Two days removed from the sunshine of Hawaii, the RPI men’s swimming & diving team hosted the Kumpf Invitational at Robison Pool on Saturday. The squad fared well, finishing third in the seven-team field with a total score of 514. Ithaca and SUNY Cortland were the only schools to clip the Red Hawks, finishing with scores of 547 and 538, respectively.
“Overall, I think the men were pretty happy [with their performance],” commented junior diver Greg Derevianko via e-mail. “This past meet is traditionally not very strong for us since we are just coming back from training so much … but I heard some people surprised themselves with how well they did.”
Leading the charge was sophomore swimmer Kevin Sheridan. Sheridan tallied victories in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, and 400-yard freestyle relay for RPI. As a result, he was named Swimmer of the Week by the Liberty League for the second time this season.
The Red Hawks enjoyed success in the other three freestyle events, as well. Freshman Dan Brocki finished second in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, and classmate Tim Allen garnered a third-place finish in the 1000-yard freestyle.
RPI was also a force to be reckoned with on the diving boards. The trio of Derevianko, freshman Matt Culen, and senior Bobby Monahon swept the top three spots in both the one- and three-meter diving events.
The three-meter board was particularly kind to the Red Hawks as both Derevianko and Culen made an NCAA provisional cut. The cut puts both divers one step closer to competing at the NCAA Championship in March. Derevianko also set a school record in the three-meter dive with 287.45 points. “I concentrated a lot on working on my three-meter list in Hawaii, and it seemed to pay off,” said Derevianko. The previous record of 283.05 points was also held by the Wilmington, Del., native.
Derevianko also enjoyed accolades from the Liberty League as he was named Diver of the Week for the fourth time. “I feel like I’m right on track,” remarked Derevianko of his performance so far this season. “I’m diving with a lot more confidence.”
The men’s team will rejoin their female counterparts today as they host crosstown rival Union. Last year, both squads fell in Schenectady.
“This is a really big meet for us,” declared Derevianko of today’s dual meet. “We really want to win, so we’re going in full force.”
Competing in the middle of the week is unusual for the Red Hawks, but Derevianko doesn’t see it being a problem for him and his teammates. “It is a little bizarre, but it’s nothing that we can’t handle,” he declared.
Following the dual meet against Union, the men will enjoy a weekend off while the women will host their annual invitational on Saturday. The women’s squad will be looking to exceed last year’s solid third-place finish.
