Oct. 22, 2014 Who: Nevada at Pacific with Simon Fraser and Fresno Pacific
When: Friday, Oct. 24, 2014 - 5 p.m. (PT)
Where: Chris Kjeldsen Pool Complex in Stockton, Calif.
Live stream: http://www.pacifictigers.com/sports/c-swim/index
Post-meet results: NevadaWolfPack.com
Who: Nevada at Fresno State
When: Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014 - 12 p.m. (PT)
Where: Aquatics Center in Fresno, Calif.
Live stream: The Mountain West Network
Post-meet results: NevadaWolfPack.com
By Brady Johnson
Assistant Director, Athletic Communications
RENO, Nev. - With 12 returning letterwinners, a talented freshmen class and the program seemingly on an upswing, it would be understandable for the Nevada women's swimming and diving team to set towering goals for the 2014-15 season.
Ahead of this weekend's season-opening meets, the Wolf Pack are keen to ignore those overall goals and instead focus on individual improvement each day - the type of tunnel vision that can develop champions.
"Wherever we are, that's just a rung on the ladder and we want to step our foot up higher the next day," said head coach Abby Steketee, entering her third season with the Pack. "The overall key to progress is building an environment where people are motivated to improve each day. We don't focus on winning. We focus on improving."
The Wolf Pack now appear as contenders after surprising the conference with a third-place finish at the Mountain West Championships last season. Many of Nevada's returners have significant experience - including three program record holders - while the program boasts one of its strongest newcomer classes in recent memory.
Steketee will get her first look at the 2014-15 squad this weekend. Nevada opens the season this Friday in Stockton, Calif., with a quad-meet hosted by Pacific, also featuring Fresno Pacific and Simon Fraser. Action will get underway at 5 p.m. (PT) from the Chris Kjeldsen Pool Complex. The Pack returns to action a day later with a dual-meet at Fresno State at noon (PT) in the Aquatics Center in Fresno, Calif.
"We'll be looking for the team to adapt to racing outdoors and for the new international students to adjust to racing in short course yards," said Steketee, who's helped Nevada exceed expectations in her first two seasons. "With the quad-meet, that will be a really good challenge to focus in a highly charged environment."
The Pack doesn't return an abundant amount of swimmers from last season, but what it lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. Nevada will be led by junior Yawen Li, an all-conference honoree last season that set program records in the 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard IM and the 400-yard IM, while advancing to the NCAA Championships in three events. Teresa Baerens, a native of Ottoburn, Germany, returns after a stellar freshman campaign where she won the MW title in the 200-yard IM.
The Pack also returns 200-yard backstroke record holder Luiza Vieira, a junior from Brazil. Nevada only has one diver on the roster, but will have high hopes for junior Krysta Palmer, who was a finalist in all three dives at the conference championships.
"From a points perspective, those girls are shooting for very big things," said Steketee.
In addition to returning individual record holders in Li, Baerens and Vieira, Nevada also returns every member of its program record holding 200 medley relay and 800 free relay teams.
Nevada also returns letterwinners Lauren Allen, Jocelin Drennan, Michelle Forman, Erin Fuss, Riley Hilbrandt, Sita Kusserow, Arantxa Medina-Alegria and Kaelie Reviglio.
Steketee's freshmen class consists of seven student-athletes hailing from five countries, as Nevada continued its tradition under Steketee of traveling far and wide to bring top talent to Nevada. The Wolf Pack welcomes freshmen Emily Bashforth (Jersey, Channel Islands), Josefin Eriksen (Sundyberg, Sweden), Kate Hofmeyer (Adelaide, Australia), Briana Peterson (Orange, Calif.), Delaney Quattlebaum (Richmond, Texas), Mary Smithen (Gardnerville, Nev.) and Jaeger Turner (Bolton, England) into the squad.
"We're looking for them (freshmen) to step up and go for it," said Steketee. "We don't delineate seniors from freshman when you're in the water. Everyone is equal. We're looking for them to race that way."
In addition to retuning talented swimmers, Nevada also returns the entirety of its coaching staff. Head diving coach Jian Li You, the reigning back-to-back MW Diving Coach of the Year, enters her 19th season at the program. Assistant coach Steve Steketee enters his third season with the Pack. Volunteer assistant coach Mengjiao Mi, one of the best swimmers in program history, enters her second season on the staff.
The Wolf Pack hosts three home meets this season, beginning with a relay meet on Jan. 2, 2015, and a full meet on Jan. 3, both against Cal State East Bay. Nevada will then host San Jose State on Jan. 24. The Mountain West Championships will be held from Feb. 18-21 in San Antonio, Texas.
For the Pack to continue reaching new heights in the 2014-15 season, the formula is relatively straight forward, according to Steketee.
"The biggest thing is having an environment of focus, purpose and tenacity," said Steketee. "It's being really consistent with hard work and having meaningful effort. Building that environment is a process that never finishes even when you win; you're constantly honing that environment of excellence."
