University of the Cumberlands Men and Women's Swimming
09-10 Preview

Individual National Champions, broken records, and top ten finishes are great, but look for the Patriot swimmers to improve even upon that in 2009-2010 as they look to bring home the coveted team National Championship. The Patriots broke 32 team records, with 22 of them coming from Nationals in 2009 with the men finishing 8th overall and the women outdoing them taking 5th.

“We are very excited to mix the new upcoming freshman class with our current roster,” said University of the Cumberlands Head Swimming Coach Garry Nelson. “We have a great mix of young and returning swimmers with our women’s recruiting class possibly being the best ever.”

In the last few years the Patriots have intensified their schedule with several Division I and II NCAA teams. This year, Cumberlands will swim against the University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University along with several Top Division II teams. The top level competition that the swimmers are going up against just makes the team stronger at the NAIA level.

The 2009 Patriot team will be lead by Junior Jorge Ospina (Tampa, FL). Jorge is a 3 time National Champion along with being a National Record Holder and the Male NAIA Swimmer of the Year. Along with Ospina, seniors Andrzej Lenard (Opole, Poland), Matt Moon (Taft, CA), and Ben Clayton (Princeton, KY) are all expected to lead their team to success while Clayton and Lenard serve as team captains. Other returners that are expected to step up are Wes Miller (Largo, FL), Brett Oliver (Carrying Place Ontario, Canada), Eric Wenstrand (Elizabethtown, KY), and John Leistner (Ashland, KY). New comers that should have a big impact are Matt Limerick (Signal Mountain, TN), Josh Lowers (Marietta, GA), Andrew Ballejos (Orem, UT), Jordan Bridges (Tuscan, AZ), Joe Gannon (Ashland, KY), and Dane Plemons (Norris, TN).

The women are young and should really develop as the year progresses. Tess Antesberger (Chattanooga, TN), who is a two time National Champion along with Brittany Estep (Bristol, TN) and Rebecca Cronkwright (Picton, Ontario Canada), who are both All – Americans, and Brianna Chen (Harrisburg, NC) should all add some good leadership. Other returnees that should help the team include Erin Wenstrand (Elizabethtown, KY), Audrey Hess (Huntertown, IN), and Marie VonHertsenberg (Cincinnati, OH). Key new comers on the women’s side include Elizabeth Johns (Ammon, ID), Amanda Miller (Mount Olive, KY), Holly Oatman (Paducah, KY), Katie Osborne (Lexington, KY), and Kaycee Perry (Bradenton, FL).

Head Swimming Coach Garry Nelson enters his eighth year at the Cumberlands with high hopes of bringing 30 total years of experience with him as he instructs the Patriot swimmers. Experienced veterans and talented newcomers make this team a national contender in 2010. The team has depth, speed, and a solid nucleus with some swimmers that can bring in the waves and National Championships.

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