Men's & Women's Swimming
Season Preview

Men's
The College of Saint Rose men’s swimming and diving program has found a formula for success under sixth-year head coach Keith Murray, the 2007 Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year. The Golden Knights produced the first national champion in school history, recorded their best-ever dual meet record at 9-1, established a program mark with a second place overall finish at the NE-10 Championships and tied their best team placing after taking fifth at the Metropolitan Conference Championships a year ago. A new standard at the College was set and the 2007-08 squad will have its work cut out in order to duplicate those achievements.

The Golden Knights are in good hands, however, as 12 letterwinners return from last year’s club looking to take the program to the next level and prove their worth. Some key losses in the sprints must be addressed, but the consistency and versatility of this group should allow the Golden Knights to once again shine during championship season in February and March.

Men’s Returnees (12)
A seasoned group of six seniors, four juniors and a pair of sophomores are expected to contribute from the get-go and provide major scoring opportunities for the squad. Senior Brandon Birchak (Latham, NY/Shaker) is the club’s lone diver and is gearing to defend his national title in the one and three-meter events. Meanwhile, juniors Sean Ahern (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake), Sean Molloy (LaGrange, NY/Arlington) and John Senkewich (Mountainville, NY/Cornwall) provide speed and consistency among the lengthy list of returnees as the trio is part of five combined school records.

Birchak captured NCAA II titles in the one and three-meter diving events with respective scores of 483.95 and 547.10. He established school records on both boards during the course of the season and also swept both events at the NE-10 Championships. He subsequently earned Diver of the Meet honors at both competitions and fell just 9.3 points short of the 13-year old NCAA II record on the three-meter board.

Ahern recorded six first-place finishes last season and registered a pair of season-best times at Metros. He will be a vital part of the 200, 400 and 800-yard free relay teams as he already owns part of the school record in each event. Molloy established a school record at Metros by clocking a 1:56.77 in the 200 backstroke. He was also a first-team NE-10 All-Conference honoree in the 500 freestyle after capturing first at the NE-10 Championships in a time of 4:58.03. Senkewich garnered second-team All-Conference accolades in the 200 free relay after swimming the anchor leg for the second place quartet at the NE-10 Championships. He also registered personal-best times in the 100 and 200 free at Metros.

Seniors tri-captains Douglas Terry (Garnerville, NY/North Rockland), Rick Rowland (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga) and Michael Buyes (Wappingers Falls, NY/John Jay) are also expected to be factors. Terry swam the second fastest time of his career in the 100 butterfly (54.99) at Metros and is two years removed from helping the 200 free relay team capture the fastest time in school history. Rowland saw action on three relay teams and is able to compete in a variety of events, while Buyes was a second-team All-Conference selection as part of the 200 free relay. He registered 10 first place finishes on the year and took seventh at Metros in the 1,650 free with a season-best time of 17:21.80.

Another senior in David Woodman (Seaside, CA/Monterey) is back in the fold after clocking a personal-best 2:24.79 in the 200 breaststroke at Metros. Meanwhile, classmate James Gavin (Latham, NY/Shaker) will once again compete in the 100 and 200 backstroke. He swam the fastest times of his career in both events last season at Metros.

Finally, junior Michael Perez (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) and sophomores Alex Benish (Glens Falls, NY/Glens Falls) and Joseph DiMilia (Beacon, NY/Beacon) are all expected to play major roles after coming into their own a year ago. Perez put forth a personal-best time in the 100 butterfly (54.77) at Metros and also swam his fastest race of the season in the 200 fly (2:09.87). Benish was three seconds off the school record pace in the 100 backstroke at Metros with a 56.20 clocking, while DiMilia competed in eight different events having specialized in the 100 and 200 free.

Men’s Newcomers (3)
The three new arrivals on the scene are Daniel Caputo (Staten Island, NY/Curtis), Jonathan Kruger (Seymour, CT/Notre Dame West Haven) and Matt Micha (Johnson City, NY/Johnson City). All three freshmen are expected to be active immediately and fill some voids left by the outgoing class.

Caputo is a strong all-around swimmer and is able to succeed at almost any event he competes in. A 2007 qualifier for the New York State meet in the 200 free, Caputo owns three individual school records and is part of two more relay records at Curtis. A two-time Staten Island All-Star, Caputo will add a great deal of depth in the 100 and 200 free.

Kruger’s impending impact on the program could be seen immediately in the freestyle events and he may also see time on a relay team. He competed on the 200 free relay squad that advanced all the way to the Connecticut State meet last season. Micha has proven that he has the ability to hold his own in the 100 and 200 butterfly after being crowned section IV class “B” champion in both events last year. He also competed at the New York State meet in each of the past three years.

Women’s
On the women’s side, Murray will have to replace a solid group of graduating seniors with a consistent nucleus of veterans and one of the better recruiting classes to speak of during his tenure. The Golden Knights are coming off a fifth place showing at the NE-10 Championships and turned in their best performance in program history at Metros. Saint Rose finished sixth among 20 competing institutions and was third in the NCAA II portion of the meet. Challenging endeavors to uphold of course, but the group of seven returning letterwinners is poised to make a name for themselves just as their predecessors did.

Women’s Returnees (7)
Four student-athletes that have already rewritten the school’s record book are among the aforementioned returnees. Senior Morgan Schutz (Pine Bush, NY/Pine Bush), juniors Kelly Davidson (Keene, NH/Keene) and Chelsea O’Neill (Atkinson, NH/Central Catholic) and sophomore Rosalie Palmer (Dallas, TX/Lake Highlands) have their hand in eight individual and relay records at the College and are expected to lead the way for the incoming class.

Schutz, who was named to the NE-10 All-Academic Team in recognition of academic and athletic excellence at season’s end, recorded nine first-place finishes throughout the year. She turned in a season-best performance at Metros in the 100 free after hitting the wall in 56.86 and swam the anchor leg on the 200 and 400 relay squads throughout the year. Davidson, who is also a sprinter, clocked a 26.64 in the 50 free for her fastest time of the season at the NE-10 Championships.

O’Neill and Palmer are part of the twice school record setting 400 medley relay squad that captured seventh place at Metros a year ago. O’Neill set a pair of personal-best times during the season in the 100 and 200 breaststroke as well. Meanwhile, Palmer established individual school records at Metros in the 100 backstroke (1:01.63), 200 backstroke (2:11.75) and the 200 IM (2:17.63) during her rookie campaign.

Senior co-captain Jenn Skeats (Woodstock, NY/Onteora), junior Kaitlyn Clark (Cuddebackville, NY/Port Jervis) and sophomore Mary Hall (Greencastle, PA/Greencastle-Antrim) have the ability to score points in the distance, individual medley and backstroke events.

Skeats is multitalented having competed in eight different events last season. She established a personal-best in the 400 IM with a time of 5:01.52 at Metros, just three seconds off the school record pace. Skeats is a solid contributor on the 200 and 400 medley relay squads as well. Clark showed vast improvement throughout the season having established personal-best times in the 1,000 free and the 1,650 free, while Hall completed the same feat to go with three first-place finishes on the year.

Women’s Newcomers (7)
A sophomore transfer and six freshmen are expected to round out some fast relays for the Golden Knights. Christine Lockwood (Binghamton, NY/Chenango Valley) is among the top newcomers after earning All-State and All-Conference accolades. She was part of five division championship teams at Chenango Valley, twice competed at the New York State meet and captured the section IV class “B” championship in the 200 IM.

Amy Lamparelli (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake) and Alicia Robinson (Albany, NY/Albany) are local products that are capable of producing points in the butterfly, IM and freestyle events. A five-year member of the varsity team in high school, Lamparelli comes from a quality club organization in the Schenectady Swim Club and garnered team awards during her final three seasons of competition. Robinson was a four-year qualifier for sectionals and also made an appearance at the New York State meet. She also owns part of the school record in the 200 medley relay at Albany.

Sophomore Jamie Hopper (Kingston, NY/Kingston), who arrives from William Paterson University, is the only diver on the roster and her impact will be felt immediately. She is very capable of producing points on the one and three-meter boards and will progress exponentially throughout the year.

Mary Kate Almeida (Haddam, CT/Haddam-Killingworth), Laura DeGore (Lindenhurst, NY/St. John the Baptist) and Kerrianne Sanicola (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac) will also be given the opportunity to come into their own in their first season of competition.

Almeida garnered All-Shoreline honors and will add depth in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, while DeGore helped St. John the Baptist capture its first ever league “A” CHSAA swimming championship a year ago. She was also part of the 400 free relay team that won the league title. Sanicola was a three-sport athlete at Mahopac who will give the coaching staff another option in the freestyle events and on the relays.

Schedule
The lengthy path to the Metro Championships in February begins on Saturday, October 27 when the Golden Knights compete in the Hartwick Relays in Oneonta, NY for the second straight season. The very next day, Saint Rose travels to Waltham, MA for the Bentley Invitational to cap off an opening weekend of swimming. The dual meet portion of the schedule commences on Saturday, November 3 at Utica College. Two weeks later, the Golden Knights head to Bryant in preparation for the Northeast-10 Championships at Southern Connecticut State in New Haven. The meet is set to run from Friday, November 30 to Sunday, December 2. The first home meet is set for Saturday, December 8 when Le Moyne visits Albany. Saint Rose will also host Saint Michael’s on Saturday, January 19 and Adelphi on Saturday, January 26. The Metro Championships are set to take place on February 22, 23 and 24 at Rutgers University.

Summation
The forecast remains bright for the 2007-08 Saint Rose men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. Both squads have proven ability back in the fold as 19 student-athletes on a roster of 29 return to clubs that established new standards for the program a year ago. Birchak has the ability to take top individual diving honors at every meet, while the relay squads have always shown a lot of promise under the direction of Murray in recent years. The men will need someone to step into a major role in the butterfly, while the women piece together its relays with a gifted group of newcomers and a successful collection of returnees.