YSU must rebuild squad after losing 10 seniors in 2005

The Penguins have six holdovers and eight freshmen to mold new team.
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
YOUNGSTOWN -- The graduation of 10 seniors from last year's squad makes the 2005-06 Youngstown State swimming and diving team small in numbers, young and untested. But coach Matt Anderson is confident that six returnees from last season and a group of eight freshmen will lay a solid groundwork for the future success of the program.
"We can develop the foundation of the future of the program with this group, because I really think we have a great group of talented athletes," Anderson said. "If we can come in and prove what we can do with a small group and add to it next year, I think we're going to be sitting really good a couple years down the road."
Returning from last year's squad are three of the top freestyle performers, the school record-holder in the breaststroke, a diver and an individual medley competitor.
The team's three junior captains -- Becky Bertuzzi, Kim Hanley and Cortney Harless -- will have the job of not only providing leadership in the pool, but keeping a sense of unity within the team.
"We have to key in on making everybody work well together because it's a small group and we don't have a lot of depth," Anderson said. "We can't rely on just winning by numbers. We have to win by quality."
Coleman is assistant coach
The addition of the program's first full-time assistant, Jillian Coleman, will allow the swimmers to get more specialized personal attention in workouts.
The freestyle events will be YSU's strongest area as the squad has solid swimmers from the 50-yard free to the mile.
Anchoring the group will be two of the best sprinters in school history, Bertuzzi and sophomore Brittany Senn.
Bertuzzi ranks second all-time in school history in the 100 and 200 free. She missed breaking the school mark in the 200 free at last season's Horizon League Championships by .4 seconds with a 12th-place time of 1:55.95. She added a 14th-place finish in the 100 free at the meet with a personal-best time of 53.74.
Senn finished 10th in the 50 free at the conference meet last season with a personal-best time of 24.82, which ranks third all-time in school history. The sophomore ranks fifth all-time in the 100 free after placing 18th in the conference in the event last year.
Hanley, Ladd are back
Hanley and sophomore Amanda Ladd will take the blocks as the returnees in the distance free events. Hanley began last season as a breaststroke performer but made a strong transition to set three personal-best marks at the Horizon League Championship. Ladd finished 17th in the mile at the conference meet.
Joining them will be a strong group of freshmen that includes Erin-Michelle Gordon, Jessica Front, Natasha Bray and Olivia Arnold.
The Penguins will also be strong in the butterfly as Bertuzzi, Ladd and Senn will join Bray for a deep group. Bertuzzi is the squad's top returnee in the 200 fly as she ranks in school history in the event. She finished 13th at the Horizon League Championship with a personal-best time of 2:19.27. Ladd turned in a 16th-place finish in the 200 fly at the league meet a year ago and ranks sixth all-time in the event. Senn is coming off a 12th-place finish in the 100 fly at the conference meet. She ranks fifth all-time in the event with her personal-best time of 1:01.95.
Limited depth at backstroke
The Penguins lack depth in the backstroke. Freshman Erin Sayre swam the stroke on a limited basis in high school while Arnold, Bray, Ladd and Senn will all be counted on to use their versatility from swimming in the individual medley to rotate in and add depth.
Sophomore Julia Darling returns to anchor the breaststroke after establishing herself as YSU's top athlete in the event in school history. As a freshman, Darling broke two individual records and was part of two record-setting relay teams at the Horizon League Championship. In the individual events, she turned in a ninth-place time of 1:08.46 in the 100 breast and a 10th-place time of 2:28.27.
Hanley will split time between the breast and the distance free, and Bray and Arnold will also help to add depth.
Anderson will have a deep group of swimmers in the individual medley led by Bray and Ladd. Ladd was solid in the 400 IM as a freshman, finishing 15th at the conference meet and ranking sixth all-time. Darling was also solid last season in the 200 IM as she placed 19th at the league meet and ranks third all-time in school history. Senn and Hanley will also rotate in to add depth to the event.
Leveto has graduated
Diving coach Nick Gavolas does not have a returning conference champion for only the second time in seven years, after the graduation of four-time Horizon League Champion Kalyn Leveto.
But Harless returns as an upperclassman leader and a scorer at the conference meet, and Gavolas brought in a talented freshman duo of Kelly Reese and Amanda Zhelesnik.
The schedule resumes Nov. 10 with a home dual meet against Cleveland State at the Beeghly Natatorium.