The Blue Wave welcomed Alfred University and Fredonia for the Geneseo Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 27. Both the men's and women's teams placed first, with the women winning outright and the men sharing the lead with Alfred.
While the men only won three total events, a number of high finishes helped them pick up quality points. "We only won three events, but we always placed high earning us some important points," said Coach Paul Dotterweich, who was pleased with the result. "Alfred has a strong team, and it was good to come out with a tie."
Senior Chris Norton finished first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.30, while freshmen Mike DelDuca and Andrew Gorcica placed third and fourth, respectively. Junior Charlie Hake won the 50-yard freestyle by finishing with a time of 22.29, and fellow senior John Zolna placed second with a time of 22.40. Norton also came in fourth in the 50 freestyle.
Events like this, where a group of Geneseo swimmers placed among the top five, were important to picking up the tie. "Our team depth allowed us to stay in the meet," added Dotterweich.
Hake, Zolna, junior Clint Sugnet, and freshman Drew Rogers combined to win the 200-yard freestyle relay with a final time of 1:28.43. Freshmen William DeMoulin, Paul Kaleka and Ricky Krebs all put in strong performances in the diving portion of the invitational, helping the Blue Wave keep up with Alfred.
The women had little trouble with the opposition, placing high in all of the events. "We expected to perform well in this invitational, Alfred and Fredonia have weak squads," said Dotterweich, who uses events like the Geneseo Invitational to judge the younger swimmers and decide who to put on the travel team.
Freshman Jennifer Anthone placed first in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle heats, with fellow freshman Michelle Rodriguez placing second in both events. Senior Justine Diaz won the 1000-yard freestyle in a time of 11:23.85 and also won the 500-yard freestyle. Junior Lindsay Dressel won the 100-yard butterfly and 200-yard individual medley, while sophomore Katie Linehan finished first in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke.
The Blue Wave has some important meets coming up, and the invitational helped them prepare, giving the coaches a chance to see more swimmers in meets. There are more swimmers than spots on the travel team, and they need to best decide who take with them as the season progresses.