Two weeks ago the Geneseo men's and women's swimming and diving teams traveled to Clinton, N.Y. for the Hamilton College quad meet and turned in some of their top performances of the season.
"It was definitely our best meet of the semester and it came at a time when we were facing the best competition we've seen so far," said head coach Paul Dotterweich
The men continued their winning streak as they defeated host Hamilton 133-75.5, Hartwick College 137-94 and Ithaca College 134-103, improving to 6-0 on the season.
Sophomore Nate Foley won two events, finishing the 1000 freestyle in 10 minutes, 4.49 seconds and the 500 freestyle in 4:52.92.
Other top performers included senior Sean Kennedy and sophomore Jamie Mathews, who finished first and second respectively in the 200 fly, as well as sophomore Josh Kaplan and freshman Austin Brennan who also finished first and second respectively in the 200 backstroke.
Kaplan had a particularly stellar day, playing a huge role in the 400-medley relay, in which he placed first with a time of 3:38.91, all while recovering from some recent injuries.
"With the competition level raised at this meet, our team fired up and delivered some of the fastest times the SUNYAC conference has seen this year," said sophomore Kenneth Pink.
Pink was a part of the winning 400-medley relay and also placed second in the 200 breaststroke.
"The energy and confidence we showed on the pool deck distinguished the Blue Wave from other teams; we swam as one, we were victorious as one," he said.
On the women's side of the pool, the Blue Wave defeated host Hamilton by a score of 174-62 and Hartwick 173-68, but lost to Ithaca, 128-115 as they improved to 5-1 on the season.
The whole team was put on edge early when senior Jennum O'Hara hit her head while diving from the three-meter board. The meet was paused for a brief period of time, but O'Hara sustained no serious injuries and, after a brief trip to the hospital, returned to the meet.
After such an incident, the Blue Wave rallied around their teammate and put together a solid performance as usual.
"It was a surreal experience to see the entire Geneseo team come together in concern for a teammate," said junior Kelly Young, who won the three-meter board event.
Other winners included first year Meghan Green who won the 1,000 freestyle and the 500 freestyle, and junior Michelle Rodriguez, who won the 200 freestyle, placed second in the 100 freestyle and anchored the winning 400 freestyle relay. Rodriguez also made an NCAA provisional cut with her performance in the 100 freestyle.
The Blue Wave travels to Long Island this weekend for the ECAC Championship where they will continue to be tested with strong competition.
"[The Hamilton Quad] was a great meet for us across the board," Dotterweich said. "I was very pleased with their performances and I'm looking forward to this weekend to see how they do."