The Geneseo Blue Wave is just one week away from competing in the SUNYAC Championships. Excitement is in the air since this season Geneseo has a strong chance to bring home yet another SUNYAC title.
“As I have said all year long, our number one goal is to win a SUNYAC Championship on both the men’s and women’s side,” head coach Paul Dotterweich said. “I believe we are poised to do just that next week. Secondary is the goal of having student athletes representing Geneseo at the NCAA Championships. I am confident we will do that as well; the question is how many.”
This confidence is certainly well justified. The women have won 10 consecutive SUNYAC Championships, while the men have a current streak of four. Another win wouldn’t only be important for the athletes but for Dotterweich as well. The team has won 16 out of 17 SUNYAC Championships under Dotterweich and hope to continue to grow that number.
The team is amped up and ready for action. This is their chance to see all the hard work and dedication they put into the season pay off.
“I am so excited for SUNYACs,” senior swimmer Kaitlin Doherty said. “The meet is so much fun and so exciting, especially during the relays, because I think those draw on the team aspect of the sport of swimming a lot. Everyone is on their feet and screaming at the top of their lungs for the competitors. It’s really unlike any other meet I’ve ever swam in, and I’m looking forward to it.”
With the end of the season approaching, however, not everything is cheery. Sadly, the team will soon have to say goodbye to its talented senior class. Four years of solid swimming on the seniors’ part has been a crucial factor to the team’s success.
Doherty is one of these skilled athletes who will be racing in her last SUNYAC Championship next week. Keeping a positive attitude is essential, Doherty says, to maintain focus on the goal—a SUNYAC Championship.
“It’s unbelievable to me that this is the last season of my career and my last SUNYACs,” Doherty said. “I have been lucky enough to compete for Geneseo in all my four years of swimming. It has been such a huge honor for me. Our team has built a tradition of excellence over the years, which pushes us all to expect the best from ourselves and race the best way we know how at the meet.”
With the seniors soon departing, new swimmers will have a chance to showcase their talent. Freshman swimmer Harry Harkins is fitting in nicely with the team, and praises the organization as a whole.
“I am really fortunate to be a part of such a successful organization,” Harkins said. “Being surrounded by such a dedicated coaching staff, as well as teammates, has challenged me to be my best, and strengthened my love for the sport.”
For the time being, however, seniors and freshmen alike will swim hard to bring home this championship title. Harkins knows his teammates will help him assimilate to the highly competitive nature of the SUNYAC Championship.
“I am very excited for my first SUNYAC Championship. Since this is my first year, I am a little nervous,” Harkins said. “But with my teammates at my side and coaches on deck, I am confident that I can perform well, and that we as a team can continue our success in the SUNYAC.”
On Wednesday Feb. 21 the Geneseo Blue Wave travels to Erie Community College for the four-day SUNYAC Championships.