October 19, 2007

L-R Participates In First Ever Swimming Meet

By:  Allen Haynes, Record Sports Writer

Hickory, N.C. - For the first time in the school’s history, Lenoir-Rhyne College will participate in a women’s swim meet.

The Bears travel to Pfeiffer University today at 4:00 p.m. to face the Falcon’s in the College’s newest sport.

Lenoir-Rhyne becomes the fourth NCAA Division II school to add swimming in the past year and continues a trend that has seen North Carolina schools Catawba, Gardner-Webb, Greensboro, Mars Hill and St. Andrews Presbyterian add men’s and/or women’s teams recently.

The Bears will compete in the Bluegrass Mountain Conference along with Pfeiffer, Limestone, Catawba, Wingate, Johns Hopkins, Savannah College of Art and Design, Transylvania, Asbury, West Virginia Wesleyan, Fairmont State, Rose-Hullman and Wheeling Jesuit.

Paul Shiffel, who is no stranger in the area when it comes to swimming, will serve as the Bears’ coach.

Shiffel has served as owner and coach of the Catawba Valley Aquatics Club and has been the head coach of the boy’s and girl’s swim teams at St. Stephen’s since 1992.

As a member of the East Carolina men’s swimming team, he earned the most valuable swimmer award as a junior and was the Pirates’ assistant coach from 1975-78.

“I’m real excited,” said Shiffel. “The girls are excited too, I’m thankful that the College decided to put together a team.”

“We have 18 girls, which is a pretty large team for a school the size of L-R,” Shiffel added. “Most of the girls were already here and had been on high school swim teams in the past, so it is a matter of getting them back into shape to be able to swim in the events.

“Hopefully we can be competitive and win some meets this year.”

Lenoir-Rhyne opens at Pfeiffer, before traveling to Salem College Nov. 9 for a non-conference meet. The Bears first home meet will be on Nov. 10 against Limestone.

They will participate in the Campbell Invitational on Nov. 16-17. After the holiday break, the Bears will host Catawba on Jan. 10, and then travel to Wingate for the regular season finale on Jan. 26.

The Bluegrass Mountain Conference Championships will be held in Charlotte Feb. 13-16.

The South Atlantic Conference does not have a swimming conference, so we joined the Bluegrass Mountain Conference consisting of teams from up and down the east coast,” Shiffel said.

“Our goal will be to represent the College and ourselves well and if we do that I will be happy.”

The home meets will be open to everyone and will have no admission charge.