Michaela Nolte, ODAC Breaststroke Queen

By Nelson Helm, Swimming World College Intern

In the rural city of Emory, Virgina, Michaela Nolte is carving herself a place among the nation’s elite NCAA Division 3 breaststrokers.

The Emory and Henry College sophomore was named Rookie of the Year at the 2014 ODAC Championships for her two individual and relay wins. Nolte helped the team finish in second place, behind ODAC powerhouse Washington and Lee.

Nolte is among the surge of talented student-athletes recruited to Emory and Henry by head coach Dave Griffore. In his third year as head coach, Griffore has brought the team to new heights. Competing without a full squad in all three of his years, Griffore has helped the team jump up in the ODAC and National rankings.

“We have been very fortunate to attract great swimmers to E&H,” he said. “At first I had to sell my coaching background since I had no team yet, but now that we have had a few years of success we can show that this is a great place to excel both athletically and academically.”

Griffore said that the first class that he recruited was crucial for the program to excel moving forwards. Since he wanted to create a championship program, that first class needed to create a “winning environment.” And they did. In his first year at the helm, Griffore helped the team place fourth, their highest finish at the time.

In August of 2013, a year after Griffore took the reigns at the small school, a new recruiting class came to campus, with Nolte among the stars of her class.

“I decided to go to Emory and Henry because I wanted to be able to focus on my academics while being a part of a swim team,” Nolte said. “It is exciting to be part of a rising program because each year we grow and become a faster team.”

The current sophomore class is the first that Griffore had an entire year to recruit. He said that they “improved a great deal” throughout the course of the season and that they “went beyond what we hoped for.”

In her freshman campaign, Nolte said that she didn’t expect to go any certain times, but was more focused on “competing with her competition.” And compete she did.

At the 2014 ODAC Championships, Nolte posted NCAA ‘B’ cuts in both breaststroke distances, going 1:05.49 in the 100 distance and 2:22.81 in the 200. She also set new ODAC records in the process. She walked away from the meet with ODAC Rookie of the Year honors. She also helped the team to a second place finish, with perennial power Washington and Lee finishing ahead.

Flash to the current season, Griffore pulled in another large recruiting class, putting the team one person short of a full conference roster. But, their lack of bodies hasn’t stopped the team yet.

This year, the team has placed second at ODAC Relays, behind Washington and Lee. The team also finished first at the Union Winter Invitational, placing ahead of NCAA Division II teams.

Nolte was once again leading the charge for the team. The sophomore won both breaststroke events, setting a new ODAC record of 1:05.46 in the 100 distance. She was also a member of two winning relays.

Nolte said she expected to swim well based off of the hard work the team had put in during practices and in the weight room. She also said that they had a mini-taper and wore fast suits, which “helped [them] mentally.”

Both Nolte and Griffore had the same goals for the program: to win the ODAC Championship and send swimmers to Nationals.

“The goal has always been to build this into a championship program,” Griffore said. “It is going to be difficult to win the ODACs, but that is what we are building to in these first four years. Moving the program to the national level is also a major goal of this program, and we have a great chance of getting there this season.”

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