Top Performers from Last Year Return to Lead the Way as Cardinals Ready for 2009-10 Campaign

Wesleyan had six top-eighth finishes at the 2009 NESCAC women's swimming and diving championships and the three individuals responsible for those top team efforts are back for the 2009-10 season. Two are school record-holders and team tri-captains.

Leading the team in the pool are tri-captains Cara Madden '11 (middle photo) and Janine Zaltsman '11 (top photo). Madden made the NESCAC finals in both the 50-yard backstroke (:27.65) and 100-yard backstroke (:59.36). Both her times were Wesleyan school records. She also had a successful summer in the pool, capturing four gold medals during the Bay State Games. Zaltsman, who represented the U.S. during the Maccabiah Games this summer, placed seventh in the 100-yard freestyle (:53.23) and eighth in the 50-yard butterfly (:26.87) at the 2009 NESCAC meet. Her time of :53.08 in the 100 free preliminaries broke the Wesleyan program record.

Wesleyan's third tri-captain is Dede Horvath '12 (bottom photo), one of the team's 16 returning letterwinners. She is a freestyle specialist. Back as the team's top individual medalist is Ameilia Lupinetti '11, who had a "B" cut last season in the 400 IM. Emily Goettsche '12 had some strong swims in both the free and back in 2008-09.

Diver Naima Ford '11 is back after taking sixth in the three-meter dive (373.00) and eighth in the one-meter dive (332.70) at the NESCAC meet in 2008-09. She is the lone returnee on the boards until Elsie Smith '11 and Lindsay Ballard '11 return from a semester abroad.

The Cardinals will be bolstered by the influx of nine capable newcomers as Wesleyan has a deep roster of 25 team members to continue the team's winning ways. The 2008-09 Cardinals posted an overall record of 10-5, the squad's fifth winning record in the last six years. Wesleyan opens the season on the road at Bates Sat., Nov. 21, but will be at home the remainder of the regular season, starting with Amherst Mon., Nov. 23.

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