After a tremendously successful season, the CSU East Bay swim team will kick off their 2013-14 season next week with hopes to repeat their successful 2012-13 season.

Now beginning  his fourth season, Head Coach Ben Loorz watched the swim program grow immensely. Last season Loorz’s team was responsible for winning 8 of their 11 meets where they finished as the top Division II school at the University of Nevada Las Vegas Invitational. In addition, they placed second overall at the Splash! Aquatic Center in La Mirada, breaking 16 school records and sent four swimmers to the NCAA division II national championships.

While the team and Loorz had many successes in the 2012-13 season, Loorz looks towards improving each year.

“We have to be able to look back and know how we could be even better than that,” said Loorz. “At the same time each year you have to start fresh and go about being the best you can be and not look too much to the future or too much to the past. One of our baseline philosophies and ways of doing business is to keep moving forward and keep pressing forward.”

The swim team enters this season without four seniors including Jenel Lopez, who is among the most decorated simmers in the school’s history. Lopez finished her swimming career at CSUEB with school records in the 50, 100, 200 free, 200, 400, 800 free relay, 400 medley relay and back to back CSUEB’s Female Athlete of the Year awards.

“What was unique about Jenel was she was so masterful across the board,” said Loorz. “It didn’t matter if we were going long or short or kicking or pulling. She was a very dominant athlete and that was due to her work ethic and determination.”

Looking toward this season, Loorz expects senior and team captains Caitlin DeNise and Brittany Rojo to have a big season as well as Rachel Knowles, who Loorz has something in common with.

“My first year was her first year here,” said Loorz. “She and I started the program the same time. She is our only fourth year senior and she had a great summer. I expect her to have a great year as well.”

Knowles holds records in both the 100 and 200 breaststroke as well as the 200 and 400-medley relay. She hopes to have a big senior season as her career swimming at East Bay winds down.

“I really want to go to nationals this season,” said Knowles who takes pride in being a fourth year senior. “It’s an awesome opportunity to have a fourth year senior. The girls I’ve gotten to get to know over the last three years; going on four years; has just been awesome.”

Before every season, Loorz meets with each swimmer to outline and set individual goals. While he recognizes that not every goal will be met; the believes the act of making that goal that is the most beneficial.

“You have got to have the courage to stick a time out there and say ‘hey, that’s what I want to do.’ or stick a goal out there and say ‘I want to make nationals,” said Loorz. “It takes courage to stick that out there because it’s a very real possibility that you won’t be able to do it but it’s the act of saying it and putting it out there that is an act of courage and every day in the pool you have to face it. You have got to have the courage to stick a time out there and say ‘hey, that’s what I want to do,’ or stick a goal out there and say ‘I want to make nationals.”

The CSUEB swim team will kick off their 2013-14 season with their first meet at Mills College in Oakland on Friday, Oct. 14.