The University of Mary Washington men’s and women’s swimming teams continued their dominance in the Capital Athletic Conference in 2007-08, as the men captured their eighth consecutive conference title and the women won an unprecedented 18th straight CAC crown. Under the direction of first-year head coach Matt Sellman, three swimmers advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships, with senior Lorena de la Garza becoming the fourth UMW athlete in any sport to gain All-America honors for four straight years by finishing 11th in the 200 yard butterfly.
The highlights of the fall semester again came at Division I meets at American University and the University of Maryland. Freshmen Stephen Clendenin and Sarah Crockett, who would both eventually advance to the NCAA Championships and earn CAC Rookie of the Year honors, each broke conference and school records at Maryland. The Eagle men won three of five dual meets in the fall, defeating conference rivals York College, Gallaudet University, and Salisbury University. The women went 4-1 in the fall, with a win over Washington & Lee University coming in addition to wins over the three CAC schools the men also beat.
After the winter holidays, the Eagles embarked on their annual training trip to Florida to prepare for the spring semester. UMW easily defeated Ohio Northern University in Deerfield Beach, Fla., setting the tone for another successful championship season.
Upon returning from Florida, UMW defeated St. Mary’s College, Catholic University, and Marymount University before splitting a dual meet with Gettysburg College. After topping Hood College in a CAC dual meet, the Eagles again swept the conference championships. Of 18 events, the men won nine and the women won 10.
The Eagles showed great depth in 2007-08. The Eagle men won two relays at the CAC Championships. Clendenin was joined by freshmen Ian McCormick and Brad Dunn and senior Kennard Smith as champions at the conference meet. The women saw Crockett, Michelle Sawyer, Rachel Wallace, Kristen LaCoe, and de la Garza gain CAC championships, with the 800 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relays gaining wins as well. In all, the men set two CAC records and earned two NCAA provisional cuts, while the women’s 800 freestyle relay set a CAC record. The team gained four NCAA cuts at the conference meet. In all, the UMW men achieved 24 all-conference performances and the women grabbed 29 All-CAC swims.
Crockett, Clendenin, and de la Garza each advanced to the NCAA Division III Championships. De la Garza closed her brilliant career by placing 11th in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:07.46, and 21st in the 100 fly at 59.05 seconds. Crockett swam in the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, and 200 backstroke, and Clendenin just missed out on All-America honors in the 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley, and 200 backstroke, finishing in the top 20 in two of the three events.
With a battle-tested group of young veterans returning to the fold for 2008-09 that includes 15 all-conference performers, the Eagles will look to remain on top of the Capital Athletic Conference and return to national prominence this winter.