The RPI swimming & diving teams spent last Saturday afternoon in Oneonta, N.Y., as they competed against their Hartwick counterparts. Both Red Hawks squads suffered early letdowns, but made significant ground in the later events. The men pulled off the comeback, downing the Hartwick men 129-110, while the women came up just short, falling 133-110.
“We swam pretty flat the first half of the meet, men and women both,” commented Head Coach Shannon O’Brien.
“There were some swims in the first half of that meet where we were disappointed,” agreed senior captain Rob Olivo. “That second half we knew what we had to do. Not one of us wanted to go back to the team saying, ‘Sorry guys, I couldn’t pull through.’” O’Brien added, “I think the men’s turnaround was [Mike Scibelli]’s 500 [yard freestyle]. He went after it and that set the tone right there.”
The junior captain not only won the 500-yard freestyle, but also led a 1-4 RPI sweep of the 200-yard breaststroke and finished second in the 1000-yard freestyle.
Sophomore Kevin Sheridan also had a strong meet for the Red Hawks, taking first in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles and helping the 400-yard freestyle relay squad to a second-place finish.
“Hartwick is known for their sprinting, and for [Sheridan] to go out there and set it in the 100, he was pretty psyched,” said O’Brien.
The men also continued their season-long domination on the diving boards as junior Greg Derevianko, senior Bobby Monahon, and freshman Matthew Culen swept the top three spots in both the one- and three-meter diving events.
Derevianko’s win-streak was ended at five, however, as the young gun, Culen, stole Saturday’s three-meter event. The Pelham, N.Y., native was named Liberty League Rookie of the Week for his performance.
Olivo attributes much of the men’s squad’s success so far this season to the accomplishments of the team’s newcomers like Culen. “I think the freshmen have really stepped up to the plate. We’ve needed them big in certain times and they’ve always come through,” he praised.
On the women’s side, spirits were high despite the loss. “We swam flat in a couple races and that hurt us,” reiterated O’Brien. She added, “We just couldn’t play catch-up from there. But we turned it around the second half of the meet. We swam real well. I was definitely pleased.”
“We really did get the team together,” added sophomore Kelly Owens. “It just wasn’t enough at the right time. Unfortunately, it didn’t work in our favor.”
Owens had a great meet for Rensselaer. The sophomore standout won the 200-yard breaststroke, finished second in the 200-yard individual medley, and swam the second leg of the victorious 400-yard medley relay team. A proud Owens commented, “That’s the best I’ve done in a long time.”
The RPI women also received a huge contribution from junior captain Karel Schnebele. Schnebele joined Owens on the 400-yard medley relay team, as well as adding victories in the 100- and 200-yard freestyles.
Freshman Sara Orndorff continued to excel in her first collegiate season. The Charlotte, N.C., native was also on the winning 400-yard medley relay squad with Owens and Schnebele. She also won the 200-yard butterfly and finished second in the 1000-yard freestyle.
Both squads will now prepare for a dual meet this Saturday against Vassar. It will mark the last meet for both the men and women before the Liberty League championships.
The two teams plan to take different approaches heading into this weekend. O’Brien explained, “We’re going to try to mix up the events for the men, get them to swim some events that they’ll probably swim at Liberty Leagues that they haven’t swum yet. And then with the ladies, it’s going to be tough. [Vassar’s] strengths are our strengths, so we match up very well.”
