The college swimming season has resumed in earnest after the holidays for a number of former area high school athletes.

O’Neal graduate Greg Doughty is a captain of the SMU team that dropped a home meet last Saturday to Georgia. The senior finished fifth in the 100-yard butterfly event and was a member of the 200 medley relay quartet that came in fourth.

The economics major is a Conference USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection. He received All-America recognition while at O’Neal and in college as a member of the 200 freestyle relay team that placed 10th at the 2009 NCAA championships.

Sage Erskine, a teammate of Doughty at O’Neal, competes for Brown University. During the team’s recent training session in Florida, the senior was a member of the 200 medley relay team that took first in a dual meet against Ivy League foe Penn.

Campbell University junior Emily Michael was scheduled to swim at North Carolina A&T on Friday in the team’s first meet in almost two months. She is expected to perform in the breaststroke event in which she won a state title and had two runner-up finishes while at Union Pines.

Pinecrest graduate Casey Cooper is a freshman member of the N.C. State team that was to entertain Georgia Tech in an ACC dual meet on Saturday. She got her feet wet at the college level in backstroke and freestyle events during the fall season.

Another pair of former O’Neal teammates are among the leading scorers for their respective women’s college basketball teams. Covenant College (Ga.) sharp-shooter Margaret Cross is second on her team with a 13.3 average. The junior guard has scored 20 or more points in three of the Scots’ eight games, and leads the team in three-point baskets.

In a game last week, Kristin Stewart scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked six shots, helping Meredith College defeat Huntington 81-40. The former Falcon center from Sanford is third on the Avenging Angels, averaging 10.2 points per game. She has been almost automatic at the free throw line, converting 38 of 44 chances (86.4 percent).

Also in women’s basketball, former Union Pines star and North Carolina A&T freshman Alishia Mosley drained a three to set off a decisive run in the Aggies’ 69-50 victory over Bethune Cookman at home on Monday. The Aggies are off to a 3-0 start in the Div. 1 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The wintry weather makes it difficult to picture college baseball getting under way in this part of the country in about 30 days. Pinecrest graduate Seth Maness is a candidate to take the mound on Feb. 18 when East Carolina opens the season in Greenville against Youngstown State.

The 2010 Conference-USA Pitcher of the Year as a junior has been named to two more pre-season All-American teams. The three include National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (second team), College Baseball-Louisville Slugger (third team) and College Baseball Lineup (third team).

Contact Charlie Bergmann at cbergmann@nc.rr.com.