2008-09 Season Preview

 

DENTON, Texas (9/21/08) The 2008-09 North Texas women’s swimming & diving team hosts its annual Green & White meet at the Pohl Recreation Center on Tuesday, September 23 at 3 p.m.

The Green team will consist of the veterans including Alicia Hale, Emily Floyd, Nicki Leslie, and Taryne Cantillo. These four swimmers earned 2008 Sun Belt all-conference honors helping North Texas break 19 school records in ’07-08.

 

The 2008 Sun Belt Women’s Swimming Coach of the Year and North Texas head coach, Joe Dykstra, discussed how the Green & White meet is valuable to the returners.

”I’m expecting our returners to show the newcomers the enthusiasm and excitement we race with,” said Dykstra. “I want them to carry over the fight we displayed last year.”

The White team will be up made of newcomers such as freshman, Rosa Gentile, whose sister, Angelica, swam for North Texas last season.

 

Dykstra explained the learning process for the newcomers and what his expectations of them will be for the Green & White meet on Tuesday.

 

“They will learn how a college swim meet operates versus one they saw in high school,” said Dykstra. “I expect them to swim fast and give the veterans all they can handle.”

The 2007 Green & White meet offered up exciting moments from some familiar faces.

Only one point separated the squads with two events remaining, but wins from Alicia Hale in the 100-backstroke and the 200-freestyle relay team sealed the deal for the White squad, 135-130. The White squad picked up eight individual wins, led by Alicia Hale’s trio of victories in the 200-freestyle, 500-freestyle and the 200-individual medley.

Taryne Cantillo won the 200-butterfly in her first outing for the Mean Green. She recorded a time of 2:10.76 for the Green team.

 

One of North Texas’ fastest swimmers, Nicki Leslie, won the 50 and 100-yard freestyles.

 

Two of the divers, Whitney Tyrone and Kim Nelson-Wulff, had solid performances as well. Tyrone topped the 200-point barrier in the three meter dive with a score of 201.08, and Nelson-Wulff posted her top-mark of 178.28 on the one-meter board.