The SMU’s women’s team has three returning swimmers who competed at the NCAA championships (Michael Danser/The Daily Campus)

With little more than a month before their season opener against Rice University, the SMU women’s swim team is hoping to set a high standard in their first meet.

On Oct. 15 the team will travel to Houston to compete

against Rice, the defending Conference USA champions.

Last year Rice won its first conference women’s swim title with a score of 702 points. SMU placed third with 658 points.

This was the first time in five years the Mustangs had not won the title.

Despite losing the title last year to Rice the SMU women’s swim coach Steve Collins is looking forward to the faceoff against their conference rival.

Collins believes the meet will show his team where they are in relation to Rice thus setting the pace for the rest of the season. Collins also thinks competing against the defending champs will provide additional motivation for his team.

The meet against Rice will also provide new swimmers on the team their first opportunity to compete for SMU. Collins believes this meet will provide the team a chance to come together.

The first-year-students do have strong leadership in their upperclassman teammates. Captain Therese Svendesen won six races at the Conference USA championship in

February. For her success Svendesen was named Swimmer of the Meet. Individually, Svendesen set records in the 100 and 200-yard backstroke, and won the 200-yard individual relay. She was also a member of three winning relays.

In March Svendesen later placed ninth in the NCAA championship for her 100-yard-backstroke and 19th for 200-yard backstroke.

Two other returning swimmers competed in the NCAA championship. Nina Rangelova placed 27 in the 200-yard freestlye, while Genny Konicke placed 53 and 54 in the 100 yard-freestlye and 500-yard freestyle respectively.

Collins considers the returning NCAA swimmers to be a strong asset to the rest of the team.

“Each of the returning NCAA swimmers will lead by example, and give confidence to their teammates that they can achieve this type of NCAA success,” Collins said.

For Denisa Smolenova the season also marks an opportunity to prepare for a possible return to the Olympics.

In 2008 Smoelnova represented her home country of Slovakia in the 2008 Bejing Olympics. She competed in the 200-meter butterfly.

She has won the 200-yard-butterfly at the Conference-USA Championship the last two years.

With strong leadership the team is hoping to win back the Conference-USA championship.

Before they get there the team is hoping to win the support of the SMU community.

Following the meet against Rice SMU women’s swim team

will host their annual invitational on Oct. 21 and 22. They will be hosting three top ten teams including number six, the University of Texas.