2010-11 Pioneer Swimming Preview

  • October 7, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - The Pioneer women's swim team will open the 2010-11 campaign on Oct. 8 against UC Santa Cruz and San Jose State. The meet will be held at UC Santa Cruz.

The CSUEB swim team looks promising, but has a tough dual-meet season ahead of it. The Pioneers will face Division I opponents in Fresno State, San Jose State and Nevada during the 2010-11 campaign.

"We definitely have a difficult schedule facing the likes of Nevada, San Jose State and Fresno State, and competing in the UNLV Invitational," first-year Pioneer Head Coach Ben Loorz said. "Facing this level of competition will help us in the conference championships."

The ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ women's swim team is coming off a 2009-10 campaign in which the Pioneers finished 13th at the Pacific Collegiate Swimming Conference (PCSC) Championships. East Bay is returning six swimmers for the new season.

Christine Gee, entering her junior season, has been named team captain and will compete in the fly and backstroke events. Senior Heidi Reddig will swim the freestyle events while sophomore Vanessa Smith will compete in the backstroke events.

The Pioneers will also rely on sophomores Bethany Hoopman, Brenda O'Connor and Jenni Perez during the 2010-11 campaign. Hoopman will be the Pioneers top backstroker, while O'Connor, who finished 33rd in the 100 freestyle at last year's conference championships, will swim the middle distance events. Perez finished 30th in the 1650 free at the 2009-10 PCSC Championships and will compete in the 200 and 500 free.

As the Pioneers enter their second season as an NCAA Division II scholarship program, they have brought in several new faces, including six new swimmers and Assistant Coach Jenna Wesley.

Two junior college transfers will make an immediate impact for the upcoming campaign. Murphy Wimer, a transfer from Mesa College in San Diego, is a versatile athlete who can compete in the IM, backstroke, and freestyle events, and Sara Bonino, from Chabot College, will be one of the top middle distance swimmers for the Pioneers.

Two freshmen, Rachel Knowles and Lindsay Miller, are making quite an impression on the Pioneer coaching staff. Knowles, out of Corona High School, is a top prospect in the breaststroke and has a bright future with the Pioneers. Lindsay Miller, from Bend, Ore., will be one of the top Pioneer performers in the sprint and butterfly events.

"Our goal is to eventually compete with the teams in the PCSC,"Loorz said. "We need to keep our heads in the right place. If the team is competitive, we'll have a good season."

The Pioneers first home meet will be on Oct. 23 when they take on Mills College.