Senior swimwomen prepare to say farewell in last home meet

By JENNIFER BARTOLINI
Collegian Staff Writer

Five may seem like a small number, but the impact felt by the loss of the Penn State women's swimming and diving team's five seniors could be tremendous.

Swimmers Arianne Adams, Laura Molettiere, Jessie Ray and Lesley Spada, along with diver Amy Wade, will compete in their final home meet Saturday at McCoy Natatorium against Northwestern.

Every one of the seniors described her experience on the team as the best four years of her life.

"It's been all I've ever wanted and more," co-captain Adams said.

This weekend will be bittersweet for the seniors as they face new challenges and say goodbye to the incredible friends they have made. Being part of team gives you automatic friends said co-captain Molettiere.

"It's amazing how quickly you become so close," she said.

The four swimmers and roommates have shared many memories through the years.

"The four of us are best friends," Spada said. "If you saw us, you'd think we were one person."

The four were forced to deal with a coaching change at the end of last season, a move which spelled the end of former coach Bob Krimmel's tenure as the team's skipper. The decision was particularly hard to handle for the four, who had relied on Krimmel to foster their growth as Div. I competitors.

Krimmel will be there Saturday to take part in a presentation ceremony, but as Adams noted, the coaching transition has been smoother than anticipated, and Bill Dorenkott has proved an excellent replacement.

"It was hard when (Krimmel) left," Adams said, "but it couldn't have turned out any better."

Under Dorenkott, the four seniors were asked to step into new leadership positions to help the team adjust.

Dorenkott realized the difficulty of the situation they faced.

"They were in a tough position," he said. "This year was new for everyone, not just the freshmen. I shook things up a bit and they responded great. I give them a lot of credit for buying into a new philosophy. I couldn't have done it without great senior leadership."

The captains Molettiere and Adams assumed their new role and its challenges, and the response from their teammates has been nothing but positive.

"I love the seniors," sophomore Steph Thomovsky said. "They're the glue that binds a team together."

"They're an incredible class," sophomore Katie Anderson added. "They're so close. They are leaders in and out of the pool and they've done so much to make everyone fit in."

The diving team also will endure a loss at the end of the season, though it already has had some preparation. Wade broke her leg last November, leaving her unable to dive. She has watched her final season from poolside, encouraging her teammates at both practice and meets. She said she looked forward to being the oldest for so long and now that the time has come, she isn't experiencing it as she would have liked.

Junior diver Jaime Jaax said the team feels her absence.

"We all look up to Amy," Jaax said. "She brightens our workouts. She is a wonderful central person and a really good friend to everyone."

While there are downfalls to being a student-athlete -- Adams described it as never being able to be a "real student" -- the four seniors, who have managed to excel in the classroom as well as the pool, agree being part of the team definitely enhanced their college experience.

As for the future, Adams (finance major) hopes to head to Wall Street. Molettiere (secondary education and Spanish) will continue with school, as will Wade (kinesiology). Wade plans to continue diving while Ray (bio-behavioral health) will begin medical school. Spada, a native of Canada, will pursue a job in corporate fitness either in the U.S. or at home.

Regardless of their plans, they still have one final hurrah in front of the home crowd, and Saturday will surely cause some tears to be shed as these five complete another chapter in their lives.

"For most of us, there is three weeks left of about 12 years of swimming," Spada said. "It's frightening and exciting."

Dorenkott said any future successes of his team would be attributed to this senior class.

"I told them the other day," he said. "There's a good chance we're not going to win the Big Ten this year, but when we do, yours is the class I'm gonna call back and ask where to hang the banner."