The Geneseo men's and women's swimming and diving teams closed out their regular season in Oswego on Saturday, with the men picking up a decisive victory and the women falling short.
Leading the men in their 137-110 triumph was senior James Kallio, who continued his strong season by posting wins in the 200 yard IM with a time of 2:02.62, and the 200 yard breaststroke in 2:13.72. Fellow senior Phil Szrama captured the 200 yard backstroke in 2:01:43. Sophomore Charlie Hake and junior Chris Norton also tallied individual wins, with Hake taking the 50 yard freestyle in 21.69 and Norton finishing the 200 yard fly in 2:03.29.
The men's relay squads also came up big for the Blue Wave, with the team of Szrama, Kallio, Norton and senior John Zolna claiming the 400 yard medley relay in 3:36.09. The contingent of sophomore Sig Culhane, senior Jerry Hinman, Hake, and Zolna won the 400 yard freestyle relay in 3:15.35.
The win was a fitting conclusion to a perfect dual meet season for the men, as they finished with an unblemished 8-0 mark heading into the SUNYAC Championship.
The women's team narrowly missed finishing with an identical dual meet record, as they fell to Oswego by the count of 137-110 to close out the regular season at 7-1.
Sophomore Lindsay Dressel and freshman Sierra Achin checked in with individual victories for the Blue Wave. Dressel won the 200 yard IM in 2:14.64, while Achin took the 200 yard breaststroke in 2:32.14.
The team was also victorious in the 400 yard medley relay, as the quartet of senior Lindsay Fial, sophomore Jessie Cocco, freshman Natalie Thorpe, and junior Maren McDonald won the race in 4:10.92. Meanwhile, freshman Katie Linehan, senior K.C. Monahan, Dressel and freshman Mae Lankes teamed up to finish in 3:34.41 and win the 400 yard freestyle.
Despite losing the meet and some of the momentum gained from their 7-0 start, the women's team, who coach Paul Dotterweich proclaimed is "a much stronger team than last season," has high hopes to improve upon last season's fourth place finish in SUNYACs.
Their male counterparts, meanwhile, have a target on their backs heading into the conference championship. Having won eight consecutive SUNYAC titles, including a resounding victory last season over runner-up Cortland, Dotterweich knows his squad must stay humble to maintain its recent success.
"We're a little less versatile than last season," he stated. "Cortland is much improved. We had big shoes to fill this year, and I think it's going to be a much closer meet."
One element Dotterweich need not worry about is the team's energy and anticipation. Sophomore swimmer Sig Culhane made that much clear. "The team has worked harder than ever this year," he declared. "We're excited and ready to continue our SUNYAC championship streak."
The Blue Wave won't have to wait much longer for their chance. The SUNYAC Championships will take place Feb. 8-10 at Erie Community College.