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(11/14/07 5:00pm)
After impressive performances against Franklin and Marshall College last week, the swimming and diving teams took on Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) with more mixed results.
The Division II Owls, one of the Lions' toughest competitors on the schedule, matched up against the College in the aquatic center on Saturday with both SCSU teams coming into the meet undefeated.
The Lions' men's team ended that short undefeated streak by grounding the Owls 163-124 while the women kept it close but eventually fell to SCSU 158-139.
Leading the Lions to victory on the men's side were their relay teams. The College took first place in the 200-meter medley relay with a time of 1:37.72 behind the efforts of senior Kevin Oliver, sophomore Myles O' Connor, senior Josh Forsman and senior Liam Gallagher.
The Lions also finished first in the 400-meter freestyle relay (3:16.46) behind the work of Forsman, freshman Tom Medvecky and juniors Mike Molloy and Thomas Nawrot.
Nawrot also outswam the competition in the 100-meter backstroke and the 50-meter freestyle, winning both events with times of 53.84 and 21.98, respectively.
Medvecky took first in the 500-meter freestyle with a time of 4:47.03 while O' Connor came out victorious in the 100-meter breaststroke, finishing in 1:00.64.
Other Lions' winners included junior Ted Yoa, who took first in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:14.71), and Forsman, who finished the 100-meter butterfly in 51.92.
In diving, junior Greg Lloyd took first in both the one-meter (256.85) and the three-meter (277.10).
"I felt that my performance at the meet was good, considering it was my first three-meter meet of the season and my first meet doing more difficult dives," Lloyd said. "However, I do think I could have performed better on some dives and scored a little higher."
Although the women did not finish with a win, the Lions swam well overall and continue to improve. Coming into the meet, senior Ava Kiss said, "Although SCSU is a Division II team, we expect that the meet will be really close and we're looking to have some great races."
Kiss was correct as the Lions surprised the Owls with some fantastic races. Kiss led the Lions with a win in the 100-meter freestyle (54.62) and a second-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly (59.17). She was also a contributor to the 400-meter freestyle relay team, which finished first in 3:46.13.
Kiss was assisted by teammates senior Kristin Udicious and freshmen Margaret Molloy and Michele Wilson.
Adding to the Lions' strong showing were senior Lauren Pfeifer, who took first in the 100-meter breaststroke (1:09.30), and junior Stacy Delehanty, who finished second in the 200-meter individual medley (2:17.94).
Other runner-up performances were given by freshman Katie Morgan in the 200-meter breaststroke, senior Christine Marino in the 200-meter backstroke and freshman Melissa Wallace in the 50-meter freestyle.
"Overall, I think the team has been doing a great job," Wallace said. "Everyone works so hard in practice, and the fact that we are able to stay as close as we did to a Division II school is pretty great."
"I think the team did a great job," Lloyd added. "The swimmers had a fast meet, and since (SCSU) is one of our biggest competitors, I think the meet went very well overall."
Despite the loss, women's head coach Jennifer Harnett was happy with her team's performance.
"The girls swam exceptionally well and they rose to the challenge," Harnett said. "Each meet we are making leaps and bounds and doing more and more right."
Upcoming meets for the College include the Bucknell University Invitational for divers and Bloomsburg College, both of which will take place on Saturday.
(11/07/07 5:00pm)
The home openers for both of the College's swimming teams had mixed results but showed much promise for the remainder of the season. The College hosted Franklin and Marshall College Sunday afternoon at the Aquatic Center.
The men's team beat the Diplomats with an overall score of 116-81, improving to 2-0 on the season as their opponents fell to 0-2.
Before the meet, head coach Brian Bishop said the meet would give the team "a chance to see where we are." The meet did exactly that, showing that the Lions are poised to compete at a high level for the duration of the season.
The team was led by freshman Tom Medvecky, who won the 1,000-meter freestyle in 9:57.95, defeating a returning All-American in the process. Medvecky also took first in the 200-meter butterfly (1:59.04).
"I felt I did very well for this point in the season," Medvecky said. "I've already made improvements and they are visible."
The College also won the 400-meter medley relay with a time of 3:37.06. Seniors Kevin Oliver, Liam Gallagher and Josh Forsman and sophomore Myles O' Connor contributed to the winning team effort.
Commenting on his personal effort, Oliver said he "was happy with (his) performance during the meet."
"Everyone was excited to be swimming in front of the crowd," Oliver said. "Not just me, but our whole team was pumped."
The Lions also won the 400-meter freestyle relay to finish the meet with a time of 3:17.00. Contributors to the victory were Forsman, O'Connor, freshman Shawn Kircher and junior Mike Molloy. Molloy and Forsman finished first and second in the 200-meter freestyle with times of 1:46.27 and 1:49.38, respectively.
Kircher won the 100-meter freestyle (48.63) and Gallagher took first in the 200-meter individual medley in 2:00.43. Junior Thomas Nawrot placed first in the 50-meter freestyle, posting a time of 22.24.
The women's team also swam against Franklin and Marshall College on Sunday but had less favorable results, falling to the Diplomats 104-101. With the loss, the Lions dropped to 1-2 on the season.
A bright spot in the loss was senior Ava Kiss who came in first in the 200-meter freestyle (2:01.10) and finished second in the 200-meter butterfly (2:15.24).
Freshman Margaret Molloy also performed well, finishing first in the 500-meter freestyle (5:25.66) and coming in second in the 1,000-meter freestyle in 11:01.17.
The Lions also finished first, second and third in the 50-meter freestyle thanks to freshman Ashley Robb, senior Lauren Pfeifer and freshman Michele Wilson, respectively. Wilson won the 100-meter freestyle as well (57.09) and junior Stacy Delehanty took second in the individual medley (2:20.47).
This close meet came down to the final event, the 400-meter freestyle relay, but the College was forced to settle for second place. Although the Lions did not win, Robb was still optimistic about the team's performance.
"I think as a whole this was our best meet so far this season," Robb said. "We have a really strong freshman class who have stepped up and really pushed the upperclassmen to do better."
Head coach Jennifer Harnett was proud of her team.
"It was anybody's meet," she said. "The girls are performing better at this point in the season than last year."
The teams will continue their seasons on Saturday when the College hosts Division II Southern Connecticut State University.
"I think this season has been a lot tougher than last season," Robb said. "I think our positive attitudes paid off and now we're starting to realize how far we can take our team this year."
(10/31/07 4:00pm)
After tasting success in the NCAA National Championships as well as the Metropolitan Conference Championship last season, the swimming and diving teams are looking to continue their winning ways heading into the 2007-2008 season.
The first test was at Montclair State University on Friday, Oct. 19.
The men's team defeated the Red Hawks in a 166-110 victory, taking 12 of 15 events.
The team was led by senior Liam Gallagher's three victories throughout the meet. Gallagher took first in the 100-meter backstroke (56.02) as well as the 200-meter breaststroke (2:22.22). He also assisted the 200-meter medley relay team in a first place victory (1:41:49) along with teammates sophomores Myles O'Connor and Herman Chu, and freshman Pete Goldsmith, who would win the 500-meter freestyle (5:16.08) as well.
Goldsmith said he "trained and kept in general shape in the summer to be ready for the hard training during the season."
Senior Josh Forsman finished with two first place showings of his own, taking first in the 100-meter butterfly (54.78) and the 100-meter freestyle (50.00).
Like Goldsmith, Forsman has trained vigorously for this year's season.
"Before the offseason started, I realized that this was my last season so ... the majority of the summer was devoted to training in the pool," Forsman said. "Also, since I was lucky enough to work at the beach, cross-training there will hopefully give me a little advantage for this season."
Commenting on the team's performance, head coach Brian Bishop said, "We did how we expected and have trained really hard but there are a few spots where we can work harder."
The women also competed against Montclair State University Friday night. In similar fashion, they grounded the Red Hawks 156-124. They were led by senior Ava Kiss who swam to victory in three events. Kiss took first in the 50- and 500-meter freestyle events with times of 25.65 and 5:27.75, respectively. She also propelled the team to victory in the 200-meter medley relay swimming the third leg of the race.
Also taking part in the winning effort were senior Christine Marino and freshmen Margaret Molloy and Michele Wilson. Wilson added another victory in the 100-meter freestyle (57.48) while Molloy posted two wins with first place finishes in the 200-meter individual medley and 200-meter freestyle.
"It was a great first meet for us," women's head coach Jennifer Harnett said. "A lot of positive things came out of it."
"I am really excited about this season," she added. "We have a different focus at meets and we expect to finish better than last year. Our ultimate goal is to qualify as many people as possible for NCAA's."
Expectations for the College's swimming and diving teams this year are high.
"This is my first year, but I have heard this is one of the better teams we have had," Goldsmith said. "We have a very good recruiting class and many returning All-American swimmers."
Adding to the thought, Forsman said, "My expectations are higher this year than any other year I've been on this team both for the team and myself. We have an outstanding freshman class and everyone else put in a ton of work this summer."
(10/17/07 4:00pm)
Over the weekend, unprecedented athletic history was made at the College as sophomore Jackie Shtemberg won the National Singles Championship.
Shtemberg, along with doubles partner senior Christina Contrafatto and senior co-captain Mike Klimchak, represented the College at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Small College Championships in Mobile, Ala.
The tournament was hosted by the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center, one of the world's largest public tennis facilities.
The championships began on Wednesday, Oct. 10, with eight singles and eight doubles team regional champions from each of their respective divisions fighting for the coveted national titles. Approximately 5,000 student athletes have competed this year in 61 regional tournaments to reach Nationals and the winners, including the three Lions, had prepared vigorously for the tournament.
"I prepared by just trying to keep in shape as much as I could and getting as much practice time on the courts as I could," Shtemberg said. "I definitely felt more mentally prepared this time, because I knew more of what to expect and not to be nervous."
"I definitely felt more prepared this time around," Klimchak agreed. "I was able to see my first round opponent in St. Louis so I felt somewhat prepared."
"'The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare,'" he continued. "My dad told me that quote in the younger years of my athletic career, and I've been trying to live by it ever since."
Klimchak finished seventh in the men's singles championships, defeating Trinity University's Oliver Gaines 7-5, 5-7, 6-2 to earn his first ITA All-America citation.
"Overall I played pretty well," he said. "All I wanted to do was play and compete hard and I feel like I did so I have no regrets."
Shtemberg and Contrafatto also did well in the doubles championships, finishing seventh. The dynamic duo went 1-2 in the tournament and also earned ITA All-America honors as doubles partners.
Last year, Shtemberg finished sixth in Nationals as a freshman singles player, earning All-America honors in the process, but this year she was on the prowl for the championship. No. 2 seeded Shtemberg squared up against No. 1 seeded Siobhan Finicane of Pomona-Pitzter College in the finals and took her down in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 to claim supremacy over all other female Division III tennis players in the country.
Shtemberg now has a staggering career singles record of 42-5.
"It feels great; words can't even describe it," Shtemberg said when asked how it felt to be a national champ. "I think a lot of determination and focus gave me an edge over my opponents." When asked about her history-breaking victory, Shtemberg said, "I'm really honored to be the first and to even participate in such an event is an honor."
Head coach Scott Dicheck was also proud of Shtemberg's performance.
"(Shtemberg) was the best athlete out there," he said. "She was able to accomplish something that has never been accomplished, and that means a lot."
Shtemberg's record-setting performance proved no one can stop a Lion when she is on the hunt for a national title.
(10/03/07 4:00pm)
The tennis program's trophy cases continued to fill as the Lions returned home with another regional title. When the International Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Regional Tournament at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., drew to a close on Sunday, senior Michael Klimchak was crowned singles champion after defeating his fellow co-captain, senior Eric Ferriere, in the finals 7-5, 6-0.
In the semifinals, New York University's (NYU) top-seeded junior Mikhail Gurevich was taken down by the No. 3 seeded Klimchak 6-3, 6-2. Ferriere made it to the finals by defeating NYU's junior Calvin Chou 6-4, 6-4 before falling to Klimchak.
By winning this tournament, Klimchak has punched his ticket to the ITA Nationals in Mobile, Ala., in two weeks. There he will be playing for a chance at the ITA National Championship as well as ITA All-America honors.
"My personal goals are pretty simple," Klimchak said. "Compete hard and give it everything I have during each and every match. I just want my last year as a player to be the best it can be."
Head coach Scott Dicheck was content with the performances of Klimchak and Ferriere at Regionals.
"They had experience going into this unique tournament and wanted to make their last year memorable," Dicheck said. "They were prepared and gave great performances."
The Lions came into the 2007 season with high expectations all around. After being ranked 25th nationally last year, the College expected nothing but great things from its mix of senior veterans and rookie freshmen.
"We have a very talented team and a good mixture of seniors and young guys," Dicheck said when asked how this team compared to teams of the past.
"This team has the potential to be the best team that I have been a part of at the College because we have such great depth," Klimchak said regarding his teammates. "I feel that our team has the potential to compete against the top teams in the country, which we will get a chance to play during our Spring Break trip to California."
Klimchak, who was ranked in the top 20 nationally last year, heads this talented team along with co-captain Ferriere, returning starter sophomore Jeremy Eckardt and freshmen Matt Pierson and Jonathan Yu.
As ITA Nationals, which begin on Oct. 10, quickly approach, the Lions are optimistic for their fall season as well as their spring trip to California.
"I think the team can be top 15 in the nation this year or even top 10," Eckardt said. "We only lost one guy and gained two good freshmen. Everyone else has gotten better as well." Chiming in on the team's goals for the year, Klimchak said, "As a team, our ultimate goal is to finish in the top 10 in the country and make it to the NCAA quarterfinals in New York."
"I am so excited for the spring," he added, "because these guys have the desire and intensity to make it happen."
(09/26/07 4:00pm)
For the third consecutive year, the College has a Northeast Singles champion roaming the campus.
Sophomore Jackie Shtemberg returned from the International Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Regional tournament on Sunday with her second Northeast Singles title in two years.
Shtemberg defeated her doubles partner, senior Christina Contrafatto, 6-2, 6-2 in the semifinals before defeating freshman Deborah Barany of Hamilton College 6-0, 6-1 to successfully defend her prestigious title.
"(Shtemberg) is very talented and athletic," head coach Scott Dicheck said. "She has a good all-around game and seems to play her best at Regionals."
Another player from the College, freshman Amanda Berg, made it to the semifinals but lost to Barany 7-6 (2), 6-1.
The ITA Northeast Regional tournament at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. began on Friday and finished on Sunday with the College producing both singles and doubles champs for the second year in a row.
The doubles champions were the dynamic duo of Shtemberg and Contrafatto. They defeated another College pair - Berg and sophomore Stephanie Haar - in the finals to clinch the title 8-5.
"It was the best result in my seven years as a coach at the College," Dicheck said when asked what he thought of the team's overall performance on the weekend.
So far this season, the women's tennis team has been on an absolute tear. Following the 9-0 shutout of Rutgers University-Newark that began its New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) schedule, the College squared off against Richard Stockton College in Pomona, N.J., on Wednesday, Sept. 19.
Going into the match, the Ospreys and Lions were each without a loss on the season. The Lions clipped the wings of the Ospreys with little difficulty, shutting them out 9-0.
In singles matches, Shtemberg defeated junior Christa Phillips 6-0, 6-0 while Berg took down sophomore Christy Alexander 6-1, 6-0. Continuing the trend of dominance, Contrafatto defeated sophomore Kelli Williams 6-1, 6-3, Haar defeated senior Jessica Victor 6-1, 7-6, and sophomore Sarah Roser defeated junior Shelly Sai 6-4, 6-3.
This victory over Stockton marked the 118th consecutive win for the College in NJAC matches. This extraordinary streak dates back to the creation of the conference in 1982.
"I think that the school brings in better and stronger players every year which definitely helps," Shtemberg said.
"We remain competitive at all times and are always practicing hard and trying to get better, and we push each other to do better," she continued. "We are going to be more dominant than ever this year."
The Lions continued their reign as NJAC juggernauts, improving their streak to 119 matches and their 2007 record to 3-0 as they shut out Kean University 9-0 in Union, N.J., on Tuesday, Sept. 24.
Shtemberg improved to 12-1 in the fall as she defeated senior Danielle Fardin 6-0, 6-0.
The rest of the team was equally dominant, winning nine games in six singles and three doubles matches.
"We hope to win the NJAC and keep the streak going," Dicheck said.
Upcoming matches include William Paterson University and Ramapo College on Oct. 6 and the ITA Nationals from Oct. 10-14 in Mobile, Ala.