enough to keep UK among the SEC’s elite.”We take a real big hit losing some of our seniors,” said UK coach GaryConelly, who enters his ninth year coaching the Wildcats. “The good thingis we have a pretty talented freshman class.”
Conelly called 1999 “a phenomenal year” for Kosten. She qualified for theNCAA Championships and competed in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles alongwith the 100 butterfly. Kosten, the UK record holder in both the 50 and 100freestyle, will shoulder much of the load, but will have quality helparound her.
The versatile Olson is the UK record holder in the 400 individual medley,finishing second at the 1997 SEC meet and 13th at the NCAAs, earninghonorable mention All-America honors.Rader returns after a stellar freshman campaign in which she met the NCAAautomatic cut in the 200 butterfly. Rader, a butterfly and distancefreestyle specialist, also picked up four NCAA “B” standards and swam threeevents at the NCAA meet. She will be relied upon heavily in the dual-meetseason to compete in several events.
Freestyle Events
“The short freestyles are going to be the strength for us,” Conelly said.”We have the possibility of having four girls break 23 seconds in the 50freestyle.”Kosten leads the charge after finishing second at the SEC Championships inthe 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 freestyle. Kosten, a native of theNetherlands, anchors the 200- and 400- freestyle relays for the Cats.Junior Jaime Seigle is another threat in the sprint freestyles. Last seasonat the SEC meet, Seigle scored in the 50 freestyle and was a member UK’sschool record setting 200- and 400-freestyle relays. Senior Jenny Priester,a former NCAA qualifier and All-American, adds more depth to the sprintevents.
Incoming freshman Kelly Neal should make an impact in the sprint freestylerelays. Conelly believes Neal’s potential is unlimited and said, “Kellycould be our next Annabel.”
Sarah Hoppe, along with Tracy Sullivan and freshman Lisa Beavers, give UKone of the deepest sprint corps in the SEC.The middle distance freestyle events will be handled primarily by Rader andsenior Kelley Miller. “Carolyn has one of the nicest strokes I’ve ever seen,” Conelly said.”She’s a hard trainer and she also is very competitive. She should be wayunder 1:50 in the 200 freestyle.”Rader owns the team’s fastest times in the 200 and 500 freestyle headinginto the season and should improve in each event.
Miller made the NCAA “B” cut in the 500 freestyle in her freshman year andConelly said she could also go under 1:50 in the 200 freestyle. Kosten wasa member of the 800-freestyle relay that broke the team record last seasonand is capable of going under 1:50 in the 200 free. Conelly said he thinksKosten, “will step up and do a real nice job.”
According to Conelly, Sullivan will be much improved and counted upon toswim the 200 freestyle in dual meets. Debra Hinsley broke five minutes lastseason in the 500 freestyle and adds depth for UK.However, the Wildcats are not as deep in the distance events.
“Emily Johnston is our only true distance swimmer,” Conelly said. “I thinkwe’ll be okay in dual-meet situations but once we get to SECs, we’ll findthat we are not scoring as many points in the mile as we have in the past.”Rader scored in the 1,650 last season at SECs and qualified for the NCAAmeet. However, Conelly would like to be able to keep her in the butterflyand middle distance events for dual meets. That leaves Hinsley and Millerto shore up UK’s chances in the distance events
Deep Backstroke
Backstroke will be one of the bright spots for the Cats this season andleading the pack is senior Taryn Kannegeisser who is coming off her bestseason. The senior returns with the team’s best times in the 100 backstrokeand met the NCAA “B” cut in the 200 backstroke last season. The Sacramento,Calif., native scored in the top 12 in both events at SECs and will make animpact on both medley relays this season.
“Taryn had a great year and has a realistic shot at making the NCAA meetthis year,” Conelly said. “Her strong suit is the 200 back and she’s theone that we’re pinning a lot of our hopes on as far as how the medleyrelays do.”
Olson holds the UK record in the 200 backstroke after finishing fifth atthe SEC Championships in 1997. Olson and Kannegeisser provide UK with astrong one-two punch in the distance backstroke.Swimming alongside Kannegeisser in the 100 backstroke will be Seigle, whoscored at the SECs last season. Sarah Carter, coming off a solid freshmancampaign, adds depth to both backstroke events.
Thin Breaststroke
While the Wildcats are deep at backstroke, they’re ultra thin at breaststroke.”Breaststroke is going to be a tough area for us,” Conelly admitted. “It’sgood that we’ve got Jen Clifford who went to NCAAs two years ago.”Clifford broke the UK school record in 1997 while Olson, a former UK recordholder in the 200 breaststroke, adds depth in the 200 event but won’t seeaction in the 100 breaststroke. Conelly said if it becomes a necessity tofind another 100 breaststroker, Kosten might be the prime target.
Strong Butterfly
The butterfly duties will be handled by Rader, who met the NCAA automatictime standard last season in the 200 butterfly. “I think we’re in real good shape in butterfly with Carolyn,” Conelly said.”She is going to hold that 200-fly record before she is done here.”Hinsley is strong in both butterflies, along with senior Emily Buske, bothof whom rank in the UK all-time top 10 in both events. The Cats are fivedeep in the 100. Kosten qualified for NCAAs, while Kannegeisser wassomewhat of a surprise in the 100 fly last season after scoring in theevent at SECs, narrowly missing the NCAA “B” cut.
Individual Medley
The individual medley events will be Olson’s to own. Olson was anAll-American selection in the 400 IM in 1997 and finished second at the SECChampionships. The West Virginia native owns four solid strokes makingherself a prime IM threat.”Melissa is just a heck of an IM swimmer,” Conelly said. “She’s such a bigace in the hole for us.”Emily Johnston complements Olson in the 400 IM while Kannegeisser andClifford are capable of stepping up for the Cats in the 200 IM.
Divers Deep
The always strong UK diving clan returns experience and welcomes twotalented newcomers. Juniors Carrie Knoeber and Sarah Fields return for UKdiving coach Mike Lyden, giving the Cats two seasoned divers under histutelage.
Lyden, in his seventh year coaching the UK divers, calls last year an “upand down” season for Knoeber who finished second at the SEC Championshipson the one-meter event and made the finals on platform. Lyden said Knoebershould finish in the top eight in all three events at SECs and qualify forthe NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, Ind.”When Carrie is on, she’s potentially one of the best girls in thecountry,” Lyden said. “If her consistency is there, then she will be reallysuccessful.”
Consistent is the best way to describe Fields. Lyden says she’s as steadyas they come and does not make many mistakes. If the trend continues,Fields will be in for another excellent year.”If Sarah works like I expect and improves like she should, then she shouldbe knocking at making it to NCAAs and should finish in the top eight in allthree events at conference,” Lyden said.
Newcomer Kelli Frost adds to the talent pool. Frost’s strength lies on thethree-meter and Lyden is confident she can learn a list on the tower tobecome a triple threat in all three diving events. Michelle Glowatch, asophomore transfer from Georgia, is familiar with Lyden and the UK teamafter training under Lyden as an age-group diver while at Tates Creek HighSchool in Lexington.
The combination of experience and talent on the swimming and diving teamshould provide the Cats with everything they need to continue in theirchase for the SEC Championship.
“I think the key for us is staying real positive about the season,” Conellysaid. “When the workouts get longer and days get more limited by swimming,they just need to stay positive and keep their focus.”
