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The Bates College swimming program has earned many honors and distinctions under the direction of coach Dana Mulholland since 1988. Mullholland has produced a number of All-America swimmers and divers, team and individual Academic All-Americans, All-New England swimmers and divers, individual and team champions and ECAC Scholar Athlete awards. The team, which has been ranked both regionally and nationally, has also produced athletes who have won the prestigious Bates College Senior Citation and the Lindholm Scholar-Athlete award.
The Bates women’s swimming and diving team placed fifth at the 2003 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) championships, while the men took sixth place for the second consecutive year. The women’s team (7-2) will be led by co-captains Catie Hinckley '04 and Libby McConnell '04. Several veterans provide a great nucleus, including Vanessa Williamson '05 and Kara Seaton '05, who both earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III championship meet. Williamson, a two-time All-America winner in the 200-yard butterfly, set a school and conference record with a time of 2:03.26. She also earned All-America honors in the 100-yard butterfly. Seaton earned All-America honors in the 1- and 3-meter dives. She set a school record in the 1-meter dive after scoring 373.15 points, and the women's team as a whole set an outstanding 15 school records last season.
The men's team (5-4) returns all but two athletes from 2003. Co-captains Todd Bretl '04 and Nate Curll '05 will lead a strong group of Bobcats. Bretl is a sprint specialist while Curll's strongest event is the butterfly. Teammate Erik Baker '06, an NCAA qualifier in diving, is returning as an all-conference selection on both boards. He finished third in the NESCAC Championships with a total of 415.95 points, and is the top returnee in the conference in the 3-meter diving event. Five men's school records were set during the 2002-03 season. |
