Max brings home six swimming All-American honors

Junior Abby Max is nearing Geneseo’s best of the best. The swimmer became a 14-time All-American after winning three individual and three relay certificates at the NCAA Division III Swimming & Diving Championships that concluded Saturday March 22 in Indianapolis.

Max joins other talented swimmers on Geneseo’s list of leaders in All-American certificates in all sports. Michelle Rodriguez ‘11 tops the list with 16 total, while Josh Muldner ‘99 follows with 15, both of whom were swimmers.

Since her collegiate debut, Max has proven that she does belong on the college’s All-American leaders list. The New Hartford, N.Y. native earned three certificates her freshman year and tallied another five last year.

Entering this season, Max said she expected to “definitely get to the national meet again.”

“I just kind of take goals while they come, so obviously SUNYACs was first and then once I was there, my goal was to get national cuts and to be top 16 in all my events,” she said.

Max finished in the top 16 in all but one event, the 400 medley relay. Her best performance was 10th in the 500 freestyle with SUNYAC and school records at 4 minutes, 54.32 seconds. Her other All-American certificates came from placing 15th in the 100 freestyle, ninth in the 200 freestyle, 14th in the 200 free relay, 15th in the 800 free relay and 15th in the 400 free relay.

Max credits her success to the support of head coach Paul Dotterweich. Competing in the “very mental” sport, Max relies on the veteran coach to maintain confidence.

“So, him just being confident in me and believing in me really helped pushed me to be as good as I can be,” she said.

Similarly, her relay teammates, she said, have stuck together and remained focused despite obstacles, such as injuries.

“We were all really determined to get there and I think that just carried us there,” she said.

Already looking to next year, Max hopes to finish top eight in all events at nationals. Just missing top eight with a ninth-place finish in the 200 freestyle, Max said it’s a “good goal to keep working toward.”

Blue Wave expects SUNYAC titles

While the regular season has come to an end for Geneseo men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, they will continue competing in the upcoming SUNYAC championships. Starting on Thursday Feb. 20, the Blue Wave will travel to Buffalo to compete in the first day of the championship meet

In the first week of the season, head coach Paul Dotterweich made a bold statement about his hopes for the season: “I expect both teams to be crowned SUNYAC champions.”

His statement seems to reflect his past of leading many teams to SUNYAC championships, including six straight titles from the women. Now, Dotterweich is a few days away from his prediction coming true.

Assessing the regular season, Dotterweich said, “The season progressed as you would hope with the athletes swimming faster as the season went on.”

Before the team travels west, it had to compete in a final meet at the Ithaca College Invitational. With Blue Wave’s ticket to the SUNYAC championships already punched, it was time for the team to show off its depth – an important reason for its success this season.

Senior Jule Deren picked up a pair of first-place swims to lead Blue Wave on Saturday Feb. 15. Deren took top honors in the 1,650 freestyle (18 minutes, 16.72 seconds) and the 500 freestyle (5:19.50).

Sophomore Caroline Russo also registered a first-place effort for Geneseo, taking top honors in the 200 individual medley (2:18.52).

Freshman Amanda Barry took a pair of second-place finishes in the 400 individual medley (4:48.97) and the 200 breaststroke (2:31.19), while freshman Nicole Fico took second in the 200 freestyle (2:01.49) and third in the 50 free (25.57).

Dotterweich fully understands what makes this team so successful, stating, “The athletes have done what has been asked of them. I am confident in our training program. The hard work is behind us now we have to go out and execute.

“The team culture and chemistry is great,” he added. “I believe that is what sets the best teams apart.”

The SUNYAC championships run Wednesday Feb. 19 through Saturday Feb. 22 at Erie Community College in Buffalo.

Home water proves advantageous to Blue Wave victory

Loyal fan support and a positive atmosphere, both key attributes that have made the Geneseo Blue Wave teams unstoppable while competing in the Alumni Pool this season.

Head coach Paul Dotterweich acknowledged the importance of swimming in familiar waters.

“Home meets are always easier on the athletes,” Dotterweich said. “The travel takes a lot out of you and makes for long days. I think there is an advantage to having some of your last meets being at home.”

On Saturday Feb. 8, Blue Wave hosted the Geneseo Invitational, its final home meet of the year. Similar to the rest of its season, Geneseo swam its way to another victory, capping off one of its most successful runs in team history.

Junior Kenny Athans led the men as a four-event winner that day. Athans was victorious in the 100 breaststroke (1 minute, 1.39 seconds), the 100 freestyle (48.63) and the 200 individual medley (2:00.21). Sophomores Kristian Tialios, Andy Schunk and Tyler Roth joined Athans in helping Blue Wave kick off the meet in winning the 400-medley relay (3:36.12).

For the women, junior Abby Max was also a four-event winner, winning the 50 free (24.88) and the 200 back (2:13.01), while also adding legs to both of the Geneseo’s winning relays.

The divers had a record-setting day, as senior Brandon Peifer had a school’s best dive on the 1-meter board and senior Emily Wanamaker won her 1-meter event, as well.

Dotterweich noted the team’s dedication and focus both in and out of the pool.

“I have been very pleased with what I have seen from the team all season,” Dotterweich said. “They have been working very hard and are starting to see the results form that hard work. The dedication extends outside of the pool with proper nutrition, rest and hydration … Taking care of your body allows you to train at the next level.”

Blue Wave’s season is far from over though, as the team will travel to Erie Community College to compete in the SUNYAC Championships starting Feb. 19.

Dotterweich said he expects the teams’ focus will continue through the SUNYAC Championships and hopefully beyond to the NCAA Championships.

Blue Wave undefeated in SUNYAC with one meet remaining

As the Geneseo Blue Wave men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams approach the final stretch of the regular season, they are proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

On Saturday Feb. 1, Blue Wave took on conference foe Buffalo State College in its final home meet before the Geneseo Invitational. Like all the other SUNYAC teams that lost to Geneseo this season, Buffalo State suffered the same fate.

The women’s team improved to 11-2 with a 159-94 victory, while the men picked up their ninth win of the season at 159-119 over the Bengals.

Junior Abby Max led on the women’s side. Max continued her impressive run of victories with four event wins, three of which set pool records for Geneseo.

Max set a pool record in winning the 100 backstroke (59.11 seconds) while also winning the 500 freestyle (5 minutes, 13.30 seconds).

Max then teamed with seniors Lauren Boyce and Lily Powell along with freshman Emily Jaworski to swim to a record-setting 200 medley relay. The team wasn’t done setting records, as Max, sophomores Julie Holloway and Kala Wilkins and junior Stephanie Wilcoxen were the first to reach the wall in the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:38.67.

For the men, it was a family affair, as brothers freshman Kevin Schaub and junior Bryan Schaub won a combined five events. Kevin Schaub was victorious in three individual events, as he won the 100 backstroke (55.38), 200 backstroke (1:58.41) and 400 individual medley (4:29.06).

Sophomore Justin Ongkingco was also a double winner on the day with the fastest times in the 50 freestyle (23.13) and 200 breaststroke (2:22.04).

On the diving boards, senior Emily Wanamaker took top honors in both diving events, sweeping the competition. On the 3-meter she set an 11-dive school record with a score of 446.85, which was an NCAA Zone qualifier by over 36 points, while her six-dive score of 289.05 on 1-meter exceeded the Zone qualifier minimum by almost 35 points.

Head coach Paul Dotterweich expressed enthusiasm for both teams as they head toward the final push of the season.

“I’m really excited,” Dotterweich said. “We have a lot of people swimming their best times, which is what I like to see this time of year.”

Blue Wave hosts the Geneseo Invitational at noon on Saturday Feb. 8 in the last meet of the regular season before SUNYAC playoffs begin.

Indoor track competes in Boston invitationals

While it’s the dream of every athlete in all sports to be able to test oneself against the best competition available, the chances for this are rare. On the weekend of Jan. 25 and 26, however, some of the men’s and women’s indoor track team not only got to compete against the best collegiate athletes but also some internationally elite runners at Boston University’s John Thomas Terrier Invitational.

Several Knights had memorable days in the meet, which was populated by a host of larger Division I schools as well as many other top Division III teams.

Generally, Division I schools are larger and can offer athletic scholarships to get top athletes, something that Division III schools are forbidden to do. The chance to compete against Division I schools is an exciting opportunity for the Knights.

Junior Keira Wood turned in one of the best performances in the meet at the 800-meter run.

“Even though there’s someone who ran 2 minutes, and 5 seconds, Keira ran 2:14 and finished in the middle of her heat. That puts her in the top two in D-III,” head coach Dave Prevosti said. “She wasn’t even in the fast heat, but she could have been. Her time puts her right in there,” he added.

Geneseo had another strong performance from the men’s distance medley relay team, consisting of juniors Tony George, Benjamin Schwartz and Colby Burke and senior Thomas Clark. The quartet completed the race in 10:04, a time that Prevosti said was good for fifth best in Division III.

“If you look at what we did with our [distance medley relay] team last year, we actually ran better at this time of the year with this team than we did with last year’s DMR team,” Prevosti said.

Even if the Knights had not done so particularly well, the meet would still have been exciting to attend thanks to two young superstars. Galen Rupp, the silver medalist in the 2012 London Olympics in the 10,000-meter run, easily won the 2-mile event at the meet. High school senior Mary Cain, hailed as having the potential to become one of the greatest American women runners of all time, also took top honors in her event, the mile run.

Other members of the team were in action elsewhere, as the field athletes competed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Art Farnham Invitational. Junior Chaz Abad and freshman John Panus took first and second, respectively, in the 3,000-meter run. Sophomore Aidan Fullerton and junior Phil Longo swept the top two places in the long jump, while senior Jake Pasanen won the pole vault. On the women’s side, freshman Joanna Heath took the long jump title.

Geneseo returns to action at the SUNY Brockport Invitational on Saturday Feb. 1.

Blue Wave finishing out strong season

While everyone was away on winter break, the Geneseo Blue Wave men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams were on campus continuing their winning ways. The Blue Wave saw victories over Rochester Institute of Technology, SUNY New Paltz, Monroe Community College and Westminster College. The team’s only loss came against Carnegie Mellon University.

The meets allowed several athletes from the team to be recognized by the State University of New York Athletic Conference with weekly honors. Sophomore Yonghoon Jun had three victories including a solo performance in the 100 butterfly and junior Abby Max won four events against Carnegie Mellon and three against Monroe Community College. For diving, seniors Emily Wanamaker and Brandon Peifer were both honored for their record-setting performances of the week.

To keep the streak alive after coming off a 4-1 stretch, Blue Wave had to face Division III rival SUNY Oswego on Saturday Jan. 25.

The men swam to a 157-132 victory, while the women defeated the Lakers in a dominant 172-102 decision. Both teams remain undefeated in SUNYAC meets.

“Our top swimmers especially are posting some great times right now,” head coach Paul Dotterweich said. “I think we are right where we need to be as we start to look ahead toward the end of the season,” he added.

On the men’s side, junior Kenny Athans led the way – his four victories of the day provided the spark for the Blue Wave. Athans swam the day’s fastest times in the 200-yard breaststroke (2 minutes, 16.51 seconds) and 50-yard freestyle (22.35). For the women, senior Lily Powell continued her impressive season with four victories of her own. Powell’s 58.74 time in the 100-yard butterfly set the record for the fastest time at Alumni Pool.

On the diving boards, freshman Anthony Burgois won the 1-meter event with a pool-record 307.40 score, while senior Brandon Peifer took first on 3-meter with a 294.90 score.

Dotterweich praised his team’s recent performances and said the team is “looking good” coming into the final push of the season. With only two meets left in the regular season including the Geneseo Invitational, Blue Wave is looking to finish strong before the always-challenging SUNYAC championships.

Blue Wave visits Buffalo State College on the morning of Saturday Feb. 1.

Blue Wave looks to follow up decades of wins

There is a timeless expression in sports, “Winning isn’t everything.” Apparently, the Geneseo Blue Wave men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams haven’t yet gotten that message. The women of the Blue Wave have won six championships and are looking for their seventh title this season. Their success dates back decades as they’ve won an unheard of 15 SUNYAC championships in 17 years. There isn’t a professional team that can even be used as an example against that.

But the achievements don’t end there. The men are just as successful in their own right, as the team has won 12 SUNYAC championships in the past 13 years.

Though Geneseo is only a small public college in western New York, its accomplishments in the sport are well noted across the nation as it has made multiple trips to the illustrious NCAA Tournament, which features the best teams in the country.

The team has thrived because of dedicated and motivated leaders. Head coach Paul Dotterweich acknowledges a few exceptional athletes who have been key to the recent success.

“We have several leaders on the women’s team, hard to pick out a few, although [junior] Abby Max is the defending SUNYAC Swimmer of the Year and an eight-time All-American,” Dotterweich said. “She is clearly a very talented athlete.”

Dotterweich added, “[Senior] Lily Powell has been to NCAAs on relays the last two years and has four All-American certifications as well. [Senior] Emily Wanamaker has been to the regional meet in diving.”

The men also returned swimmers who are used to winning and made it to the finals last year, including sophomore Kristian Tialios, who is continuing his string of victories this season.

Just last season, the Blue Wave women dominated the competition in the SUNYAC championship, winning the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle relay, 400 free relay, 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard breaststroke.

The men, unfortunately, suffered one of their only defeats by falling to SUNY Cortland in the finals. This year, they are looking for a different finale in order to add another trophy to their already overflowing case.

It is through “hard work … [and] being willing to go the extra mile in training and pushing yourself beyond any perceived limits,” Dotterweich said. He added that this exceptional team has thrived and captured 21 SUNYAC titles in its history.

The women and men remain undefeated in SUNYAC meets and are on their way.

“How can there not be pressure [to win SUNYACs],” Dotterweich said. Fortunately, the members of the Blue Wave seem not to notice, as they are too busy winning.

Blue Wave impresses against Division I schools

The Geneseo Blue Wave men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams began their season against Division I Canisius College on Saturday Nov. 2, losing 144-99. Despite the loss, head coach Paul Dotterweich said the team had an encouraging performance.

“We won six of 13 events against a Division I school, so that’s an indication of how strong our upper-end swimmers are,” Dotterweich said. “Based on the performances, for where we are in the season, I was pretty pleased with what I saw.”

Junior Kenny Athans led the men’s side, as he outraced the competition in two individual events. He finished first in the 200 freestyle and the 100 freestyle with winning times of 1 minute, 47.1 seconds and 49.07 seconds, respectively. Sophomore Yonghoon Jun also impressed by receiving top honors in the 100 butterfly with a time of 52.26 seconds, as well as being a part of the winning 200 medley relay along with fellow sophomores Kristian Tialios, Justin Ongkingco and Jordan Gay.

Women’s diving also showed its talent in senior Emily Wanamaker, who won both diving events. She earned winning scores of 256.84 in the one-meter diving competition and 252.89 in the three-meter diving competition.

Dotterweich said he believes that his swimmers will keep improving. On the women’s side, most of his upper-end swimmers are facing injuries, though. Six-time All-American junior Haleigh Wixson is out for the year for a shoulder injury. Seven-time All-American junior Abby Max is nursing a fracture in her foot, so she will miss the beginning of the season. Senior Lauren Boyce is also dealing with an injury.

Dotterweich remains optimistic, however, and sees the potential the Blue Wave has with the current group of swimmers.

“On the men’s side, we’re in a pretty good place,” Dotterweich said. “We have to develop some of our younger swimmers. If we want to win the conference meet, our lower-end guys have to step up and perform on a higher level.

“On the women’s side, we’ll get [Max] and [Boyce] back. So once they’re back, that’ll be a significant shift in terms of the strength of our team,” he added.

Blue Wave will take on SUNY Fredonia on Saturday Nov. 9. Dotterweich said he’s hopeful the younger swimmers will use the experience against Canisius to face the Division III opponent.

“It’s their first college meet, so we’ll give them some time to step up, and I know that they’ll progress as the season goes on,” he said.

Dotterweich said that he is confident in his team and, despite growing pains, they will be able to pull off a successful season – maybe even a conference title.