A swimming and diving team is greatest when a majority of its member perform at a high level. The Geneseo Blue Wave has enjoyed profound success over the past few years for that reason: the outstanding collective of individual performances.
The individual talents of the Blue Wave swimmers were certainly on display Saturday at Geneseo's first home meet; both the men's and women's teams placed first against the always tough Alfred University and SUNY Brockport.
Versatile senior Michelle Rodriguez had another stellar meet, winning the 200 free in 1 minute, 57.77 seconds and the 500 free in 5:17.76.
Head coach Paul Dotterweich said he was extremely pleased with freshman Lily Powell's performance at the home meet; she won the 200 individual medley in 2:17.79 and the 100 fly in 1:01.76.
On the men's side, freshman Mike Shrago had a standout performance in the 400 free relay. "During recruiting, we always hear about how a kid has this great fight in them that sets them apart. But you never really know until race day if that's true. Mike really lived up to that expectation … he proved he's a gamer," Dotterweich said.
Junior Dan Strothenke contributed to the victory by winning the 50 freestyle in 22.28.
Even though the Blue Wave has yet to face competition that poses a real threat, focus and effort have been evident in every event. Refining that focus will likely pay off later in the season when Geneseo travels to Pennsylvania to face national powerhouses Carnegie Mellon University and Westminster College.
Dotterweich noted that the athletic department has "been great about supporting the team and making it possible for us to face stronger competition, and understanding that's necessary in order to take our program to the national level."
The Blue Wave looks to continue their dominance as they host SUNY Fredonia this Saturday at 1 p.m.