This past weekend, Geneseo's Blue Wave swimming team hosted five teams for the Geneseo Invitational and both the men's and women's teams grabbed first place.
The women won by 238 points and the men upset the favored Alfred University by 61 points.
Sophomore Michelle Rodriguez (10:59.15) and freshman Nate Foley (10:01.60) started individual events off with commanding back-to-back wins in the 1000 freestyle. The Lady Wave then took first, second and third in the 200 freestyle, with sophomore Jennifer Anthone leading the way in 2:00.03.
The women also grabbed five of the top six spots in the 200 individual medley. Senior Lindsay Dressel touched first in an impressive 2:18.34, finishing nearly three seconds ahead of her closet competitor. The men's 200 freestyle relay, consisting of freshmen Aaron Wagner and Dan Strothenke and seniors Clint Sugnet and Sig Culhane, emerged victorious in a close race with Alfred University, with Strothenke delivering an impressive anchor split to grab first.
The women then grabbed the first four spots of the 100 fly, with Dressel capturing her second win of the meet in a time of 1:02.31. Junior Sean Kennedy had an impressive performance in the men's race, as he out-split Alfred sophomore Zach Mix by over a second on the last 50 meters and was out-touched by only .06 seconds. Rodriguez earned her second win in the 100 backstroke (1:04.53).
The men captured three of the top four spots in the breaststroke, with freshman Kenny Pink just missing first in 1:03.61. Sophomore diver Wills DeMoulin placed second and third in the one meter and three meter events.
With five teams competing, the meet stretched over five hours. Blue Wave was essentially in the pool from 8:30 a.m. for warm-up until the meet ended around 5:30 p.m.
Needless to say, after being physically worn out in the last few weeks of practice, it can be tough to rise to the occasion and perform. But as usual, Blue Wave stepped up to the plate and, as a team, helped everyone stay motivated.
No matter what race or how far into the meet, if there was a Blue Wave swimmer in the pool, we were cheering. Personally, there is nothing better than coming off your last turn of your last race and hearing the roar of your team telling you to keep going.
Nothing helps ease the pain better than a little teamwork.