In swimming, improvement is measured from the beginning of the season to the end.

Coach Jeff Wren is hoping his University of Maine swimming and diving teams achieve significant progress during 2003-04.

The Black Bears feature 28 women, including 19 products of Maine high school programs. The men’s team includes only 17 members, of which 13 competed at Maine high schools.

With the competition tougher than ever in America East with the addition of Maryland Baltimore County, UMaine will attempt to maintain its reputation as a highly competitive program. Both teams finished fifth in the 2003 league championships.

“We’re hoping to see a lot of growth as we’re somewhat inexperienced,” said Wren, who has been a fixture at Wallace Pool since it opened in the fall of 1971.

The UMaine women have 20 freshmen and sophomores on a squad with eight upperclassmen. Would-be senior Katrine Alcaide, the Bears’ top freestyle sprinter, is taking the year off from school in an attempt to qualify for the Olympic Trials.

Among the veteran leaders is senior Kate Abbott of Readfield, who finished fourth in the 1,650 free and sixth in the 500 free at the AE title meet and was the top female student-athlete among league swimmers last winter.

Senior Stephanie Smietana returns as one of the league’s best backstrokers, having placed third in the 200 and fourth in the 100 in the AE meet. She also can swim butterfly or freestyle.

Junior Karin Feldman from Israel is another top performer. She has gravitated toward the freestyle sprints (50, 100, 200) but also can score in the butterfly.

Sophomores Crystie McGrail (6th 200 breaststroke, 7th 100 fly) and Brittany Harrington (5th 400 individual medley, 8th 200 breaststroke) are strong in the IM, while McGrail is chasing the UMaine 100 butterfly record.

The Bears have welcomed another Israeli, Tal Shpaizer, who has made an immediate impact. The versatile freshman is expected to be a force in the 100 and 200 backstroke. She threatened the school’s 100 fly record in UMaine’s opening meet against Rhode Island.

“Shpaizer and Smietana should be among the best backstrokers in the league,” Wren said. “Tal’s also a very good butterflyer and maybe IMer.”

Wren said the Bears will need to beef up their long butterfly and short breaststroke swims, and they don’t have a “stopper” in the 50 free.

An area of improvement for the women is the diving squad. Sammy Hartery of Bangor and Shannon Scott of Cumberland are two top freshman recruits, while walk-ons Jessica Pratt of Eddington, a freshman, and former Bangor High swimmer-turned-diver Katherine Mullen, a sophomore, have joined the mix with returnees Kristen Johnson of Lewiston and Ashley Schumacher of Cumberland.

“We have a much deeper diving team than we’ve had in a long time,” Wren said.

The UMaine men are still trying to overcome the negative publicity generated by threats of cutting the program 11/2 years ago. But they’ll be competitive.

Jake Jentzer of Bangor returns for his senior season after a solid junior year that was affected by his difficult academic course load. Last year’s top AE swimmer student-athlete missed the team’s first meet while interviewing for medical school.

Jentzer specializes in the freestyle and butterfly. He is complemented by the likes of junior Zach Gray of Windsor, another freestyle standout, and sophomore Zach Weinman, who excels in the IM and can score in the backstroke events.

Junior Andy Magiera of Surry (4th, 1650 free; 6th, 200 free; 7th, 500 free at the conference championships) is another mainstay.

Freshman Martin Fitch of Bangor has been a nice addition. He swam the Bears’ fastest 400 IM dual-meet time in 10 years in the season’s opening meet. He’ll likely see duty in the 200 breaststroke, among other events.

One-year Russian exchange student Yury Pavlov will contribute, perhaps in the 100 free.

Sophomore divers Chris Rodway of Brewer and Justin Alley of Bangor “are going to be among the best in America East,” said Wren, who envisions the 100 and 200 free, along with the IMs, to be among UMaine’s best events.