Oct. 16, 2002

The goal is simple. "We want to be the elite program in Conference USA," TCU head swimming coach Richard Sybesma says.

"That takes more than one year, and I believe that we got off to a good start last season," he continues. "But I want to take it to the next level this year and prove that as a program we can be at an elite level year in and year out."

To say the Horned Frogs got off to a good start in 2001-02 may be an understatement. In the first season for C-USA swimming, the TCU men led wire-to-wire in cruising to victory at the C-USA Invitational, while the Lady Frogs fell just short of claiming the inaugural C-USA Championship, placing third overall. Despite conquering the competition the league had to offer on the men's side, the Frogs' victory did not count as the program's first-ever conference title, as C-USA falls one squad short of officially recognizing men's swimming.

"For us, however, it was the culmination of a lot of hard work for our men to prove that they were the best in the league," Coach Sybesma says. "While C-USA doesn't have enough men's teams to officially crown a conference champ, there are some very good teams on the men's side, so the C-USA Invitational is what we shoot for."

Topping the deep list of returnees for the men's squad, which includes five seniors, is Aaron Ewert. The senior backstroker and sprinter led the Horned Frogs by collecting coaches' all-conference honors in seven events following last year's C-USA Invitational championship. In those seven events, the school record-holder in the 100 and 200 backstroke claimed six victories and one runner-up finish.

Ewert will be surrounded by a deep and talented group of sprinters, led by fellow seniors Dana Kizer and Jeff Parkinson. Junior transfer David Tietze, a four-time Division II all-American at Drury University, and sophomore Joe Covey round out the prolific group.

In distance freestyle, senior Byron Coyle will pace TCU. Coyle earned coaches' all-conference honors in three events following a pair of third-place finishes in the 500 and 1,650 free and helping the Frogs' 800 free relay to victory at the 2002 C-USA Men's Invitational. Joining Coyle in distance events will be a pair of sophomores, returnee Andy Donovan and Kenneth Wherry, a transfer from USC.

In addition to Ewert, the Horned Frogs will be sparked by the return of each of its top four backstrokers from a year ago to make up what Sybesma calls the men's team's "best overall event." Joining Ewert in the talented group, junior Mitch Loper, sophomores Craig Chapman and Rilus Graham and freshman Dan Rule.

While TCU loses its top breaststroker from last season, C-USA Invitational champion Scott Adkins, the Frogs return junior Collin Sandifer and sophomore Jacob Taylor, each of whom were finalists in the 100 and 200 breast at least year's C-USA Invite. The breaststroke corps will be bolstered by the addition of freshman Allan McCallum, an eight-time Montana high school champion.

Topping the list of returnees in the butterfly and individual medley is Aaron McLachlan. The junior earned coaches' all-league honors in six events last season and is the Frogs' top returnee in the 100 and 200 fly and 200 and 400 IM. Senior Kyle Nunez in fly events and sophomore Scott McCure, Covey and Rule will join him, in the IM.

The Frogs also return a very strong relay corps. TCU claimed victory in all five relays at last year's C-USA Invitational. Eight of the 10 swimmers that participated in those relays return in 2002-03.

"We absolutely have the talent in place to repeat as C-USA Invitational champs," Sybesma says. "I believe that this group is talented enough to really be special, so that's what our expectations are for them."

On the women's side, the Lady Frogs are aiming to join the men on top of the C-USA mountain by collecting the Conference USA Championship.

"I think that our women are in a great position to claim our first-ever conference crown," Sybesma says. "The difference between this year and last year on the women's side is the depth that we have now. Hopefully that depth will be what pushes us to the next level."

Among the deep women's squad are five names that grace the TCU record book, led by junior Erin Irons. Irons alone holds five school records, including individual TCU-best marks in the 100 and 200 freestyle.

"Erin Irons is a key to our team," Sybesma says. "She is what I like to call a 'utility swimmer.' We can put her in any event but the breaststroke and count on her to produce."

Perhaps Irons' greatest asset to the Frogs is as a freestyler, as she is the squad's leading returnee in the 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 free. In sprint events, seniors Katie Schell and Andrea Stevens, sophomores Lisa Champ and Aimee Moreau and freshman Leann Cathcart will join Irons.

"I feel really good about our sprints on the women's side," Sybesma says. "There are a number of sprinters who can produce for us, so we will have the luxury of having them race and seeing who comes out on top."

While Sybesma returns a plethora of talent in sprints, distance events are a different story. Aside from Irons, who earned all-C-USA honors in the 500 free despite not typically swimming distance races, TCU will count on a trio of freshmen to hold down the long-range freestyle events - Sarah Murphy, Margot Shiu and Leslie Tobin.

Irons is also the Horned Frogs' top returnee in the backstroke, including as a 2002 NCAA 'B' qualifier in the 200 back. Senior Kate Swearingen, Moreau and fellow sophomore Tiffany Strawn complete the strong group of backstrokers.

"We are loaded in the back," Sybesma says. "It will most likely be one of our strongest events."

In the breaststroke, senior Melissa Powell will look to improve on an impressive junior campaign, which saw her claim all-league honors by placing second in the 200 breast at the C-USA Championships. Adding depth to the event is junior college all-American Liz Proffitt, a 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier, and Cathcart.

Fortifying the Lady Frogs' butterfly crew is perhaps the squad's top recruit, freshman Jennifer Antisdale. She will be joined by Swearingen, Strawn, Shiu and fellow first-year Meredith Loechle in what Sybesma says might be TCU's most improved event in 2002-03.

Closing out the women's individuals, the Frogs must find a way to make up for the loss of TCU's 2001-02 Pop Boone Female Athlete of the Year and school record-holder Jamie MacCurdy. The coaching staff will look to Proffitt and Strawn to fill those enormous shoes.

Like the Horned Frog men, the Lady Frogs return one of C-USA's most respected relay corps. TCU captured two C-USA relay championships last season and was runner-up in two others. Additionally, four current Frogs hold school relay records - Champ, Irons, Moreau and Strawn.

Overall, Sybesma believes that despite the loss of three TCU record-holders from a year ago, the squad can be even stronger.

"This year we have much more depth on the women's side," he says, "and with that depth we also added a great deal of quality."

Rounding out the squad is perhaps the best field of divers in recent Horned Frog memory.

Leading the men's divers is junior Stephen Gebren, a 2002 NCAA Zone D qualifier. He will be joined by fellow junior Chad Hummel and a pair of freshmen, Kelly McCain and Kyle Istook.

On the women's side, junior Codi McLamb will pace the Frogs' efforts. McLamb earned a pair of top-10 finishes at the 2002 C-USA Championships, highlighted by a fourth-place showing in the platform event. Skillful freshmen Rachael Jones and Kelly Seely will round out the women's corps.

"There is a lot of quality and depth in this group of divers," Sybesma says. "Between the amount of talent we have returning and the number of impressive divers we have brought in, they should be an exciting group."

While the C-USA Championships and Invitational await Feb. 23-25, 2003 at the world-class Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, the Horned Frogs must first face a very challenging regular-season schedule. The slate includes matchups with perennial national powers SMU and Notre Dame, C-USA foes Cincinnati, Houston and Louisville and former WAC rivals Air Force and Rice. Additionally, trips to the Texas and UC-Irvine Invitationals will test the Frogs' mid-season mettle.

"I'm very excited about our schedule," Sybesma says. "We have a lot of excellent meets where you might be able to flip a coin to see who will win. We will test ourselves against some of the best that our league has to offer with Cincy, Louisville and Houston and we will also see how we match up with some of the best that the country has to offer, especially at the Texas Invitational."

Throwing a kink into the schedule for the second-straight year are the continued renovations of the TCU Student Recreation Center, which will force the Frogs off campus until January 1.

"It's difficult to be off campus for a second-straight semester," Sybesma says, "but we are looking forward to moving back into our new and improved digs after the first of the year."

There is no shortage of goals, excitement or expectations on this year's squad. So what will push TCU to an even higher level of success than they enjoyed a season ago?

"We need to have the quality people and talent that are assembled to blend into a quality team," Sybesma says. "That happened a year ago and that is what got us where we were. We expect that will happen again this season and, combined with the experience we gained a year ago, will take us to an even higher level."

The Frogs open the campaign when the women travel to Metroplex-rival SMU next Wednesday, October 23 at 5 p.m. The entire squad will be in action for the first time Nov. 1-2 when it travels to Louisville, Ky. to face C-USA foes Louisville and Cincinnati.