Oct. 10, 2008

HUNTINGTON - The season has officially arrived for the Marshall swimming and diving team as the Thundering Herd will open up its 2008-09 campaign Saturday at noon in the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium against East Carolina, Xavier and West Virginia.

"It should be a really exciting meet," Marshall head coach Leonard Kraus said. "We're taking on some really good teams tomorrow and I expect some tough competition."

Marshall held its intra-squad meet last Saturday with the white team eking out a narrow seven-point victory over the green team. The Herd is looking to replace several key losses from the 2007-08 team, including Conference USA breaststroke champion Michaela Sceli.

Among the swimmers expected to step up and fill the void are senior Kayla Truswell and junior Jenny Johnsson. Johnsson is the reigning 2008 Conference USA Newcomer of the Year and school record-holder in the 200-yard backstroke while Truswell ranks second in school history in the 100-yard butterfly and is coming off of a top-10 finish at the C-USA Championships in that event.

Senior Siobhan Schuurman will make return to the boards for her final year with the Herd. Schuurman is coming off of a breakthrough season that saw her set new school records in both the one-meter and platform dives and reach the NCAA Diving Zone Championships.

Marshall's opposition will be tough in this four-way battle. Xavier's women finished second at the Atlantic 10 Championships while West Virginia was third in the BIG EAST. Conference USA foe ECU finished third at the C-USA Championships last season, just two spots ahead of Marshall.

"You almost wish that you had a few meets under your belt before you face teams of this caliber just so you know a little more about how your freshmen are going to race," Kraus said. "There is nothing better than being thrown into the fire to make you a stronger team."