Embertson, Eads, and Castaneda all qualify for NCAA meet. Most ever to compete in NCAA's in single season for Oregon State.

April 28, 2005

Corvallis, Ore. -

said. "They put in a great deal of effort and I think that we are right on the edge of breaking through. [to the next level]"

Now in his second campaign at Oregon State, Liebowitz sees this year as more of a transition than his first season. That perspective seems true when you consider that the team added 10 new swimmers to fill out the roster and a host of nationally-ranked teams added to the schedule.

"This year was more of a transition year than last year," Liebowitz said. "I showed up late last year and I kind of just went along with what was here."

The Beavers finished the season with a 6-6 overall dual meet record (1-5 Pac-10). In many of those meets the Beavers held their own and won a sizable share of the events. Not bad considering that five of Oregon State's regular season opponents finished in the top-20.

"I think the tough schedule made the team feel more comfortable with the competition and therefore, easier to compete against the top teams," Liebowitz said.

Liebowitz doesn't plan on looking up at the competition for long. A competitive schedule littered with top-25 teams, is a change he hopes will bring Oregon State into the elite swimming community.

"Swimming other schools that are ranked will help us to build our future," Liebowitz said. "It will help in recruiting and help our image in the swimming community."

While swimming against some of the best programs in the country, the Beavers recorded many outstanding performances. Most notably, freshman , who raced to a team-high 25 dual meet wins en route to setting two new two school records. Her mark of 25 season victories places 5th on the all-time single season wins list. Another standout freshman, Felicia Castaneda, made an impact throughout the season and finished in the top-20 in the breaststroke at the NCAA championships.