Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Previews Season Ahead of Home Opener
10/22/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
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| Northwestern vs. UIC and Oakland |
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| Date | Saturday, Oct. 25 | 1 p.m. CT |
| Location | Norris Aquatics Center | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Results | Hy-Tek (Also available on Meet Mobile app) |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After opening the 2014-15 season with a victory on the road at MAC power Eastern Michigan, Northwestern returns home to the Norris Aquatics Center at 1 p.m. CT Saturday, Oct. 25, for a combined double dual against UIC and Oakland.
The Wildcats topped the Eagles, 161-139, last week in Ypsilanti led by a newcomer and a veteran. Freshman Alex Snarski won three individual events in a breakout performance and junior Jordan Wilimovsky captured a pair to continue his quest as a favorite for Big Ten and NCAA titles in the mile this year.
Live results for Saturday's meet will be available at NUsports.com.
A full season squad preview is below courtesy of NUsports.com Contributor Eric Clark:
Numerous members of Northwestern's men's swimming team got a taste of success at the international level in the offseason -- and head coach Jarod Schroeder thinks it will carry over into the collegiate season.
The Wildcats are led by junior Jordan Wilimovsky, who earned an All-America honor in 2014 after finishing fourth in the nation in the 1,650 free. Wilimovsky has qualified for the NCAA Championships in each of his first two years at Northwestern and competed for the U.S. at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia over the summer.
Schroeder said Wilimovsky has yet to slow down in terms of his constant improvement in the pool.
"He leads by example. He works hard every day and as a coach, I try to find ways to challenge him," Schroeder said. "I write sets that I think he's going to have trouble doing and in the end he ends up doing it."
Fellow junior Grant Halsall looks to improve a 2013-14 season in which he held five top times for Northwestern in the 100 back, 200 back, 100 fly, 200 IM and 200 fly.
Schroeder said Halsall is comfortable within the program after battling through a trying first two years of acclimation.
"There was a pretty big adjustment period for him as a freshman," Schroeder said. "As a sophomore he started to come into his own, especially at the end of the season.
"We're expecting big things from him this year."
The third piece of the Wildcats' three-headed monster of juniors, Van Donkersgoed, steps into the 2014-15 season as one of the best breaststrokers in the Big Ten. Donkersgoed and senior Uula Auren pose a solid 1-2 punch at breaststroke for the Wildcats.
In 2013-14, Donkersgoed posted four top times for Northwestern in the 100 back, 100 breast, 400 IM and 200 IM. The Eden Prairie, Minn., native was named a CSCAA Scholar All-America honorable mention after the season.
"Last year, he had a lot of consistency throughout the season," Schroeder said. "This year, we're hoping the consistency continues and we can take another step forward with him."
Senior Mark Ferguson has been "the guy" in backstroke and freestyle events for the Wildcats the past two years, Schroeder said. This year, Ferguson will need to use his experience to grab a firm hold of his starting spots.
"The competition in practice has been fierce ... and he's going to find a challenge this year, " Schroeder said. "We think he will rise to the occasion."
Sophomore Andy Jovanovic came to Evanston as a highly touted freshman in 2013 and will look to live up to the lofty expectations set for him in his second year as a Wildcat.
"He's starting to take a step forward in practice again and he's doing a lot of things well that the coaches have tried to help him with," Schroeder said. "Sometimes it takes a season or two for them to figure things out. He's definitely one of the most talented guys on our team, and we expect a lot out of him."
Almog Olshtein, a freshman from Haifa, Israel, spent the last three years in the Israeli military and will push for pool time immediately in freestyle events.
"He brings a maturity level and the leadership of an upperclassman, but we've got him for four years," Schroeder said. "That's a big one for us."
Joining Olshtein in the freshman class is Nick Petersen, a native of Thiensville, Wis., who was ranked as the 58th overall recruit in the nation by Collegeswimming.com.
Jonathan Blansfield, a freshman from Westport, Conn., will push for time in distance events after finishing second in the YMCA Short Course Championships in 2014.
"It's a group rich in talent. Hopefully they step up to the challenge of swimming in the Big Ten, one of the deepest conferences in the country," Schroeder said. "I'm going to put them into positions to step up.
"From what I've seen in practice, and in the focus they have and the way the approach each set in training, I know it's a good group. The expectations are pretty high for them."
(Expectations had reason to be high; at the first meet of the year at EMU, Alex Snarski won three events for the Wildcats in impressive fashion while Olshtein won the 50 free).
Schroeder said he will measure the team's success based on their performance at a national level.
"Getting relays to the NCAA meet, getting individuals to the meet, that's the mark of a good program," Schroeder said.
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