SMU women’s swimming and diving team concluded the 2009 season ranking 27th as the NCAA Championships.

Returning this season are several team stars including Therese Svendsen, Audra Egenolf and Sascha Van den Branden.

Therese Svendsen, a junior and a backstroke expert, was named 2010 Conference USA Swimmer of the Year last April.  

As a sophomore, Svendsen placed 13th at the NCAA Championships in the 100-yard Backstroke with a time of 53.18 seconds. She earned an NCAA “A” Qualifying Time in the 100-yard Backstroke at the C-USA Championships, and two NCAA “B” qualifying times at the Missouri Grand Prix in the 100- and 200- LC meter backstrokes.

Senior, Audra Egenolf placed seventh in the 3-meter Dive and 11th in the Platform Dive at the NCAA Championships last spring.  

Egenolf finished second in the 1-meter Dive and the Platform Dive at the C-USA Championships. She is a member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll, and has three years of winnings under her belt.

Senior, Belgium native, Sascha Van den Branden also competed at the NCAA Championships, and is a member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

Last year she was won the 200-yard Freestyle and came in third in the 100-yard Freestyle at the Conference USA Championships.

This year’s season is set to kick off in October.