Aug. 7, 2001

After finishing the first season in school history at 6-5, the Saints' women's swimming team continued that momentum into its sophomore campaign with an 8-4 finish. The Saints finished off their 2000-01 season with a fourth place finish in the MAAC Championships, which included several individual victories. The Saints used a blend of senior leadership and new talent to build the team into a competitive force in the conference.

"I've kind of specialized in building teams and programs from scratch or very low numbers, and we're about right on schedule," said head coach Ken McLaughlin. In preparation for the Saints' second season, McLaughlin brought in six freshman, who comprise nearly half the team.

One familiar face who returned to the pool last season was Raina Paul, who captained the team in the 2000-2001 season, and along with Bridget Cuffney is one of only two seniors on the team. "There aren't many upperclassmen, but the few there are can be counted on to provide strong leadership," says McLaughlin.

Several underclassmen made significant impacts as well for the Saints the last two seasons. Kelly Pangburn and Martha Kroll have both made waves the past two seasons and during the MAAC championships. Pangburn became the first individual winner for the Saints this past season when she placed first in the 500 and 1650-yard freestyle at the MAAC Championships. As a freshman, Pangburn finished in the top three in three different individual events at the conference meet. Kroll came in fourth in the 50-yard freestyle at the MAAC Championships the past two seasons in addition to top-five performances in the 100-yard freestyle. McLaughlin has high hopes for these underclassman as they mature and each will be looked upon to pile up points for the Green and Gold.

"We are expecting big contributions from the incoming freshman, especially from Christine Hunter, Leah Serbalik and Debra Tagliaffero," McLaughlin stated.

The Siena divers have also been a major source of improvement for the Saints. Under Diving Coach Jim Serbalik, Danielle Tardiff and Elana Mastoras have helped the Saints earn valuable points at opportune moments in key meets.

In addition to their work in the pool, the swimmers were honored for their work out of the water as well. The team's 3.39 GPA in the 2000 spring semester was the highest of the college's 18 sports teams. "Our goal is to continue this tradition of academic excellence," McLaughlin noted.