This weekend, Geneseo's Blue Wave swimming and diving team traveled to Buffalo State for the season's first meet. Both the men's and women's teams emerged victorious with scores of 124-107 and 122-83, respectively.
The women's team got their season off to an excellent start with the 200 medley relay team of junior Liz Krause, seniors Jessie Cocco and Lindsay Dressel, and sophomore Michelle Rodriguez breaking the pool record with a 1:54.80.
The men's medley relay, junior Sean Kennedy and freshmen Josh Kaplan, Kenny Pink and Dan Strothenke also took a run at the pool record, falling just short, but winning at 1:41.19.
Blue Wave recorded first place finishing times in every single event. Divers sophomore Wills DeMoulin, sophomore Paul Kaleka and freshman Eric Dziekonski had a 1-2-3 sweep of the men's 3-meter competition, with DeMoulin also grabbing the top spot in the 1-meter competition.
Senior Jennum O'Hara placed first in 3-meter for the women. Junior Natalie Thorpe doubled with wins in the 200 and 500 freestyle, while sophomore Andrew Gorcica and freshman Aaron Wagner doubled on the men's side.
In another impressive performance, senior Clint Sugnet edged Buffalo State's Nathan Schaum on the last lap of the 100 back-stroke in one of the meet's tightest races.
The women's team ended the meet with another pool record in the 200 freestyle relay. Cocco and Rodriguez, accompanied by sophomore Jennifer Anthone and junior Katie Linehan, smashed the 18-year-old record with a time of 1:41.99.
As a freshman in my first away meet, I was struck by the intensity and sense of teamwork present, despite the misconception that swimmers lack teamwork. The contradictory nature of swimming always seems to confuse people; Even though we are part of a team, we each focus on the individual goal of touching that wall first.
Last weekend, the Blue and White Alumni meet was held at home. Due to last minute line-up changes, I was taken out of my individual events and left on two relays. When one of my teammates heard of my circumstances, he offered to speak with the coach about offering me one of his two individual events in exchange for one of my relay spots.
As another breaststroker on the team and someone with whom I will be competing for a spot on the line-up throughout the year, his willingness to give up a chance to race his best event was a display of teamwork at its finest. Though I ended up swimming a different event, it was because of him that I at least had the opportunity to race individually that day.