The Sacred Heart University women's swimming and diving team suffered their second loss of the season on Nov. 8 against CW Post in Brookville, N.Y.

Despite the 112-89 loss, the team battled CW Post to the very end and secured victories in the 200 freestyle, the 1,000 freestyle, and the 200 butterfly strokes.

The program has experienced a remarkable turnaround under head coach Richard Ludemann and is a strong contender for a conference championship this season.

"We have the best team we've ever had and although we lost [on Saturday], we were only 13 points shy of beating them and last year they killed us," said senior captain Erin Bulvanoski.

The Pioneers started the season off with a 103-95 victory over Mount St. Mary's on Oct. 25 but have not been able to win since then.

In that meet, junior Johanna Kos and sophomore Jackie Balder led the way for the Pioneers as Kos took home the 200 IM with a time of 2:32.71 while Balder secured victories in the 400m and 800m events.

In their first loss of the season against Central Connecticut State University on Nov. 2, the Pioneers once again received victories from Kos and sophomore Katie Marshall as well as from the relay team of Bulvonoski, Balder, Molly McDonald, and Elyse Mannino which won their event with a time of 8:51.30.

The Pioneers also received contributions from their underclassmen as freshman Laurie Casado set a school record in the 200 yard breaststroke while Balder came in first in both the 1,000 and 500 freestyle events. Marshall also won the 200 freestyle and the 200 butterfly.

"Our [underclassmen] are a huge asset to the team and their presence has definitely shown," said senior captain Jen Crowley.

The team's strong work ethic and commitment is also proving to be the difference maker thus far.

"We have been working really hard since September and it has really shown," said senior captain Jacqueline Sweeney.

While the team remains focused on each regular season meet, their ultimate goal is to have a successful showing in the NEC championships.

"We're not thinking too much of the dual meets; we're more focused on the championships in February," said Bulvanoski, "The championships are the most important goal for our team."

The Pioneers' will return to the pool tomorrow when they compete in the three day Rutgers Invitational in New Brunswick, N.J.