Every swimmer wants to perform their best on senior night. It’s the last time athletes perform in the pool that they practice every day in. For both nationally ranked Blue Wave teams, that became a reality on Saturday Feb. 7 with the men winning by nearly 200 points and the women winning by over 250.
“That meet for us is really kind of a fun meet—it’s the end of the year,” head coach Paul Dotterweich said. “The teams that are there are not really as competitive as we are. [It was] a good way to end the season.”
Senior Kenny Athans certainly made it a day to remember—winning the 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:59.43. Senior John Nasky also took home a victory in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:48.19, helping to cement the Blue Wave victory. With 10 seniors leaving, it was certainly a good way to go out.
“The performances were just about what I would have expected for that competition,” Dotterweich said.
Even though this was the last home meet, Geneseo still has a good portion of the season to go. Part of the team will head to Ithaca College for the Ithaca Invitational on Saturday Feb. 14. Last year, the Blue Wave picked up three individual wins at the meet, including one from now-junior Caroline Russo.
After Ithaca, Geneseo will compete at the SUNYAC Championships at Erie Community College in Buffalo. Both the men’s and women’s teams won the SUNYAC Title last season. The preparation for the biggest meet of the year, however, is a little bit different than the rest of the season.
“We rest [for SUNYACs],” Dotterweich said. “We train all season to try and peak at that competition, so right now our athletes are doing less yardage and less lifting in the morning.”
The SUNYAC Tournament is a four-day event with different sessions each day. Despite the high stakes, Dotterweich is not concerned about his team’s mentality.
“I don’t think we’re worried about any particular teams in terms of winning a championship,” he said. “‘Coming in hot’ is different than other sports. It’s more about who’s prepared than who’s the best all year long.”
The Blue Wave will swim at Ithaca College on Saturday Feb. 14 with SUNYACs starting on Wednesday Feb. 18.