When you join Krista Carlson on the deck of the Reilly Center pool, there’s an obvious passion about her. As the first-year head coach of her alma mater, she is optimistic about where the Bonnies stand as they kick off the 2014-15 season this Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Western New York Invitational hosted by Buffalo.
St. Bonaventure has five seniors and seven juniors, so leadership and experience are not lacking. Carlson pointed to the senior class — Rachel Bantelman, Rachel Bull, Lauren Caldwell, Meaghan McCann and Aly Paz – as keys to her team’s pre-season work.
“Our seniors have shown some tremendous leadership … I think they are taking the freshmen under their wing, so to speak. They’ve been instrumental in spreading my philosophy across the team of hard work and dedication to the sport,” Carlson said.
Among the returning swimmers, sophomore Tanya Kirmse had the most success last year. The freestyler from Burghausen, Germany, finished third in both the 200 and 500 freestyles at last year’s A-10 Championship.
St. Bonaventure, however, finished ninth as a team, something Carlson and her team wants to improve upon. The A-10 meet though, is four and a half months away, so for now, Carlson focuses on weekly progress.
“I’ve seen a lot of improvement. Where we are is extremely encouraging,” said Carlson, who took over the program in July. “We’re in really great shape. I am sure that (the swimmers) are really tired and sore … it’s been a tough first month (of training), but they’re doing a great job, so I feel good heading into the Western New York Invitational.”