Upcoming Event: Swimming & Diving versus Boston College on September 26, 2025 at 4 p.m. Diving / 5 p.m. Swimming
/
4 p.m. Diving / 5 p.m. Swimming
Swimming & Diving
vs Boston College
2014-15 Swimming & Diving Preview: Breaststroke
10/4/2014 9:09:00 AM | Swimming & Diving
DURHAM, N.C. – Under the direction of head coach Dan Colella, the Duke men and women have built a tradition of producing strong breaststroke swimmers. The program will look to continue that legacy in 2014-15 despite the graduation of two All-ACC performers in Hunter Knight and Christine Wixted.
2014 Postseason Results:
Wixted made her second-straight appearance at the NCAA Championship in 2014 and garnered the first All-America accolades of her career with a 16th-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke. The 2014 Duke graduate reached the championship final in the 100 and 200 at her final ACC meet and broke her own school records in the events during the course of the season. Wixted was joined in the 200 breaststroke 'A' final by graduate student Emily Barber, who rounded out her collegiate career with an eighth-place finish in addition to a 12th-place showing at the 100-yard distance.
The Duke men also had a representative in the breaststroke events at the 2014 NCAA Championship, as Knight qualified for the national meet for the first time in his career. He set a program record in the 200 with a fourth-place finish at the conference championship, and took fifth in the 100 at the same meet behind teammate Peter Kropp, who finished fourth at 53.34.
Key Returners:
Colella anticipates a big season from sophomore Ashleigh Shanley, who battled through illness at the ACC Championship. Shanley also had a setback due to injury over the summer, but has rebounded quickly and looks to pick up where she left off in her training last year. Senior Katherine Plevka will also be back after overcoming an injury that forced her to miss the 2013-14 season.
Kropp headlines a group on the men's side that possesses great depth heading into the season. He and fellow sophomore Dylan Payne both achieved U.S. Olympic Trials cuts in breaststroke events over the summer, with Kropp advancing to the 100m breaststroke final at the 2014 Phillips 66 National Championships. The Los Angeles, Calif., native also earned a silver medal in the same event at the Speedo Junior National Championships and was named to USA Swimming's Junior National Team in September.
Sophomore Mike Seaberg also turned in strong performances during the summer, winning the 100m breaststroke at the Maryland LSC Long Course Championships. Junior Victor Chen brings ACC Championship experience to the group and has demonstrated improvement in each of his two seasons.
Newcomers to Watch:
The Blue Devil women brought in two breaststroke standouts in Abby Artmann and Catie Miller in the latest recruiting class. Artmann placed sixth in the 200 breaststroke at Junior Nationals as a high school junior and is a USA Summer and Winter Junior Nationals qualifier, while Miller has previously qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, World Championship trials and Summer and Winter Junior Nationals.
Colella's Take:
“Christine and Emily were big losses for our women but we have two freshmen who have some great potential and who posted some really great times their senior year. Breaststroke continues to be one of our premier events on our men's side. We had some great depth last year and we'll continue to have great depth there. It's going to be a group of breaststrokers that all have the potential to score at ACC Championships.”
The Blue Devils host the program's traditional Blue/White intrasquad scrimmage Saturday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. in Taishoff Aquatic Pavilion.
#GoDuke
Players Mentioned
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke
/ Swimming & Diving
Breaststroke
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/Fly/Sprnt
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & Diving
Breast/IM
/ Swimming & DivingDuke Athletics: A Tour of Campus
Saturday, October 19
A Century of Blue Devil Brilliance
Saturday, October 19
Senior Social Kick: Kevin Explains Cubed Food Theory
Friday, March 10
Senior Social Kick: Brad Solves a Rubik's Cube
Friday, March 10
