FREDONIA, N.Y. – Last season, the Fredonia women's swimming and diving team continued its ascension up the SUNYAC standings -- moving from fifth to fourth place. Repeating that finish will be a tall order.

The Blue Devils lost nine seniors to graduation, key among them Larissa Dobson, a First Team All-SUNYAC in the 100-yard and 200-yard breast stroke. Those losses will be offset somewhat with return of SUNYAC champion Meghan Bartlett (Johnstown, N.Y. / Johnstown), who won both the 3-meter and 1-meter boards, and Sam Rokos (Delanson, N.Y. / Duanesburg), who was the runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle.

Head coach Arthur Wang will get his first look at his team against outside competition Saturday when the Blue Devils travel to Allegheny College for the season-opening meet. It's the earliest first meet by a Fredonia team in recent memory.

Here's a capsule look at the 2015-16 team:

DIVING -- Diving will once again be a key to the team's overall success in a program that boasts two national champions and several All Americans in its recent history. Bartlett, a junior, is the latest All American. She earned that distinction in 2015 off both the 1-meter and 3-meter springboards. She was also the 2015 SUNYAC Female Diver of the Meet and an NCAA Zone Meet champion. 

Samantha Kowaleski (Cowlesville, N.Y. / Attica), also a junior, finished in the top six off both boards last year at the conference meet. Two freshmen, Julie Coomer (East Aurora, N.Y. / Iroquois) and Kaitlin Rosato (Macedon, N.Y. / Palmyra Macedon), round on the group.

SWIMMING -- There are just two seniors in the group, Rokos and Lauren Goeing (Clarence, N.Y./Clarence). Third in the SUNYAC 200-yard freestyle last year. Rokos has the potential to move up this year. Said Wang: "I want her to be more selfish and focused on an individual event, which is hard for her because she is so team oriented." Goeing, a breaststroker, has drawn similar expectations from her coach -- and for good reason. "I would like to see her in the top eight in both breast strokes," he said. "She is one of the most improved swimmers I have ever coached."  

Of the underclassmen, Danielle Dembrow (Lockport, N.Y. / Lockport) heads the list of juniors. She figures to be the team's best bet in the breast stroke. The other juniors are newcomers this year: Regina Siegel (Hauppauge, N.Y. / Hauppauge) and Chelsea Spiegel (Spencerport, N.Y. / Spencerport). The lone sophomore is Taylor Chwalinski (West Seneca, N.Y. / West Seneca), a specialist in the butterfly and the backstroke. Meanwhile, freshmen Caroline Bilotti (Spring Lake, N.J. / Manasquan), Audrey Gramlich (Rochester, N.Y. / Eastridge), and Megan Rupp (Cape Vincent, N.Y. / Thousand Islands) will look to make a mark in their first collegiate season.

Do the Blue Devils have the depth and experience to finish among the top teams in the conference? "Fifth or sixth would be more likely," Wang said. "Is it where I want to be? No. We took a big hit to graduation."