The nationally-ranked Geneseo swimming and diving team took its talents up north this weekend to Webster, N.Y, with both squads taking down Nazareth handily to open the 2019-20 season.
Coming off a historic season, both teams are the top-ranked teams in the Northeast-South region, according to the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America preseason coaches’ poll. The men have now won six straight SUNYAC championships, while the women impressively raised their 12th consecutive banner at the end of last season. With a history like that, it’s hard to imagine any team upsetting the Blue Wave.
As a result of the past decade, preseason hopes are high, mainly due to both teams returning many key athletes. The men’s and women’s teams are returning a combined 11 athletes who have competed in the Division III National Championships. Junior freestyle specialist Deidra Osula, junior diver Kiersten Coates and senior diver Samantha Reichman all return after earning All-American honors last season.
During their trip to the Webster Aquatic Center, the nationally ranked No. 14 women’s team took down the Golden Flyers 204-96, while the No. 25 men’s team finished with a 195-99 victory. With the tremendous program track record that Geneseo has had, it doesn’t come as a surprise to many that the Blue Wave began the year with such a dominating score.
The Geneseo women ran away with 12 of the 16 events, with nine different swimmers and divers placing first in at least one event.
Junior backstroke and IM specialist Lauren Siegel led the team by contributing to a first place finish in the 100-meter backstroke and 100-meter butterfly, while also taking home the 200-meter medley relay along with Osula, junior breaststroke and freestyle specialist Noelle Staso and junior butterfly and IM specialist Olivia Hilt.
First-year freestyle and breaststroke specialist Lauren Sposili made a splash in her first outing with the team, placing first in both the 200-meter freestyle with a time of 2:01.33 and the 200-meter individual medley in 2:16.05.
For the men, senior breaststroke specialist Kaz Sampson orchestrated a clean sweep of the breaststroke events, registering a sub-minute time in the 100-meter and completing the 200-meter in 2:17.40.
Sampson joined with first-year Jack Cimorelli, senior John Wilson and junior Will Eng to win the 200-meter medley relay in a time of 1:36.48. Eng would go on to win the 100-meter freestyle in 48.55 seconds and Cimorelli took home the 200-meter backstroke in 2:02.51, with a close second-place finish in the 100-meter backstroke.
Sophomore Corey Wirth swept both diving events, scoring a 275.65 in the three-meter dive. Wirth dominated the one-meter dive, scoring a 319.80, more than 75 points ahead of his nearest Nazareth opponent.
The team finished the day also having won 12 of the possible 16 events.
The Knights dive into their home schedule on Saturday Oct. 26, when they take on the Division I Canisius Golden Griffins at 1 p.m.