Guilford Ranked Fifth in Preseason Swimming Poll

Greensboro, N.C. (10/16/09) -- Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) swimming coaches picked Guilford College fifth in the league’s preseason poll released Friday. Two-time defending ODAC champ Washington and Lee University received 48 points to outdistance Randolph-Macon, the 2007 league champion, in the eight-team poll. The Generals have won 19 of the league's 20 women's swimming titles.

Justine MerrittQuakers' head coach Steve Kaczmarek returns eight letter winners from last year’s squad that went 4-4 in dual meets and placed sixth at the ODAC Championships. Guilford returns its top four scorers from last season, including senior Justine Merritt who earned honorable mention all-ODAC recognition after leading Guilford's scorers for the second straight season. She holds six school records and has been part of two standard-setting relays. Merritt, a three-stroke specialist, is a four-time ODAC Swimmer of the Week. Another top performer from 2008-09, senior Kim Abbott will miss the fall semester while she studies abroad, but will rejoin the team in January.

Guilford opens its sixth swimming season Oct 25 at Bridgewater College with the second annual ODAC Invitational. With the closure of Guilford's on-campus pool last spring, the Quakers will swim this year at Greensboro College's pool.

This year’s ODAC Championship is slated for February 12-14 at the Christiansburg (Va.) Aquatic Center.

 

2009 ODAC Preseason Swimming Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses)
1. Washington and Lee (6)
48
2. Randolph-Macon (1)
43
3. Sweet Briar
35
4. Bridgewater
27
5. Guilford
17
6. Hollins
15
7. Emory & Henry
11