Feb. 20, 2011

Read the Pac-10 Feature on Senior Kate Dwelley

Complete Release in PDF Format

Stanford Heads to Pac-10s
Stanford Women’s Swimming will begin its post-season push for its first national title since 1998 when it defends its Pac-10 title from Wednesday through Saturday in Federal Way, Wash. The Cardinal, ranked No. 1 in the latest national poll and prior to its season-ending loss at Cal, will look to win back-to-back conference titles for the first time since 2004-05. Stanford has won 17 conference titles since 1987.

The Stanford women have been ranked No. 1 all season after a national runner-up finish in 2010.

Both diving teams will also be in action for Dr. Rick Shavone, with Stanford featuring seniors Brent Eichenseer and Meg Hostage. Freshmen Dhruv Tyagi, Noah Garcia and Stephanie Phipps round out an impressive core of younger divers. Junior Taylor Sishc is also slated to compete.

Maurer at the Helm
Former Stanford Olympian and All-American backstroker Lea Maurer ‘94 is in her sixth year as the Cardinal’s head coach. Over the first five seasons, the Cardinal have finished first (2010), second (2007, 2008) or third (2006, 2009) at the conference meet and fifth (2006), fourth (2007, 2009), third (2008) and second (2010) at the national meet. Maurer, then Loveless, was a part of the great Stanford swim teams in the mid 1990s, when the Cardinal won three-straight national titles from 1992 to 1994.

Winners at the Pac-10s
Stanford has three individuals that have won a Pac-10 title in their careers. Betsy Webb won last year’s 50 free, Kate Dwelley is a two-time champion in the 200 free (2008, 2010) and Meg Hostage won the 2008 three-meter. Stanford also won the 200 and 400 free relays as well as the 400 medley relay en route to the conference title last year.

Diving In
Seniors Brent Eichenseer and Meg Hostage were each named the Pac-10 Divers of the Month for January. Hostage has won eight of nine diving events heading into this week’s championships, with the lone loss to teammate Stephanie Phipps at Cal. Hostage’s top score this season is 334.65 in the three-meter and 337.75 in the one-meter, both against USC. Phipps top scores are 305.10 (Cal) for the winning three-meter and 299.93 at Arizona State. Hostage was the 2008 Pac-10 Freshman of the Year. On the men’s side, four divers-- Eichenseer, Sishc, Garcia and Tyagi have all scored over 350 this season topped by Eichenseer’s one-meter (378.45) and three-meter (385.65) scores. Sishc’s best was 353.70 in the one-meter at ASU, Tyagi scored a 354.65 in the three-meter at BYU and Garcia had a 359.55 at the January Bruin Invite.

Fast in the Pool
Stanford features four swimmers ranked in the national top-20 in the 50 free and five swimmers ranked in the top-15 in the 100 free. The Cardinal rank No. 4 nationally in the 400 free relay with Betsy Webb, Sam Woodward, Andi Murez and Kate Dwelley and No. 5 nationally in the 400 free relay.

National Title Contenders
Stanford returns national runner-up Betsy Webb in the 100 back, as the junior set the school-record last year (52.39) and ranks No. 3 nationally in the event this year (52.76). Webb also ranks sixth nationally in the 50 free (22.26), right ahead of senior Kate Dwelley (22.40), and No. 9 in the 100 free (48.82). Dwelley herself, ranks among the national top-10 in three categories, the 50 free, as well as a No. 4 ranking in the 100 free (48.58) and the No. 6 mark in the 200 free (1:45.34), the ladder an event she set the school-record in, in 2009. The distances features Andie Taylor (No. 7 in the 500 free) and Kelsey Ditto (No. 4), whose time of 16:08.34 is seventh in Stanford history. Taylor, herself, ranks No. 5 in the Stanford annals.

Freshman Maya DiRado ranks second nationally in the 200 back (1:52.04) and the 400 IM (4:03.73) and No. 3 in the 200 IM event (1:56.28). The individual medley also features Liz Smith, who is No. 4 in the 200 IM (1:57.00) and Andie Taylor, who is No. 6 in the 400 IM (4:06.12).

Freshmen Rocking the Farm
Stanford’s freshman class, which was rated No. 1 prior to the season, has already made waves and put themselves amongst Stanford’s all-time greats. Maya DiRado is second in the 200 back (1:52.04), two seconds slower than 2010 NCAA Swimmer of the Year Julia Smit and third in the 400 IM (4:03.73) behind Smit and Olympian Summer Sanders. DiRado is also sixth all-time in the 200 IM (1:56.25). Andie Taylor is fourth all-time in the 400 IM (4:06.12) and has moved into fifth all-time in the 500 free and eighth in the 200 fly (1:56.70).

The World Will See the Cardinal
Stanford will be well represented at the 2011 World University Games in China this summer as 10 Cardinal swimmers were among those invited by Team USA. Seven Stanford women will make up the roster: seniors Kelsey Ditto, Kate Dwelley and Liz Smith, junior Sam Woodward and freshmen Maya DiRado, Felicia Lee, and Andie Taylor. The full WUG roster could also include England’s Natalie Durant, and Canada’s Rebecca Hinds