“They did a good job going up there and winning it,” said Head Coach Shannon O’Brien of both her male and female swimmers and divers.

Freshman Sara Orndorff led the way for the women’s team, winning three individual races. The Charlotte, N.C., native was victorious in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles and the 100-yard butterfly.

Although the results of regular season meets have no bearing on the state championship meet in mid-February, the win against the Thoroughbreds was definitely a welcome one for the women. “It was important [to beat Skidmore] because we don’t have a lot of wins on the women’s side,” O’Brien said frankly. “We needed to go after it and try to win the meet. Skidmore’s women are a little bit tougher than their men are.”

Junior captain Karel Schnebele and sophomores Stephanie Tomasulo and Kelly Owens also contributed to the winning effort. Schnebele tallied wins in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles. Tomasulo captured victory on the one-meter diving board. Owens dominated the 100-yard breaststroke and finished second in the 200-yard individual medley.

“We swam well,” commented O’Brien. “We didn’t swim great, but we swam well enough to win the meet.”

On the men’s side, the motivation was a little different. “We just tried to mix it up and have a little fun,” admitted O’Brien. “It was a chance to get a few races in that they haven’t raced in a while.”

Competing against a Skidmore squad that only had nine swimmers allowed the Red Hawk men to rest their injured and try events that they do not typically race. Despite the change in strategy, the men went on to win an outstanding 11 of the 13 meet events. In the two events RPI did not win, Red Hawk swimmers finished second and third.

Junior captain Mike Scibelli thrived in Saratoga, winning the 100-yard backstroke and the 500-yard freestyle and finishing second in the 200-yard freestyle. Sophomore Mike Milligan made a splash, bringing in a pair of second-place finishes in the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard individual medley. Freshman Daniel Brocki brought in some points for the Red Hawks, winning the 100-yard freestyle and finishing third in 200-yard freestyle.

With the state championships looming, both squads will travel to Clinton, N.Y., this Saturday to take on Hamilton in their last dual meet of the season. Last year, both the men and women fell at the hands of the Continentals. “The Hamilton meet is going to be tough,” said O’Brien.

For the women, a victory would add more confidence heading into the state meet. On the men’s side, a win would equal a perfect season in dual meet action. The only blemish on their record would be the third-place finish in the Kumpf Invitational back on January 14.