The University of the Cumberlands swimming program had a year nothing short of exceptional featuring five NAIA All-Americans, eight NAIA All-American swims, six Daktronics NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes, one NAIA National Champion, 14 College Swim Coach’s Association Honorable Mention All-Americans while breaking 18 school records at nationals and closing the season with a third place NAIA National finish for the women’s team and a sixth place finish for the men’s team.

Cumberlands head coach Garry Nelson noted, “The highlight of both the men and women’s seasons’ happened at nationals. The men’s team broke three school records and the women’s team finished third, scoring more points at nationals than any women’s team before them.”

The Patriots, even with several highlights, did face their share of challenges this season. The men’s team was poised to capture fourth after the second night of competition, only for it to be swept away during the last session. The men’s team had been ranked third in the nation all season, but that included a top sprinter who was suspended from action in December. “That hurt our relays at nationals. We should have finished fourth but ran into some bad luck on the last night and slipped to sixth,” said Nelson. Fairmont State proved to be the toughest challenge for the men to overcome – loosing by five points and down a swimmer.

The ladies team faced only one defeat, at the hands of Wingate University, during their Florida Winter Training. They, too, held onto the third spot in the nation for the entire 04-05 season, and staying true to their ranking, finished third at nationals. The ladies kicked it up a notch when they competed in the Transylvania Invitational with five of the top six swimmers being from Cumberland. Transylvania seemed to be a lucky place for the Patriots. It brought the men a first place finish and “really brought the team together,” said Nelson.

Proving to be a splash on the NAIA scene was freshman, Dustin Sansale (Montgomery, IL), “Dustin swam a lot of different events for us this season and helped in so many ways. He also was fifth in the 1650 freestyle at nationals and set two team records in the 1000 and 1650 freestyle,” said Nelson. Not to be overlooked Ian Wenstrand (Elizabethtown, KY) garnered some attention, “Ian was great in practice sessions all season. He led the group and was a major contributing factor in his backstroke races,” commented Nelson.

For the ladies it was the seniors who seemed to make the most impact. Tasha Perry (Ocala, FL) captured the National Championship title in the 200 backstroke and was undefeated all season in backstroke events. “She was a great team leader,” said Nelson. Rebecca Shanks (Kingsport, TN) once again stepped up at the national meet and broke three team records and placed second in two events. Christen Heideman (Tallahassee, FL) is a two-time national champion and was undefeated in the 200 butterfly event for three seasons until she was defeated in the finals at nationals. “What a streak,” commented Nelson. Raven Maples (Strawberry Plains, TN), “has been our top sprinter for four years and has done a great job with her leadership. She is also a two-time Academic All-American. We only had one Academic All-American last year and we had six this year. This also speaks to her leadership ability,” said Nelson.

Nelson isn’t shy about admitting he will miss his seniors, “Duncan Mackie (Dunnellon, FL) has been our number one breaststroker for four years and holds the team record in the 100 breaststroke. Shanks has been our top female distance freestyle swimmer for the past four years, while Perry has been our top backstroker for three years. Each of them will be hard to replace.”

Out of every season there are moments that each team takes away that they will never forget; for this Cumberlands team it could have been the moment when Lewis Jackson (Eastview, KY) made the national cut in the 100 breaststroke or the moment Perry captured the national title – quite a feat for a 25 year old who returned to the sport after a two year absence, or it could have been the moments following the 16-hour swim when many of them realized they had made it through the night. But one thing is certain, “All in all we had a great season, both regular and post. It was the best year ever for our women’s team,” concluded Nelson.

Next season, Nelson will be looking to Sansale and Heideman to lead his teams throughout the season. “Sansale broke two records and matured a lot this year. Heideman will simply serve as a strong team leader,” notes Nelson. They will have no small challenge in front of them leading a pool of an estimated 26 returnees and 17 newcomers in an attempt to stampede over top the records set in the 2004-2005 season.