Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University men's and women's swimming teams open the 2014-15 season Saturday, traveling down Highway 74 to face St. Andrews University in Laurinburg. The dual meet starts at 11 a.m. Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki sat down with the Bulldog sports information department to talk about the upcoming season (a transcript of his interview follows).
 
Kirk Sanocki pre-season interview transcript
 
What is different about this year's team, compared to last year's version?
 
"As always, we are very optimistic with both teams having a great opportunity to bring home hardware at the end of the season. This is a full, year-long process…the team and the coaching staff is starting the season with the end of the year in mind."
 
"We are not as balanced as we have been in years past. We have many outstanding individuals on both the women's and men's rosters. Our test as a team…will be the willingness of our student-athletes to swim non-traditional events to make up for the holes we have. We must have folks swim non-traditional events to help us from a depth perspective."
 
Talk about your men's team…
 
"Our senior class is once again outstanding. David Collum and Issam Zeraidi are two returning All-American performers. Capital One Academic All-America® candidate Sam Knapp missed his first-ever NCAA appearance by the slimmest of margins (last year). If Chris Morris can get healthy…and back to his ability level…he can help us. We have the foundation for solid leadership from our four senior men."
 
"Sophomores Roman Kanyuka and Leif-Henning Klüver finished high in the 2014 NCAA Division II meet in their respective specialties. Our freshman class will have an opportunity to make a contribution. Jerome Heidrich has the potential to be an NCAA point scorer. Mikhail Parkhomenko and Robin Siegel are both very talented…and will have a chance to score for us at both the BMC and the NCAA meets."
 
"Freshmen Tripp Wright and Brendan Ryan are inexperienced swimmers who swam fast in high school. If they continue to develop, we can be much stronger at the end of the season than we will be at the beginning of the season."
 
"To use an educational analogy…we may have trouble with some early quizzes and tests…but if we ace the final, all is well. The coaching staff is happy with the way the team is developing at this point. We are coming together nicely."
 
Talk about your women's team…
 
"We are optimistic that our women's team can achieve great things. We have much balance…we do have a few holes in our distance events, as we are not as deep distance-wise as we have been in the past. We will make up for this in areas where we are really strong."
 
"Both teams lost their top swimmer from a year ago…as the women lost Katie Pheil and the men lost Marko Blazevski. When this happens, a team must perform by committee. We have a number of swimmers on the women's side who we believe are ready to take the next step in their overall development."
 
"When one looks at our line-up…and sees Ana Fish, Rita Koryukova, Vika Arkhipova, Jessika Weiss, Olga Kosheleva and Sofia Petrenko…one sees the makings of an outstanding team."
 
"Ana Fish is the X Factor for us. She trained very diligently this summer…with (current assistant coach) Katie Pheil. She has always been solid on our relay teams. We are looking for her to step up in the individual events…beyond her significant contributions to the betterment of the team."
 
"Seniors Kellie Gervas and Jasmine Arzadon have played important roles in our successes at BMC and NCAA. Their experience as NCAA participants and NCAA scorers…cannot be underestimated."
 
"Leigh-Ann Clark and Marinela Procopii have NCAA potential based on their high school performances. Cheyanne Clouse and Miranda Seegars add depth to our chances to do well at BMC and NCAA."

Talk about the 2014-15 meet schedule…
 
"We are fortunate to be able to partner with the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center to host our quad plus meet with Lenoir-Rhyne, Catawba, Limestone and Gardner-Webb (Nov. 7-8), our Fall Frenzy Invitational (Nov. 21-23) and the BMC championships (Feb. 11-14)."
 
"We have dual meets (Queens, Florida Southern, Bridgeport and UNC Wilmington) sprinkled throughout our season. We will have a good understanding of where we are (at the end of the season) once we have navigated this schedule."
 
"After our opener at St. Andrews, we have two excellent tests with our dual meet at Queens (Nov. 1) and the Wingate Quad Plus meet (Nov. 7-8) as our number two and number three competitions. We believe the Fall Frenzy Invitational (Nov. 21-23) is the top non-Division I invitational in the nation. Our schedule provides a good blend."
 
BULLDOG NOTES
 
In 2014, the Wingate men's and women's swimming teams won both Bluegrass Mountain Conference championship meet titles for the second year in row at the Mecklenburg County Aquatics Center (MCAC) pool in downtown Charlotte. The Bulldog men rallied to take their seventh consecutive crown, while the WU women claimed their second straight title and fourth overall. Wingate head coach Kirk Sanocki earned the Bob Busby Award for Coach of the Year on the BMC women's side. Sanocki has 10 Busby Awards (six men, four women).
 
On the national scene, the Wingate women finished sixth at the 2014 NCAA Division II national championship meet with 230.5 points. Drury (Mo.) won for the fifth time in six years, compiling 486 points. Thirty-nine schools scored points in the 2014 NCAA Division II women's swimming and diving championships.
 
The Bulldog men claimed eighth place at nationals with 221 points. Drury won for the 10th consecutive season, posting 569.5 points. Thirty schools scored points in the 2014 NCAA Division II men's swimming and diving championships.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 8th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past eight years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing colleges in the 2000's with 67 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 67 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 76 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.