2011 - 2012 Swimming & Diving Preview
2011 - 2012 Women's Preview
In 2010-11, the Geneseo Blue Wave dominated the competition to claim their fourth straight and 19th SUNYAC title in the last 22 years with 771.5 points. Head coach Paul Dotterweich (Buffalo State, '97) begins his 12th season and has the challenge of replacing the graduated 16-time All-American and three-time SUNYAC Swimmer of the Meet, Michelle Rodriguez '11.
Junior Kaitlin Wilcoxen (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) is the lone returning SUNYAC individual champion after winning the 200 breaststroke last season, while sophomores Lauren Boyce (New Hartford) and Lily Powell (Selkirk/Bethlehem) earned second team All-SUNYAC recognition in 2011. Boyce claimed second place in the 200 back and third in the 100 back and 200 IM, while Powell was third in the 200 butterfly.
A host of other talented swimmers return including senior freestylers Becca Maisonet (Cornwall-on-Hudson/Cornwall) and Jade Plaschka (Smithtown/Hauppauge), junior Elyssa Max (New Hartford) and sophomore Corinne Vairo (Poquott/Ward Melville). Maisonet and Plaschka provide necessary leadership for the team, while Max and Vairo each swam on NCAA provisional qualifying relays last season.
Dotterweich has a trio of newcomers poised to earn the SUNYAC points vacated by Rodriguez. First year Abby Max (New Hartford) participated in the state meet last year and has NCAA provisional cut times in three events, Haleigh Wixson (Montour Falls/Watkins Glen) competed at the state meet in the backstroke and sprint freestyle and has NCAA provisional cuts in the back and Caroline Gardner (Lyons/Newark) is poised to produce points on the boards in diving.
Other returners to the roster include juniors Molly Carney (Chenango Forks), Erin Dewey (Albany/Guilderland), Abby Erickson (New York/Stuyvesant) and Colleen Halbohn (North Massapequa/Kellenberg) and sophomores Linda Chang (Great Neck/Great Neck South), Jule Deren (Lackawanna/Nardin Academy), Erin O'Brien (Lansing) and diver Emily Wanamaker (Camillus/Christian Brothers Academy).
Rounding out the roster for Geneseo are first years Kristen Bormann (Farmingdale/Half Hollow Hills East), Eileen Goralski (Queensbury), Katie Jesaitis (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) and Stephanie Wilcoxen (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius).
Geneseo opens their season on Saturday, October 22 when they host the Division I Canisius College Golden Griffins.
2011-12 Men's Preview
Head coach Paul Dotterweich (Buffalo St. '97) enters his 12th season looking to extend the Geneseo SUNYAC championship streak to 14 years after posting a dual meet record of 12-0 on the way to dominating the competition at the SUNYAC meet with 854 points to second place Cortland's 674.
The Blue Wave is loaded again this season, returning six SUNYAC individual champions and four others who claimed second team All-SUNYAC, including three of four who claimed honorable mention All-American in the 200 freestyle relay in 2011.
Junior Frank Schiappa (East Amherst/Canisius) won the 50 freestyle, set school record in the 50 and 100 frees and competed at the NCAA championships in the sprint freestyle events, joining junior Dan Strothenke (New Paltz), who won the 100 freestyle at SUNYACs, and senior Aaron Wagner (Centerport/Harborfield) on the nationally recognized relay team.
Junior Austin Brennan (Stony Brook/Ward Melville) earned Most Outstanding Swimmer at the 2011 SUNYAC meet after winning the 200 backstroke and 100 butterfly, while seniors Ken Pink (Rochester/Pittsford Sutherland) and Nate Foley (Slingerlands/Bethlehem) each won a pair of events and hold school records. Pink won the 200 breast and 200 IM and owns the school mark in both events, while school record holder Foley claimed the 500 and 1,650 freestyle individual SUNYAC titles. Senior CJ Schaub (Blauvelt/Tappan Zee) joined the winners at the SUNYAC meet by claiming the 100 breast in an NCAA provisional qualifying and school record time.
Wagner, who was third in the 200 IM, and two others, earned second team All-SUNYAC in 2011. Senior Jeff Singer (Queensbury) was second in the 1,650 free and third in the 200 fly and senior Josh Kaplan (Grand Island) placed second in the 100 back, an event in which he holds the school mark.
Dotterweich looks for considerable contributions from senior Drew Rogers (Williamsville/Williamsville South) and a quartet of state meet participating newcomers in Kenny Athans (Victor), John Nasky (Rochester/Brighton), Garrett Gruesser (Lakeview/Canisius) and Branden Dahlem (Rhinebeck/Our Lady of Lourdes). Athans is strong in all events, Nasky competed in the state meet in distance freestyle, Gruesser is a free and backstroke specialist and Dahlem is a state meet caliber backstroker.
Completing the swim roster are juniors Jan Donokal (East Northport/Northport), Greg Marks (Phelps/Midlakes) and Jack Schreckengost (North Tonawanda), sophomores Brian Dansa (Orchard Park), Paul Jennings (East Northport/Elwood-John Glenn), Eric Maldonado (Setauket/Ward Melville) and Mike Shrago (Rochester/Brighton) and first year Bryan Schaub (Blauvelt/Tappan Zee).
Sophomores Gian Villegas (Beacon) and Brandon Peifer (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) return to the diving board as the Blue Wave looks to replace the points earned by three-time All-American Wills DeMoulin '11.
The Blue Wave will begin their season by hosting the Canisius College Golden Griffins on Saturday, October 22.