While most of us enjoyed the last couple of weeks of winter break, the men's and women's swimming and diving teams prepped for the final stretch of their season during a training week in Florida.
Only a few days after returning to Geneseo, the Blue Wave traveled to SUNY New Paltz to face the host and the Rochester Institute of Technology. The only defeat for Geneseo came as the women finished behind a strong New Paltz team 150-182.
In the loss, first-year Abby Max won the 500 and 200 freestyle events, and placed second in the 100 backstroke and the 1,650 freestyle. Junior Kaitlin Wilcoxen had another standout weekend as she finished first in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events for Geneseo.
On the men's side, senior Ken Pink won the 200 and 400 individual medley events, the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, and was also on the 200 and 400 medley relay teams that took first. Senior Drew Rogers placed first in the 200 free and was second in the 50 free.
Just two days following the New Paltz meet, the injury-riddled Blue Wave traveled to compete against Monroe Community College. The men won 121-81 and the women won with a score of 139-68.
With only four days to rebound from the MCC meet, Geneseo traveled to Pennsylvania to compete against Westminster College and Carnegie Mellon University. While both the men's and women's teams fell to Carnegie Mellon, both finished ahead of host Westminster.
Freshman John Nasky finished first in the 1,650 free in 16 minutes, 26.91 seconds and second in the 500 free in 4:52.90. Pink won the 100 and 200 breast, and also placed second in the 200 IM, leading the way for Geneseo.
Max and freshman Haleigh Wixson had strong meets, accumulating three first place and three second place finishes. Frehsman Caroline Gardner took second on both the one- and three-meter boards for Geneseo.
Head coach Paul Dotterweich said that the team has faced the challenge of a demanding schedule this year: "You deal with it. I think it makes you stronger and the times when you don't have to travel so far it makes you feel that much better. I think the team has performed pretty well considering the circumstances … in the end I think it makes you stronger, because you're used to performing under adversity and then when the conditions are right, it just seems easy."
The depth Dotterweich has spoken of throughout the season has kept the team afloat as it has been plagued by injuries and illness.
"You can't predict that stuff," Dotterweich said. "You never know and being prepared for it is all you can do. And I think we are prepared for it. I think we are still good enough to get the job done."
Geneseo hosts SUNY Oswego Saturday Jan. 28 at 1 p.m.