Tankers in Islands while divers shiver

The Michigan women's swimming team received a nice warm gift this holiday season. It was scheduled to travel to the sunny beaches of Honolulu for a training camp followed by the Hawai'i Rainbow Invitational, also in Honolulu. This trip lasted most of the winter break, while a foot of snow was dumped on Michigan.

Some people have it really tough.

The Hawai'i trip constituted the end of the fall training season. The fall season's primary purpose is to prepare for the winter meets and the Big Ten season.

Shannon Shakespeare looks to lead the Wolverines into the winter season. Swimming in the freestyle races and the individual medleys, the junior won a majority of her events in the fall. She also qualified for NCAAs and swam several strong races during last year's Big Ten Championships.

Senior Jen Eberwein is also expected to be a big contributor for Michigan in the backstroke and freestyle races. She won almost as many races in the fall season.

While the swim team spent its winter vacation poolside in Hawai'i, the diving team went south to Indianapolis.

The trip to Indianapolis finished off the fall season for the divers. There, the Wolverines competed in a diving meet against Indiana-Purdue of Indianapolis.

"They basically did us a favor because you have to have competition when you make a training trip," Michigan diving coach Dick Kimball said. "It was not a great meet, but a good practice meet for us."

There was no team score kept during the meet, but team members made some strides Kimball said. Junior Hanna Shin won the high board dive and senior Jill Unikel won the low board dive for Michigan.

"Jill has been diving well pretty much all year," Kimball said. "Amanda Crews and Hanna Shin did a good job in the meet."

The winter season begins Friday when the Wolverines travel to Knoxville to participate in the Tennessee Invitational in a dual meet against the Volunteers.

Kimball was optimistic about the upcoming winter season, expecting some quality performances out of his divers after the grueling fall training period.

"Their goal right now is to try and make finals in the Big Tens, and then we'll see from there what they can do," Kimball said.

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