Photo by: Sports Media Relations
The University of Denver women’s swimming and diving team earned second place at the 2004 Sun Belt Conference Championship by beating out New Mexico State.
The tournament was held Feb. 12-14 in Little Rock, Arkansas. After finishing third behind Western Kentucky and New Mexico State in the past three years, the Pioneers raced past New Mexico State’s with a team score of 600 points to New Mexico State 493 points. Western Kentucky scored 968 points to win the championship for the fourth straight year.
“I think that we were able to accomplish our goal of moving up one spot,” said Head Coach Jim Henry. “The team spirit, the support, the parents and the coaches all came together for a great meet.”
“After each day I told the team to stay focused, positive and to remember that every swim counts,” said Henry. “I would look at this as a forward step toward making a leap into being competitive in next year’s conference.”
The divers and the relays played a pivotal role in the Pioneers’ second place finish. In three-meter diving, senior Keelan Smith finished fifth overall and freshman Erin Perko took eighth. The 400-yard freestyle relay team comprised of sophomore Lauren Miranda, junior Katie Eisenhard, freshman Harmony Zellar and sophomore Michaela Amereller earned a second place finish with a time 3:31.71. This time was a season best and was only seconds behind Western Kentucky, which finished in 3:30.55.
“The divers were great and they did an awesome job of competing,” said Henry. “The time relays were also solid and they played a huge role in the outcome. These were some great individual swims, but it took a total team effort.”
Including the entire season and the recent championships, the team set 60 new times, six school records and carried a 3.51 grade point average.
“The combination of all three was awesome,” said Henry. “That averages out to two new records for each swimmer.”
Henry said all of the new records and times would not have been possible without the leadership of the team’s three seniors. He praised Smith, Heather Bennett and Charity Zeigler for setting a high standard for future teams.
“The three seniors will be sorely missed, but the road they have marked has made our road to success much smoother,” said Henry. “They should be proud of their accomplishments from the entire year.”
Although the Pioneers will lose the seniors at the end of this year, more than 75 percent of the swimmers will be returning to the team next year.
Henry also pointed out that there were no swimmer absences from practice all year long, which should keep the heightened work ethic going next season.
“This meet was indicative of what will come in the future,” said Henry. “If we take the next step forward, we will have a chance for the championship. We are happy with our improvement, progress and the fact that we obtained our goals, but we are not satisfied.”
