Husson swim team springs off blocks Fogler coach for Eagle women

The coach is young and hip. The team is tight-knit and motivated.

All is well for the first-year Husson College women’s swim team.

In fact, junior butterfly and backstroke specialist Stephanie Taylor of Topsham, who transferred from St. Joseph’s College (Conn.), paid coach Krystal Fogler the ultimate compliment.

“We started the season with 11 girls and we still have 11 girls. That’s a feat in itself,” Taylor said. “The swim team I came from [at St. Joseph’s], we’d start the year with 25 girls and we’d be down to 12 [by the first meet].

“That says a lot about coach,” added Taylor. “She’s very encouraging and she meshes real well with us. She hasn’t made the workouts so tough that no one wants to do them any more. She’s very hip and she’s also mother-like. She buys us food on the road trips. We have fun.”

Fogler said, “I want them to have a good time.”

The 25-year-old former University of Maine phenom said her primary goals this season are to “get the girls comfortable in the Division III setting, get them to swim well and have fun” while also stressing that academics come first.

She said they have been a treat to coach.

“I love this group. They’re a lot of fun. There are different ability levels and different personalities, but they have come together really well,” said Fogler, who coached the Old Town High School girls team last winter.

And the future is bright as there isn’t a senior on the roster and recruiting is going “real well.

“There are quite a few girls interested in coming next season. I’ve made a lot of contacts already. I’ll be out recruiting during the high school season,” said Fogler.

She fully expects her team to be competitive this season and the Eagles already have proven to be in their first two meets.

“What we need is a little more depth. We need probably five or six more girls so we could carry a team of 16 or 18, which would really be ideal. That’s definitely something we can achieve next year,” said Fogler.

The Eagles are led by freshman Cammi Howard, a high school All-American at Bangor High and a three-time Penobscot Valley Conference Swimmer of the Year.

She has already won five of her six individual events and was touched out in the other, the 200 breaststroke. She can swim virtually every stroke.

Taylor, who also coaches the Hurricanes Swim Club in her spare time, has been impressive in the 200 butterfly and backstroke.

“Cammi and Stephanie have already qualified for the New Englands,” said Fogler, referring to the New England Division III championships Feb. 16-19 at Bentley College (Mass.).

Harpswell’s Katy Vance has looked good in the breaststroke and short-distance freestyle events; Eddington’s Amanda Morrison has done well in the freestyle sprints, backstroke and butterfly; Nicole Poulin of Berlin, N.H., Katrina Huntley of Corinth and Heather McRee of Brewer are specialists in the freestyle sprint events as are Moose River’s Jamie Keiper and Ashley Krukowski.

Keiper and Krukowski also swim the backstroke.

Kate DeFlumeri of Sturbridge, Mass., and Kelsey Haddix of Holden swim the 500 freestyle and DeFlumeri also does the 200 freestyle.

Fogler is hoping that at least two more of her swimmers can qualify for the New Englands so they can put together some relay teams.

The Eagles don’t have any home meets this season but Fogler said they should have some next season.

Their next meet is Friday, Nov. 18 at UMaine.

“I think we’re going to do really well this season,” predicted Taylor.