2010-2011 NCAA Outlook: No. 12 Texas A&M Men Great Combo of Youth and Experience

Over the next few weeks, as the Long Course season closes out, new freshman are arriving on campus, and fans everywhere ramp up for another exciting NCAA Season, we will be running a team-by-team preview of the upcoming NCAA season. Starting with the no.12 teams and finishing with the defending National Championships (Texas men and Florida women) we will work our way down the top finishers from last year’s NCAA teams, and will also jump into some rising teams that we expect to break into the top tier this season. Click here to see the other men’s previews, and click here to see all of the previews for both Men and Women.

Key Losses: Jason Bergstrom (2 NCAA relays), Nikita Denisyako (1 NCAA relay), Casey Strange (3 NCAA relays), Henry Stevens (diving)

Key Additions: Henrik Lindau (Sweden, sprint free/fly), Simon Frank (Sweden), Paul-Marc Schweitzer (France), Kyle Troskot (Canada, sprint free), Donny Walker (middle-distance free, backstroke)

Team Overview: Texas A&M has developed into one of the better swimming programs in the country under the radar, and they probably prefer it that way. The biggest reason that the Aggies get overlooked is because they put their entire focus on developing great relays. Consider this: A&M finaled all 5 relays at the 2010 NCAA Championships (2 A-finals, 3 B-finals), but only had 1 swimmer final.

But this is not a slight to the Aggies; they choose to have it this way. A&M had a few swimmers who had a chance to final in individuals, but scratched to focus on relays. This strategy has worked well for them. They routinely place in the top 12 at NCAA’s, even without a superstar because of this ultimate team focus.

Losing Leadership: A&M’s graduating class will include Casey Strange, who has been a rock for the Aggie program. He is a two-time Team Captain that has been an integral part of the relay strategy. Besides Strange, the Aggies will lose their two best backstrokers: Jason Bergstrom and Nikita Denisyako. Bergstrom finished 18^th at NCAA’s in the 100 backstroke, and the two split the medley relay duties at NCAA’s for A&M.

Filling Holes: In the short-term, junior John Ariens, who transferred from Hawaii before last season, will help fill the backstroke hole. Last year, he was 7^th at the Big 12 Championships in the 100 back with a time of 48.76.

A&M will have a very strong senior class this year, which is always a key to a good team. Boris Loncaric finished 7^th at 2009 NCAA’s in the 100 fly and 10^th last year, and Balazs Makany is huge for the Aggie relays. The A&M senior class will also have two outstanding breaststrokers, Nathan Lavery and Bryan Snowden, with NCAA B-final potential.

Super Sophs: The Aggies’ freshman class from last year included a crop of very strong sprinters who are chomping at the bit to take become the stars of this team. John Dalton went a 42.99 from a relay start in the 100 free at NCAA’s, and Randal Smith will fill some relay spots.

Add into the mix Omar Enriquez, who already is the best distance swimmer in school history after only 1 year. In his freshman campaign, the Mexican national broke the school records in the 400 IM, 500 free, 1000 free, and 1650 free.

Four Fabulous Foreign Freshmen: The Aggies might be pleasantly forced to stray from their singular relay focus over the next few years thanks to the monster class that they are bringing in. Head Coach Jay Holmes has dipped into the international recruiting pool to pick up four great recruits. Henrik Lindau is a Swedish giant who has already gone a 19.8 50 free and 46.9 100 fly. He was actually a member of the Swedish short-course National Record 200 medley relay. He will come in and immediately be an A-relay contributor for the Aggies.

His country-mate Simon Frank Is an IM’er with a 1:49-low and 4:13-high (converted) times in the 200 and 400, respectively.

French swimmer Marc-Paul Schweitzer is a backstroke specialist, specifically the 200, and also swims a 4:25 500 free (converted). He is one of the, if not the, best junior backstrokers in France. If he develops anything like his country-mate Camille Lacourte (who almost broke 2 backstroke world records at the European Championships), then the Aggies might have a real hidden gem.

And finally, possibly the biggest recruit for the Aggies is Kyle Troskott from Canada. Troskott is not only one of the best young swimmers in the rapidly improving Canadian program; he is one of the best freestyle sprinters in Canada, period. He recently placed third at the Canadian Long Course Nationals in the 50 free with a 23.27.

Lindau and Troskott both have the potential to score in the individuals at NCAA’s as freshmen, and during their 4 years at A&M will probably get some great experience as members of their respective National Teams. Schweitzer and Frank will be very good relay pieces, and also have the potential to develop into individual scorers. Add in Donnie Walker, the only Texan in this recruiting class, who goes a 1:40 200 free and a :50 in his 100 back, and A&M has an outstanding incoming class.

You never want to anoint a freshman class before they’ve swum their first NCAA meet, because they still have to put in work to get there, but this group has the potential over their 4 years to propel A&M to the next level on the national scene, and make the Big 12 Championship meets against in-state foe Texas much more interesting.

Aussie on Board: A&M junior Grant Nel, an Australian, scored in all 3 diving disciplines at NCAA’s, including a third place finish on the 3-meter.

Season Expectations: This Aggie squad might be the most well-rounded in a long time. They won’t have a weak event and have a great mix of youth and experience. This team should take huge strides over the season as the freshmen get acclimated to A&M’s nationally-renowned drylands program. If everything comes together, top 9 at NCAA’s should be a very achievable.