By Catherine Laroche
The University of Louisville’s swimming and diving teams haven’t even completed half their 2005-2006 season, but next year’s team is already coming together.Even though the University of Louisville’s swimming and diving teams are not even half way through the 2005-2006 season, they already have made progress on their 2006-2007 teams. On Nov. 23, the Cards added three new names to next year’s season’s roster: when Karen Criss, Anna Dishuck, and Amanda Henleben signed with the program..
Karen Criss
While working on completing her senior swim season in Omaha, Neb.raska, Criss has already accomplished much in her 13-year-long high school career.
She was named the 2003 Midwestern Swimming Junior Swimmer of the Year, and holds six individual and 18 relay records for Midwestern Swimming. She was also the 2003 High school Conference Swimmer of the Meet and a member of the 2004 High School 200-Medley Relay team that was ranked No. 8 in the nation. Criss is a member of the 2004 No. 1 ranked Independent School team in the nation, and is the anchor of the Midwestern Record and Sectional Record-holding 400-free relay team.
Even though she’s decided on the college where she’ll continue her career, Criss doesn’t plan on ending her list of high-school accomplishments just yet. “She has the chance to become the first female high school swimmer in Nebraska to win eight8 individual events at the Nebraska State meet, so she knows winning,” U of L Swimming “Head Coach Arthur Albiero said said..
While in her 13th year of competitive swimming, she made her decision to continue her swimming career at U of L for a couple of reasons. “I chose U of L because everything fit perfectly together when I was there,” Criss said. “I had an absolutely great weekend there, and in the end it was where I wanted to be. I think that the swimming and diving program is going places. I think that Coach Albiero is doing great things with the team and it will be showing in the next couple seasons.”
Anna Dishuck
Dishuck, a high-school senior from Tuscaloosa, Ala., has been swimming since she was just 18 months old. She started swimming in a summer league when she was six, and began swimming competivly at agewhen she was nine.
“Man dDifferent things have influenced my swimming career,” Dishuck said. “I have had many coaches in which some were better than others. Throughout the years, my teammates and I have learned to work together and support each other, when things are bad and when things are going well. I really enjoy the thrill of competition.”
Before she can Before she can jump in the pool as a Cardinal, she Dishuck must finish out her senior year of high school in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where an already prestigious high-school careershe has already accomplished quite a bit. . In 2005, she qualified in five events for the National Swim Coaches’ Junior National in Orlando, Fla., and won. She won the breaststroke races at the Southeastern Regional Long Course Championship and received the Don Gambril Achievement Award. .
Dishuck’s honors are not a surprise to Albiero. “I’ve known Anna for seven years,” Albiero said. “She’s a bright and great athlete. She comes into our program as a strong breaststroker, but she also brings plenty of versatility as she has excelled in the sprint freestyle events, and 200-IM. Anna had a breakthrough summer in 2005 and she continues to improve throughout her senior high school season.”
Amanda Henleben
Henleben isn’t even officially a student at U of L yet, hasn’t even enrolled into a class at U of L, but she isis ready to join the Cards right away.
“I’m excited about becoming a Lady Cardinal and representing the University of Louisville in a sport that I love,” Henleben said. “I think they have a strong, growing program and I’m excited to be a part of a team that looks like it can rise quickly.”
While swimming for Roswell High School in Roswell, Ga., Henleben placed second in the 2005 Georgia High School 5A State Championship in the 500-meter freestyle in 2005. The three-time varsity letter-winner was her high school’s MVP in 2003 and 2005, and a member of the Georgia Zone team in 2002 and 2004. She finished first in the Georgia Swim Club State Championships in the 1650-free in 2004.
“Amanda hails from one of the top club programs in the country, Swim Atlanta,” Albiero said. She will add a great deal of enthusiasm in our distance freestyle and individual medley group. She is not afraid of hard work and she is definitely on a sensational improvement curve as she closes her high school career. Her club coach, Mark Minier, describes her as a talented athlete with an impeccable work ethic.”
Some of the current Cardinals are just as excited about next season as Albiero and the signees are. “Every time a new class comes in, it’s a new beginning for the whole team,” Junior Emily Rabe said. “It’s neat to see how everyone falls in place and meshes with the team.”
Update on Swimming and Diving —
With the season already rolling on, the University of Louisville swimming and diving teams Cards have competed against tough competition such as Illinois, Tennessee, and West Virginia. The teamThe next few meets for U of L are on the road for the next few weeks for meets in Athens, Ga., Cincinnati and Dayton, Ohioio.
The Cards return home in January The next two homefor meets for the Cardinals are against in in-state rivals Kentuckythe University of Kentucky and Western Kentucky University in the Wright Natatorium. “We went from only being able to sit 12 people at our meets to 500 people in the new facility,” Albiero said. “This is the first time in a long time UK has agreed to come to our campus.
The UK meet is on Sat., Jan. 21, at 1 p.m.,PM and the WKU meet, this year’s senior meet, is on Sat., Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. P.M.
“We went from only being able to sit 12 people at our meets to 500 people in the new facility,” Albiero said. “This is the first time in a long time UK has agreed to come to our campus. The senior meet is against Western Kentucky. Last year we ended on the short end,” Albiero said, ” but this year it should be an exciting meet.”
Staff Writer Zachary Kenitzer contributed to this story.”
