2010-11 Auburn Swimming & Diving Preview: Leadership - AuburnTigers.com

2010-11 Auburn Swimming & Diving Preview: Leadership Season Preview

Dan Mazzaferro

Sept. 20, 2010

AUBURN, Ala. - The 2010-11 season is fast approaching as the Auburn swimming and diving team opens the season on Oct. 9 at rival Alabama. In anticipation for the upcoming season, AuburnTigers.com will take a sneak peek at different aspects of the team and season leading up to the first meet.

Leadership
The 2010-11 Auburn swimming and diving team will be comprised of 11 seniors that all have the ability to show leadership in the pool and in the classroom. Heading the group is redshirt senior and diver Dan Mazzaferro, who is coming off a knee injury that sidelined him last season.

"We'll get strong leadership from Dan (Mazzaferro) this year," head coach Brett Hawke said. "He has always been our go-to person to build up the team and he is so reliable on the boards and in the classroom."

Joining Mazzaferro on the men's side of the pool are fellow seniors Kohlton Norys, Adam Klein, Adam Brown, Robert Looney, Andrew Mitchell and Jared White. All have the capability to be vocal leaders and hard workers on the team.

"Kohlton (Norys) is one of our strongest leaders in the pool every day," Hawke added. "He is very vocal and pushes the team to be better. Adam (Klein) is a SEC champion and has been on the podium at the NCAA meet, so he'll be another one of those guys that the team looks up to."

On the women's side, three juniors and the four seniors will be looked at to build the team up and finish on a high note this season. Junior divers Vennie Dantin and Anna Aguero are each coming off stellar sophomore seasons on the boards. Joining them are swimmers Caitlin Geary, Melanie Roberts, Erica Meissner, Micah Martindale and Arianna Vanderpool-Wallace.

"Caitlin (Geary) has great experience both as a collegiate swimmer and on the international level and will be expected to show that experience in the pool," Hawke said. "Melanie, Erica and Micah will be strong, vocal leaders for us.

"We're really putting a lot of trust in the senior class this year. Both the men and women want to turn the season around from last year and finish the season strong. We want to look back and have no regrets and I believe this group has the ability to lead the team to that point and beyond."