The “Drive for 25” is on in Fredericksburg, Va.

The University of Mary Washington women’s swimming program has won all 24 previous Capital Athletic Conference championships since the conference began competition in the winter season of the 1990-91 academic year.  No other CAC sport has a program that can match that record.

So the Eagles, who scored 1,032 in the 2014 CAC championship meet and won the team title by nearly 500 points, will go for their 25^th-straight title trophy this year.  The CAC coaches think they’ll do it – UMW was the unanimous choice by opposing coaches in their pre-season poll (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team).

Abby Cox, the 2014 CAC Co-Swimmer of the Year, and Rookie of the Year Anna Corley, return from a lineup that won every race in the conference championship meet – a CAC championship meet first.

Historically, the battle has been for second place behind the Eagles.  St. Mary’s (536) registered its seventh-straight second-place finish in 2014 CAC Championship meet, topping third-place York (444) and Marymount (410) for the silver medal.

But York is the pre-season pick to finish second this year, scoring 19 points in the coaches poll to edge St. Mary’s (17 points), Marymount (13 points), Salisbury (11 points) and Frostburg State (five points). 

Frostburg State (1-0), Mary Washington (1-1) and Salisbury (0-1) have already opened their dual meet schedules, and all three along with York are in action this weekend (Oct. 24-25).  The teams are gearing up for the annual CAC Championship meet at St. Mary’s on Feb. 20-22, 2015.

Here is a brief look at each team heading into the 2014-15 season:

Reigning Co-Coach of the Year Justin Anderson has a FROSTBURG STATE women’s team loaded with talent and veteran leadership. Last year’s MVP, Kait Donch, returns for her senior season after qualifying for the ECAC Championships and earning third place in the 100-yard breaststroke at the CAC Championships. Senior Jaclyn Franzak appeared in the finals in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly and should improve on her numbers in her final season.

MARY WASHINGTON enters the 2014-15 season with an eye on its 25th consecutive CAC Championship. The Eagles feature many returning CAC Champions, led by CAC Co-Swimmer of the Year Abby Cox. Also returning for UMW is reigning CAC Rookie of the Year Anna Corley, and CAC Champs Stephanie Hallock and Katie Fago, and all-CAC selection Hannah Hagy. The Eagles will look to duplicate their unprecedented feat of winning every race at the league meet, which they did last year for the first time.

MARYMOUNT head coach Mike Clark returns four of his five All-Capital Athletic Conference performers from the 2013-14 campaign.  Casey Thomas, Bridget Wunderly, Hannah Del Signore and Isabella Blecha combined to garner a total of six All-CAC awards at the league championships last year – leading the Saints to a fourth place finish overall.

Senior Brooke Raab returns from a strong 2014 CAC championship meet to lead ST. MARY’s  into the 2014-15 campaign.  SMC finished second in the dual meet standings with a 4-1 mark (7-6 overall) and placed second in the conference championship standings for the seventh-straight year.  Raab earned All-CAC recognition in the 200 breaststroke and 400 IM and was also a finalist in the 200 IM.  Other top returnees include classmates Hannah Hafey and Elaina Kohles along with juniors Cara Machlin and Zoe McIlmail.

SALISBURY is looking to improve its standing in the Capital Athletic Conference this season. Sophomore Victoria Radcliffe is coming off a spectacular season where she broke two school records at the conference championships in the 200 IM and the 200 breaststroke. Junior Nicki Schult and sophomores Layne Gable, Maggie Deering and Radcliffe contributed to a fourth-place finish in the 400 medley relay at the CAC Championships. Gable, another strong returner for the women, is coming off a solid season last year and has the potential to do big things again this year. Freshman Bizu Baldinazzo, freshman Kelsey Wumer and sophomore Nicole Marders are some of the newcomers that are expected to compete with the returners.

YORK enters head coach Erin Kurtz's third season at the head of the program looking to push towards the upper half of the Capital Athletic Conference standings. Kurtz welcomes a very talented class of newcomers who will mix in with a solid core of returners for the Green and White. York's returners include senior captain Courtney Dacheux in the sprint freestyle and the breaststroke, senior Sammy Greenwald in the backstroke, sophomore Taylor Michileni in the sprint freestyle events and junior Madison Tonkay in the distance events.

2014-15 CAC Women’s Swimming Pre-Season Coaches Poll
1. Mary Washington (5 first-place votes)                   25 points
2. York (1 first-place vote)                                         19 points
3. St. Mary’s                                                               17 points
4. Marymount                                                             13 points
5. Salisbury                                                                 11 points
6. Frostburg State                                                       5 points