TOWSON, Md. - Six student-athletes have been selected as the Towson men's and women's swimming and diving team captains for the upcoming 2012-13 season, head coach Pat Mead has announced.

"This is the first time we’eve ever picked them in the summer," Mead said. "I think we’re at a pretty good place right now that we can pick them based on what they are doing in the summer and what they have done in the past."

The women's team will have three captains, a group which includes juniors Melanie Rowland and Kaitlin Burke and senior Adrienne Phillips.

Burke, the defending Colonial Athletic Association champion in the 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle events, has had a decorated career that includes winning the CAA Female Rookie Swimmer of the Year award for the 2010-11 season. She holds the Towson female freshman record in the 100, 200 and 500-yard freestyle events. Her time of 4:44.92 in the 500-yard freestyle won the event at the 2012 CAA Championships and ranks as the third fastest time in Towson program history.

Rowland is coming off of an outstanding experience at the United States Olympic Swimming Trials in late June, where she qualified for the 200-meter butterfly event. Her time of 2:16.62 placed her 65th among participants.

During the season for Towson, Rowland finished second in the 200-yard butterfly event at the 2012 CAA Championships with a time of 1:59.97.

Phillips was one of five Tiger female swimmers with a top time in the 1,650-yard freestyle under 17 minutes, as her 16:57.93 time swam at the CAA's was good for eighth place at the conference meet.

On the men's side, the Tiger coaching staff selected senior Zack Stone, junior Billy Pappas and diver Alex Cohen to represent the team as captains.

Stone improved exponentially as a junior, enjoying a terrific season that culminated with a pair of top-eight finishes at the 2012 CAA Championships. His time of 15:42.76 in the 1,650-yard freestyle placed him sixth at the meet, while he also finished eighth in the 500-yard freestyle with a 4:35.90 time.

Cohen was a first-year diver for the team last season after transferring from East Carolina and wasted little time making an impact. He set the school record in both the one and three-meter dives over the course of the year, accumulating 318.45 points in the three-meter event at the Delaware Diving Invite and 298.60 points at the POD meet in the one-meter diving event.

Pappas will be entering his junior season for the Tigers and has displayed a tremendous amount of hard work throughout his career. He competed in a trio of events at the 2011 CAA Championships as a freshman and followed that up by swimming his fastest times of the season as a sophomore in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley at the conference meet. Pappas timed 59.43 in the 100-yard breaststroke and 2:00.38 in the 200-yard individual medley.

"These six team members will provide guidance and support to our team this year," Mead commented. "Their experience and success in the classroom and pool is why they have been chosen by the coaching staff. Each one of them brings their own unique skill set to the team. As with any leader, an essential factor in being a successful leader is having team members that will follow their lead. This year more than ever, each team member will be put in leadership roles so that everyone learns the importance of becoming better leaders."