2021-22 Swimming & Diving Preview
Oct 05 | Women's Swimming & Diving
During the 2020-21 season, a majority of the Scarlet Knight roster redshirted due to the CoVID 19 pandemic but the Rutgers swimming and diving team is back at full strength. Nine Scarlet Knights return and are bolstered by 12 newcomers who look to make an immediate splash in the water.
Jon Maccoll enters his fifth season at the helm of the Rutgers women’s swimming and diving program. During his era, Maccoll has guided Rutgers to its first Big Ten medals since joining the league and established 15 new school benchmarks and has put together rosters that make impacts not only “On The Banks” but the global stage as well.
Rutgers swimming was continuing to make waves in 2019-20 as the Scarlet Knights set five school records, six pool records, recorded 18 times or scores among the all-time top ten, had two NCAA Zone diving finalists and a repeat NCAA Championship qualifier. Unfortunately, the season came to an abrupt halt prior to the NCAA Championships.
Last season with an unorthodox season that included only Big Ten competition starting in late January and classes remote, the Scarlet Knights redshirted a majority of its roster.
OFF THE BLOCKS
Returning record-setting Scarlet Knights include:
Sofia Chichaikina - Freestyle - Togliatty, Russia
As a freshman in 2019-20
- Set four school records – 100 free, 200 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay
- Set four pool records – 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay
- B finals of 50 and 100 free at Big Ten Championships
- Big Ten podium finishes with 200 free relay and 400 free relay
- Two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week
- Prior to Rutgers was three-time gold medalist at European Championships with Russian Relay Teams
Guila Ghidini - Freestyle - Florence, Italy
As a freshman in 2019-20
- Set two school records – 200 free relay and 400 free relay
- Set three pool records – 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay
- Big Ten podium finishes with 200 free relay and 400 free relay
- Prior to Rutgers was a three-time Italian Champion at Junior Italian National Championships
Eleonora Trentin - Freestyle - Firenze, Italy
As a redshirt freshman in 2019-20
- Set a pool record swimming the anchor leg of the 800 free relay
- Prior to Rutgers competed at Italian National Championships
Other key returnees include:
- Katie Dougherty - Butterfly/IM – Carmel, Ind.
- Simone Lusby - Backstroke – Auckland, New Zealand
- Erin Murphy -Freestyle/Backstroke/IM – Galloway, N.J.
- Yael Weber - Distance – Irvine, Calif./Israel
NEWCOMERS OFF THE BLOCKS
Tina Cielik – Breaststroke - Kranj, Slovenia
- Slovenian Federation swimmer
- European Junior National Champion
Sofia Lobova – Freestyle - Krasnoyarsk, Russia
- Two-time Russian short course championship finalist
- European Junior Nationals
Virginia Menicucci – Freestyle – Milan, Italy
- European Junior National Championships
Liza Ryndych – Freestyle – Moscow, Russia
- European Junior National Championships
Cat Salladin – Freestyle – Yorba Linda, Calif.
- Alabama transfer
- Former member of the USA World Championships Open Water Team
Natalie Schick – Backstroke – Madison, Wisc.
- Three-time state finalist
Beatriz Zoppeidossantos – Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Transfer from Boise State
ON THE BOARDS
Long-time diving coach Fred Woodruff retired at the end of last season so among with new faces on the team is on the pool deck in diving coach Natasha Chikina. While she may be new to Rutgers, she certainly isn’t new to the Big Ten bringing a championship pedigree and immediately bolstering the unit with her arrival “On The Banks”.
Among the returning Scarlet Knights are
Jenna Douglass - Cape Town, South Africa
As a junior in 2020-21
- NCAA Zone Qualifier - 1m, 3m, Platform
- NCAA Zone Finalist - 1m, Platform
- Finished ninth overall on 1-meter at NCAA Zones
- Finished 18th overall on platform at NCAA Zones
As a sophomore in 2021-22
- NCAA Zone Qualifier - 1m, 3m, Platform
- Placed 18th on the platform at NCAA Zones
Megan Demeo - Bedford, Mass.
- Placed fourth on 3M and seventh on 1M at the Michigan-Michigan State Tri Meet last season
- Won 1M at the Rutgers Pre-Season Tune-Up and placed second on 1M at the Rutgers Invitational as a sophomore
NEWCOMERS ON THE BOARDS
The Scarlet Knights also add three new faces to the diving corps who will make an immediate impact to the scoring.
Abigail Knapton – Omaha, Nebraska
- Transfer from Nebraska
- NCAA Woman of the Year Nominee
- Four-time NCAA qualifier on Platform and 3m
- Four-time NCAA First-Team All-American on Platform
- NCAA First-Team All-American on 3m last season
- 2021 Big Ten Diver of the Meet at Big Ten Championships
- 2021 Big Ten Platform Champion
- 2021 Big Ten 1m Platform Champion
- 2021 Big Ten Runner-Up on 3m
Savana Trueb – Colorado Springs, Colo.
- Transfer from Missiouri
- 2021 SEC Platform Champ
- Qualified for NCAAs on 1m and Platform
Joella Mills – Attleboro, Mass.
- Competed with ZAP Diving
THE SCHEDULE
The Scarlet Knights' 2021-22 schedule is geared towards having Rutgers ready for the Big Ten Championships and beyond. Rutgers will open the season at Army and Colgate and has two home meets on the docket - Harvard & Villanova. The Scarlet Knights will also have two Big Ten road meets with Purdue and Nebraska. RU meets up with IUPUI while out at Purdue and the “Battle For the Cannon Trophy” is back with Rutgers looking to keep the trophy “On The Banks”. The Scarlet Knights will also be back to the Princeton pool for the Big Al Open.
Key dates to also mark on calendars are the Big Ten Championships hosted by Wisconsin on Feb. 17-20, NCAA Zones in Annapolis, Maryland on Mar. 7-10 and the NCAA Championships in Atlanta, Georgia on Mar. 16-19.
Inside RU Athletics Podcast: 2021-22 Swimming & Diving Preview With Jon Maccoll
— RU Swimming & Diving (@RUSwimDive) October 5, 2021
Get to know the key returnees and the newcomers hitting the water this season.#GoRU ?? https://t.co/ouTxUxzslx
