The Geneseo men's and women's swimming and diving teams traveled to Fredonia this past weekend, further asserting themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the SUNYAC. Both teams came away with victories, with the men winning by a margin of 159-132 and the women winning 154-137, improving both team's season records to 2-0.
Fredonia's swimming and diving is a young program that has been rebuilding to compete with some of the more talented teams in the conference. The meet served as a great opportunity for first-year athletes to prove themselves to Coach Paul Dotterweich, who will be looking to lean on some of his younger swimmers to help capture a SUNYAC title. He saw his team improve on times, continuing their strong commitment to an outstanding work ethic.
The men's team provided two swimmers who took down multiple victories in last weekend's meet. Freshman Russell Sullivan won the 100 and 200 backstroke and classmate Andrew Gorcica won the 100 and 200 breaststroke. In the 50-yard freestyle, Blue Wave swimmers took the top three spots, led by seniors John Zolna and Clint Sugnet and freshman Drew Rogers.
On the women's side, the Blue Wave also had two double winners. Lindsay Dressel won the 200 fly and the 500 free, while Jennifer Anthone won the 200 free and the 100 fly. A strong performance was provided by Lauren Perry who placed third in the 1000-yard freestyle; an impressive result for her first collegiate competition in this event.
Cortland will be a huge challenge for the Blue Wave next week as they try to distinguish themselves as the elite program in the SUNYAC. There is more parity on the women's side, with Geneseo, Cortland, New Paltz and Oswego, which gave the Blue Wave their only loss last season, all sitting near the top.
"Any of these teams could win the SUNYAC if we all stay healthy," said Dotterweich. "It may come down to a two-team race between Cortland and Geneseo on the men's side, again all based on the continuing health of our teams."
Dotterweich stressed that he will need the best out of his team to beat powerhouse Cortland this coming weekend, but as long as his swimmers provide the same outstanding effort he is used to seeing, Geneseo's chances at dominating are promising.