Swimmers Open 2003-04 Season at Home Friday
October 10, 2003 | Women's Swimming & Diving
It's time to hit the pool once again. Coming off of top-13 finishes at the 2003 NCAA Championships last season, the Badger men's and women's swimming and diving teams open the 2003-04 season Friday by hosting the Wisconsin Invitational at the UW Natatorium. Action gets underway at 2 p.m.
The Badgers will welcome UW-Stevens Point, UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee for the four-team invitational.
Hopes are high for both UW squads for 2003-04 as the women are coming off a second-place finish at the Big Ten championships and a 12th-place performance at the NCAA meet. Wisconsin set a Big Ten meet record with nine first-place finishes at the 2003 Championships. Meanwhile, the Badger men placed fifth at the conference meet and earned their top finish at the NCAAs since 1968 by virtue of placing 13th.
In all, Badger swimmers earned a combined 35 All-America honors last season with many of the top finishers returning this season.
Junior Carly Piper leads the way on the women's side, having already distinguished herself as one of the top swimmers in UW and Big Ten history. Piper was named Big Ten Swimmer of the Year last season and earned her second Big Ten Swimmer of the Championships distinction in as many years. She also enjoyed a productive offseason, earning a gold medal at the Pan American Games as a member of the winning 800 freestyle relay. Fellow Big Ten champions Bethany Pendleton and Sarah Hernandez also return for Wisconsin, as does second-team All-Big Ten selection Anna Trinidad.
Senior Matt Marshall headlines the returners on the men's side. At last season's Big Ten championships, Marshall was the third-highest scoring individual and swam a leg on the conference champion 400 freestyle relay. He should get plenty of help from classmate Dale Rogers and junior Adam Mania, both of whom joined Marshall on the victorious Big Ten relay squad and went on to earn All-America honors at the NCAA meet.
Both squads also appear to possess the depth and talent in the relays that is necessary to enjoy success at the conference and NCAA meets. With a talented crop of freshmen entering the mix, the upcoming season appears primed to be one of the best in recent school history.
