Nov. 7, 2001

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

Just Briefly

The Lions opened up the 2001 swim season with a tough 119-86 loss at Cal State Northridge Oct. 24. The following Friday they competed at the Pepperdine Invitational where teams competed for individual points, not against other teams. They were led by veteran swimmers Krista Zabor and Tiffany Yates, along with newcomers such as Melissa Bommarito.

Up Next

The Lions travel to Pepperdine for a dual meet on Friday before hosting their home opener against Fresno State on Saturday at the Burns Aquatics Center. The meet is scheduled for 12:00 noon.

Scouting the Bulldogs

With the Bulldogs' most recent sweep down south versus the likes of Air Force and New Mexico, the team will look to keep things rolling this weekend. The 'Dogs set three pool records at Cal Baptist, en lue of sweeping all nine relay events. Before heading to Riverside, the 'Dogs were in San Diego at the University of San Diego, where they faced Air Force and New Mexico. The relay events again proved to be the most helpful in winning the meet as the squad outscored each team. Against Air Force, Fresno State inked 69-44 and versus New Mexico, the squad accounted for 60-53.

Tiffany Yates (Sr. Freestyle - Marina Del Rey, CA) returns to the squad after rewriting the Lion's record books last season. Yates set records in the 50 free (24.47) and 100 free (54.05) events. Krista Zabor (So. Breast/IM - Phoenix, AZ) also returns to the Lions team after setting LMU records last season in the 100 Fly (58.69) and 200 IM (2:08.50) events. Alana Austin (Jr. Free - San Mateo, CA) and Lauren Roberts (Jr. Free - Newport Beach) are among the returning upperclassmen who bring their experience of two years each of Division I swimming with them back to the team. Sarah Babiarz (Sr. Free/Back - Milpitas, CA) and Yates are the only returning seniors on this year's roster.

Lions Newcomers

The Lions bring ten new swimmers aboard this season, including Melissa Bommarito (Jr. Fly - Mountain View, CA) a junior college transfer. 2001-02 freshman Lions include Breanne Melconian (Fr. Distance Free - San Mateo, CA), and Lauren Powers (Fr. Free/Fly - Newport Beach, CA). These new Lions will raise the level of practice, in turn raising the level of competition at the meets and tournaments. Overall, the Lions look to have one of the most competitive seasons in women's swimming that LMU has ever seen.

LMU Head Coach

John Loughran is the head coach of all three aquatics programs at LMU. His duties include men's and women's water polo as well as women's swimming. Loughran has spent most of his time as a swimming coach building a competitive swimming program with the Lions. He is assisted by Max Miyahara and Clay Evans for the programs. Loughran men's water polo team is currently ranked 8th in the country with the strong possibility of making an appearance in the 2001 NCAA Championships. This year they are hosting the WWPA Championships, and next year they host the NCAA Championships at the Burns Aquatics Center. Last year Loughran took his women's water polo team all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Championships.