As the top 16 Teams in Guilford History countdown continues, the teams are getting harder and harder to separate. This week is so close I feel we need to take a look at two; taking the 13th and 12th spot on the list are the 2007-2008 women’s swim team as well as the 2007 men’s cross country team.For starters, this was and is, the Quakers’ best swimming team to date. The team posted an impressive record of 8-5 overall with a .571 winning percentage, while achieving a winning record in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) for the first time, going 4-3 with a .615 winning percentage. These results were directly affected by four returning letter winners, amongst these being co-team captains Genevieve Holmes 08′ and Amanda Oehlert 08′.

Holmes helped set two school records that year while competing at the ODAC/Atlantic State Championships: one in the 200m medley relay with an incredible combined time of 2:06.03, while the other coming in the 400m medley relay with a combined time of 4:37.60.

Oehlert anchored the 800 freestyle relay team, helping them finish with the third best time in school history, putting up a 9:20.73 time while competing at the same ODAC/ Athletic State Championship event.

Another huge contributor to the team’s success came from sensational sophomore Justine Merritt 10′. Her performances in the water that year earned her two ODAC Swimmer of the Week honors. She went on to set school records in three individual events that year; including her 1:11.58 100m breaststroke, a 59.10 in the 100m free style, and her school record holding 2:11.16 in the 200m free style.

Those kinds of numbers would help head coach Steve Kaczmarek in choosing Merritt to become the 2009-2010 team captain.

The team looks to make a big splash this year as they hit the pool Nov. 13 against Sweet Briar and cross-town rival Greensboro College.

The 2007 men’s cross country team has their own fair share of accolades as well. The team finished sixth in the highly competitive ODAC Championship that year, racking up just 206 points.

The team also went on to finish first in two Invitational events that year. First in the Salem Invitational, and Greensboro Cross Country Invitational where the team secured victory in the Division III category by edging out neighboring Greensboro College 37 to 40.

The team relied on the much decorated upper-classman leadership of Jeremiah Bante 08′ and Brett McDonough 08′. Along with six other letter-winning Quakers, the team had the experience to pile together great collective performances as well as impressive individual times.

Bante, who competed in seven of the eight cross country events, would be awarded his fourth letter that year, making him one of the first to receive such honors in cross country. His personal best that year came at the Greensboro Cross Country Invitational, where he would put up a time of 28:48.1 in the eight kilometer, finishing 30th overall. On Oct. 4 of that year, the university would recognize him as the Guilford Athlete of the Week.

McDonough, also a four-year letter winner, had a personal best finishing time of 32:11.0 at the NCAA Regionals.

Perhaps the biggest surprise came from then first-year Jeremy Wang. The Jamestown, N.C. native had four of Guilford’s best times in four different races that year. At the Old North State Championships he finished with a time of 30:21.8 in the eight kilometer and was 13th overall. This performance earned him First Team All-State Division II/III honors. He would also go on that year to be named Most Valuable Runner for the Quakers.

This year’s team has come out of the gate running, already finishing no lower than third in the three events they have attended this year, and placing first out of seven at the Guilford College X-C Carnival and third out of twelve in the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, NC. With performances like these, this year’s team looks to make a mark for itself, perhaps even surpassing the 2007 team.

Look for the Quakers to continue to strive for excellence as they partake in the N.C. Collegiate Championships here at Guilford on Oct. 16.