Women's Swimming Picked Fifth In NEC Preseason Coaches Poll

EMMITSBURG, Md. – The Mount St. Mary's women's swimming team has been picked fifth in the Northeast Conference (NEC) women's swimming preseason coaches poll, announced on Thursday.

Two-time defending champion Saint Francis (Pa.) picked up four of the seven first-place votes to be tabbed as the preseason favorite. Central Connecticut State garnered two first-place nods to finish second while Bryant nabbed the final first-place vote to place third in the poll. Wagner, Mount St. Mary's, Sacred Heart and St. Francis (N.Y.) rounded out the seven-team field.

The Mount posted its best season in program history last year. Led by junior Courtney Griffith (Westminster, Md./Westminster) and sophomore Patricia Yam (Placenta, Calif./Rosary), the squad finished sixth at the NEC Swimming & Diving Championships with a program-record 253 points. Griffith became the first swimmer in program history to earn All-NEC honors after finishing second in the 100-fly. Griffith also finished fourth in the 50-free and seventh in the 100-free. Yam became the second swimmer in team history to notch All-NEC honors after placing third in the 200 fly.  

Griffith and sophomore Cat Coppler (Enfield, Conn./Enrico Fermi) became the first Mount swimmers to be named NEC Swimmers of the Week for the first week of the season last year and Griffith also took home the honor for the week of Nov. 9-15.

The Mountaineers return action and will make its home debut on Monday against Saint Francis (Pa.). Meet starts at 5 p.m. and will be broadcasted on www.MountAthletics.tv.