WASHINGTON, Pa. — If Brittany Vogel lacked confidence, she came to the right place.

The 2008 Butler graduate, a freshman on the Washington & Jefferson College women's swim team, is doing much better than anyone — especially herself — expected.

"I'm not surprised our team is doing good because we have a lot of talent in the pool,"Vogel said. "But me, myself?My times are drastically better. It's just hard to believe."

Vogel had Butler's best finish in the WPIALmeet as a senior last season, taking ninth place in the 100-meter backstroke.

As a college freshman this year, first place has been a common finish for her.

"I guess I've always had a confidence problem,"Vogel admitted. "I was never quite sure I could compete at this level."

If she's not sure, her coach certainly is.

"We've only started to scratch the surface with her," longtime W&J coach Mike Orstein said of Vogel. "Brittany is a terrific, hard-working athlete.

"She's a bright young lady who is easy to teach, because she's a good listener. And she has a will to win that you can't teach in the water."

Orstein would know. He's done plenty of winning in his 20 years of coaching at W&J.

He has an overall coaching record of 400-162 in dual meets, 341-137 with the Presidents. He has won 15 Presidents' Athletic Conference Coach of the Year awards, nine PACtitles, coached eight national champions and 15 all-Americans.

Orstein has coached 221 individual conference champions — and believes Vogel may soon join that list.

"When Brittany came in here, she was unsure of herself. She questioned her ability,"Orstein said. "We emphasize positive thinking here. If you train hard and work hard, you should expect to win.

"The mind is a powerful thing. You can use it as a plus or a negative. Brittany has taken our way of thinking to heart."

The Presidents have 13 freshmen and five sophomores on their 22-swimmer roster, yet are 9-0 so far this season.

Vogel has been a big reason why, dominating many meets in the individual medley and backstroke.

At the Longnecker Invitational, W&J's last meet, Vogel helped the Presidents to a second-place finish by winning the 200 individual medley in 2 minutes, 12.77 seconds, and the 400 individual medley in 4:45.92.

She swam the first leg of the Presidents' 400 medley relay and 800 freestyle relay, helping both units to second-place finishes.

"I think the fresh start has had a lot to do with it,"Vogel said of her early success. "Coming out to a new place, new team, new coach, it almost felt like I was starting over."

Orstein said he saw Vogel compete at the WPIALmeet and other swim competitions, which prompted him to send her a packet of information and a questionnaire.

"She sent it back, we liked her answers and invited her down for a visit,"Orstein said. "We proved to be a good fit for each other."

Vogel agreed. A chemistry major, she liked the school's pre-health program.

"I came down, stayed overnight and felt really comfortable around the team,"Vogel said. "I knew there were a lot of freshmen coming in and that we'd be young. That just made it more exciting.

"If we all stay together over the next few years, we could do some pretty special things. I can see some of these girls winning conference titles and getting to nationals."

Reluctantly, she included herself in that group.

"I want to get under 2:10 in the 200 back and IM,"she said.

"She's good in all of the strokes, but her best shot (at a PACtitle) is in the 200 back,"Orstein said.

"The key to success is surrounding yourself with good people. That's certainly worked in my case and Brittany is a prime example of that."