The Geneseo women’s swimming & diving team heads into the 2012-13 season as winners of five straight State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) championships under head coach Paul Dotterweich (Buffalo State ’97). Last year the team placed 31st at the NCAA Championships behind three all-America relay performances.
            All four of Geneseo’s all-Americans return this season: senior Elyssa Max (New Hartford/New Hartford), junior Lily Powell (Selkirk/Bethlehem) and sophomores Abby Max (New Hartford/New Hartford) and Haleigh Wixson (Montour Falls/Watkins Glen) were 11th in the 800-yard freestyle relay and 15th in both the 200- and 400-yard freestyle relays (they also qualified in the 200-yard medley relay, finishing 24th).

            Abby Max competed in three events at the NCAA Championships (200-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle) and Wixson qualified in the 100-yard backstroke.
            Two other SUNYAC champions are back in the pool for Geneseo. Senior Kaitlin Wilcoxen (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius) won the 200-yard breaststroke and swam on the first-place 400-yard medley relay and junior Corinne Vairo (Poquott/Ward Melville) was part of Geneseo’s title-winning 800-yard freestyle relay team.
            Geneseo returns seven other swimmers who were finalists at last year’s SUNYAC meet. Junior Lauren Boyce (New Hartford/New Hartford) was the runner-up in the 200-yard individual medley and placed third and fourth, respectively in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke. Sophomore Katie Jesaitis (Clifton Park/Shenendehowa) took third in the 200-yard breaststroke and seventh in the 400-yard individual medley. Junior Erin O’Brien (Lansing/Lansing) placed fifth in the 400-yard individual medley and sixth in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Junior Julie Deren (Lackawanna/Nardin Academy) was fifth in the 1,650-yard freestyle. Sophomore Kristen Bormann (Farmingdale/Half Hollow Hills East) finished fifth in the 200-yard butterfly.  Junior Molly Carney (Chenango Forks/Chenango Forks) took sixth in the 200-yard butterfly and eighth in the 100-yard butterfly.  Senior Erin Dewey (Albany/Guilderland) was seventh in the 200-yard breaststroke.
            Rounding out Geneseo’s veterans will be senior Abby Erickson (New York/Stuyvesant), juniors Linda Chang (Great Neck/Great Neck South) and Emily Wanamaker (Camillus/Christian Brothers Academy) and sophomores Eileen Goralski (Queensbury/Queensbury) and Stephanie Wilcoxen (Manlius/Fayetteville-Manlius).
            Six newcomers join the roster this season: first years Betsy Erickson (Elma/Iroquois), Jenna Gibbons (Staten Island/Staten Island Tech), Julie Holloway (Pittsford/Rush-Henrietta), Rachel Johnston, Hailey Modelewski (Northport/Northport) and Caroline Russo (Blauvelt/Tappan Zee).
            The 2012-13 schedule includes home competition against three dual-meet opponents and the Geneseo Invitational before postseason opens with the SUNYAC Championships.