Lady Pens Swimming & Diving History
Women’s swimming and diving began at Youngstown State in the 1975-76 season with Cindy Loehr as the sport’s first head coach. For the first few years, the team steadily built up to be competitive, but the program took off in the 1982-83 season under head coach Joe Kemper. The program was reinstated at YSU in 1996 after being halted in 1987. Originally, the program was in operation from 1975 through 1987. Matt Anderson is the head coach, the ninth in the program’s history. In 2004, Erin Carter became the first Penguin to win a Horizon League swimming individual conference title winning the 400-yard individual medley. Since 2004, the lady birds have won five individual conference championships and currently own 21 school records. YSU has had over 30 league top-five finishes.
Last year, Ashley Dow was the League's diver-of-the-year. Dow is the first Penguin swimmer in Division I school history to win two events at a conference meet. She also set a school and league mark in the 100 back-stroke.
YSU has been strong in the diving events
since 1999. YSU divers have won 12 individual
conference titles. In addition, there has been five NCAA Zone Championship qualifiers and two YSU Student-Athletes
of the Year.
Brandi Goettsch was a three-time conference diver of the year, earning two Mid- Continent Conference and a Horizon League award. In 1999, she won the three-meters and one-meter competition at the Mid-Con. In 2000, she won the one-meter. In 2001, she won the three meters at the final Mid-Con meet and won the three meters at the 2002 Horizon League meet. In 2003, Kalyn Leveto won both the one and three meters at the Horizon League meet earning Diver-of-the-Year honors. In 2004, she won the three meters and again was the Diver of the Year.
In the early 1980’s the Penguins had a nationally-recognized Division II program. YSU had numerous All- Americans and in 1983, Janet Kemper won the NCAA Division II 50-yard butterfly. As a team, the Penguins’ best Division II finish was 11th in 1984. YSU was also 14th in 1983, 15th in 1986 and 20th in 1985.
Prepared, in part, by YSU Sports Information Director Trevor Parks
