With the return of All-Americans Ben Fell, Allison Geer, and Meghan Hartman the swimming and diving teams are poised to have an exciting season. The squads began their season against Ithaca on October 28. The men’s team is off to a 1-1 start, winning against Hartwick while losing to Ithaca. The women’s team has begun their season with an 0-2 record, losing to both the Hawks and the Bombers.
Despite the losses, Coach Shannon O’Brien said, "The team is starting out on a good note; the women and men are swimming fast." The addition of 12 freshmen male swimmers and four female divers has brought depth and competitiveness to a lot of events—the Class of 2005 is already making quite a splash. "The freshmen have had a big impact already," said O’Brien.
The diving team, led by first-year coach Maria Commaraswamy, has continued to show improvement with every meet. The five women and two men that comprise the team have done well in all their meets. The men, Eric Internicola and Randy LaFleur, placed first and second in both the one-meter and three-meter events aganst Hartwick, and freshman diver Melissa Hershey placed first on the one-meter board. In addition to Hershey, the other freshman divers are Elisa Prange, Jessica Pearson, and Liz Niro—they have given RPI not only depth but also a good foundation for the future.
Leading the swim team and looking to improve on last season’s records are swimmers Ben Fell, Paul Gaffuri, Eric Johnson, and Mike Budris for the men and Allison Geer, Sara Chadwick, Meghan Hartman, and Maureen Desi. Freshman standouts include Alvin Peh, Bryant Eadon, and Pat Fell.
Pat Fell, a freshman from Waverly, N.Y., followed his brother Ben Fell to the RPI team. Pat Fell feels that there is a huge difference from high school, but it’s a good opportunity to find how good one can be. He says there is a little bit of pressure to do well so early in the season, but the team has the work ethic and support to succed. "A big goal for me is to make it to the nationals this year," he said.
Alvin Peh, a freshman from New York City, swims in the backstroke and intermediate medley. "I think we are capable of swimming really fast, depending on our training," he said. Peh believes the team is capable of winning more meets as time goes on—he has a goal of breaking two minutes in the backstroke and 4:15 in the 400-yard individual medley," he said. The biggest difference between high school and college, according to Peh, is the running and weightlifting as well as the other elements that go into preparation for meets.
The swimming and diving team have already had two key meets this year in Ithaca and Hartwick; the Kumpf and RPI Invitationals in January are also very important.
Although swimming and diving is an individual sport, O’Brien believes the team finds a way to combine this with a team concept. "The team members all have individual goals as well as team goals. A combination of both helps the team be successful," she said.
The team’s season continues Wednesday night at Robison Pool aganst Vassar College at 6 pm, followed by the seventh annual UCAA Championships at RPI on November 30 and December 1.
