BARBOURVILLE, Ky. - The 2008-09 Union College women's swim team has higher goals after a 21st-place finish at the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championship and the season starts Saturday at University of the Cumberlands.

Head coach Rafael Forti only has one senior on his roster of nine swimmers. Three of the five returners were a part of last season's national team and combined for 16 swims.

The most decorated Lady Bulldog swimmer, Mollie Messmer (Scott City, Mo.), returns for her junior year. All she has done while at Union is set 14 individual records and she was a part of all five of the school's relay records. Two of the individual records were broken last season along with four of the relay records. Messmer, the team captain this season, posted a 13th-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley which is the second best individual national finish by a Lady Bulldog in the modern era. The best is a 10th-place swim, by Messmer, in the 1,650 freestyle in 2007.

Kelli Rogers (Elizabethtown, Ky.) and Madalyn Kamkar (Barbourville, Ky.) are also juniors on the squad. Rogers was on all four Union relay records that were broken last season. She is a long distance freestyle swimmer on the squad while Kamkar will focus on the backstroke.

Rogers is a long-distance freestyle swimmer and in comparison, Kamkar is a sprinter and Forti's tallest swimmer.

Kristina Kirk (Versailles, Ky.) broke the 200 backstroke school record and swam in the event at nationals. The sophomore is also a member of the Union soccer team.

Dena Gonzalez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is the lone senior on the roster. She brings additional development Forti commented about the backstroke swimmer.

The quartet of incoming freshmen filled holes and might be the strongest freshman class during Forti's tenure. Maria Esswein (Perryville, Mo.) and Tamsin Petersen (Johannesburg, South Africa) will compete in butterfly events. Petersen will add individual medley races as well. Molly Fittro (Seaside, Calif.) is the lone freestyle swimmer in the class and Cornti Thrasher (Somerset, Ky.) joins the team as a breaststroke swimmer.

The home portion of the schedule starts on October 25 when Campbellsville (Ky.) University and Bellarmine (Ky.) University visit Barbourville. Union will swim at the Appalachian Swimming and Diving Conference Championship in February before the NAIA Swimming and Diving National Championship in St. Louis, Mo. from March 4 to 7.