The Geneseo Blue Wave towered over the rest of the competition in the SUNYAC Championships over the weekend as both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams secured a spot in the Division III tournament.
While much of the credit for the Blue Wave’s success is due to the talent of the players on both teams, just as much credit is owed to the excellent coaching staff of both teams. Men’s swim head coach Paul Dotterweich, along with the diving team’s head coach, Shawn Austin, earned Coach of the Year awards for their efforts.
Even more impactful than the coaching for both the men’s and women’s swim teams was the massive support from students and alumni, as every meet is filled to the brim with support for the Blue Wave.
Sophomore diver Corey Wirth summed it up best: “What really sets us apart from the rest of the competition is our die-hard alumni; we fill a wall of bleachers at SUNYACs and they make us the loudest team there,” he said.
In terms of individual performances, Wirth was named Outstanding Diver of the Meet, taking first place in both the one-meter dive and earning his second straight three-meter dive victory. The SUNYAC performance capped off what was a dominant display from the men’s diving team.
Wirth was unsure of himself at first but persevered through a less-than-ideal start, “One-meter prelims was rough not scoring above 200 on voluntaries,” he said. “Finals was a different story, finishing first and above 500 on both boards.”
Wirth’s tenacity is a common trait found throughout the men’s and women’s swimming teams, and it is a big reason why swimmers like senior Mitchell Phelps—who was part of the 800-yard freestyle relay, the 400-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay that all came away victorious over the weekend—have been able to consistently perform well.
Phelps has gradually gotten better every season across his career and has slotted himself into a prominent role through his hard work. Similarly, junior Will Eng grabbed the top spot in both the 100-yard backstroke and the 50-yard freestyle, ranking amongst the top of SUNYAC swimmers after years of dedicated work.
The result of the effort put in by the men’s swimming team was a dominant 964.5 points—over 450 more than their next highest competitor—and a deserved invite to the Division III championships.
On the women’s side of things, it was a record-smashing four days as seemingly every day the Blue Wave managed to best not only team records, but conference records—on top of many performances meriting NCAA qualifying times.
Junior Paige Turcotte stole the show on day one, setting a program, championship and conference record in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:18.43. Turcotte didn’t stop there. In her next appearance, she set another school and conference record, but this time in the 100-yard breaststroke, earning Turcotte her first appearance in the NCAA Championships.
Day two was highlighted by several top three finishes, but the most noticeable performance came from the 200-yard freestyle relay team led by junior Noelle Staso, who yet again set a program, championship and conference record.
Speaking of Staso, she certainly had a tournament for the ages, earning a NCAA B-Cut in the 100-yard breaststroke while leading two other relay teams— the 200-yard medley relay team and the 400-yard freestyle relay teams—to several records, including a conference and program record.
The Blue Wave capped off the tournament with several first-place finishes, including a dominant showing from first-year Kimberly MacDonald who raced to a first-place victory in the 1650-yard freestyle.
All in all, the Blue Wave showed they were the class of the conference and demonstrated just who the Blue Wave really are as Wirth put it, “The Blue Wave is a family that is stronger than ever and that gives us a huge leg up on the competition.”
Catch the Geneseo Blue Wave next in the Division III National Championships at Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C. at 6 p.m. on March 18.