2008-09 Behrend Swimming and Diving Season Preview
After winning back-to-back Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) men’s and women’s swimming and diving championship crowns, the Penn State Behrend Lions are striving to make a run at a rare three-peat. In the inaugural league championship season two years ago, both the Behrend men’s and women’s teams made quite an impression on the league, dominating at the championship meet and cruising to the AMCC Championship. Last season featured the same type of results.
The blue and white enter their ninth year of varsity competition with this clear goal in mind. “We are once again working hard to defend the AMCC Championship,” said Head Coach Jen Wallace, who returns for her sixth year as the leader of the Behrend Lions program. After learning the ropes for three years as the top assistant at Behrend, Wallace’s first five as the head coach have been extremely successful. “This year’s conference line-up will prove to be more challenging than in the past, but we are confident in our abilities to come out on top,” Wallace said.
Last season culminated with the program winning another league championship, and 15 swimmers moving on to the ECAC championships. “After a strong showing at the ECAC Championships last year, the team’s goals are to increase qualifiers and to place in the top third of the multi division meet,” continued Wallace.
The return of sprint and stroke coach Joe Tristan and diving coach Gordy Schmidt will continue to assist the Behrend Lions in competing at a high level. Tristan carries a high level of experience and intensity with him and will push the swimmers. Schmidt returns for his seventh year as the diving coach. He has created high expectations for his divers and is working hard to increase the difficulty and perfection of their list. Both coaches will be keys to the success of our program this year. “I am very pleased to have Joe and Gordy as instrumental parts of our team,” said Coach Wallace. “Joe brings a plethora of experience and intensity to the sprinters, while Gordy’s love and knowledge of the sport is unsurpassed.”
Entering the upcoming season, the Behrend Lions women’s roster does not have great depth, but the roster is full of talent. Captain Danielle Wilson (Pittsburgh/Plum) will use her great work ethic and team spirit to motivate her teammates. She plays a big factor in both backstroke events as well as the distance free events. Last season, Wilson was named to four AMCC All-Conference relay teams.
A pair of sophomores, Krystal Kovach (Pittsburgh/Chartiers Valley) and Katie Van Epps (Pleasantville/Titusville) return with a year of collegiate experience on their resumes.
Kovach just missed qualifying for the NCAA Championships as a rookie and earned the label as the AMCC Diver of the year. She has worked hard to improve her board work and appears ready for a breakout year. Van Epps, who was tabbed with AMCC Co-Newcomer of the Year accolades last winter, has an enormous willingness to learn and will compete in several events this season.
New faces in the line-up include freshmen Julie Cook (Warren/Warren), Anne Lawrence (State College/State College), Hilary MacManus (Beaver Falls/Blackhawk), and Heather Vickery (Bradford/Bradford). All four add an element of versatility to the event list and will look to score valuable points in 2008-09.
Headlining the men’s roster will be team captains John Reish (Pittsburgh/Penn Hills) and Thomas Weir (Rochester/Freedom). Reish has a tremendous work rate, while Weir is a six time AMCC Champion and All-Conference swimmer. Both will be relied upon to lead the young team both in the water and on the deck.
Four additional juniors return from last year’s AMCC Championship squad. Harmilee Cousin III (Buckeystown, MD/Tuscarora), Stephen Graves (McMurray/Peters Township), Jacob Guiher (Derry/Derry), and Robert Westhelle (Norwood, NJ/Northern Valley). This winter, Graves will score a ton of points off the boards. He has one AMCC Men’s Diver of the Year Award sitting on his desk and has already begun working towards another. Guiher should continue to add to his list of AMCC honors. He was named first-team All-Conference last year.
Three experienced sophomores return from last season’s squad. They include Mike Kinsel (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk), Ben Strunk (Cogan Station/Williamsport), and Josh Weaver (Franklin/Franklin). Last year Strunk was named the AMCC Co-Newcomer of the Year after making waves as a breaststroker, while Weaver turned some heads in the freestyle events as both qualified for the ECAC Championships.
Seven additional freshman swimmers join the blue and white for the 2008-09 season. Peter Bissert (Pittsburgh/Seton-La Salle Catholic), Dane Dombrosky (Mt. Pleasant/Mt. Pleasant), Mike Falvo (Pittsburgh/Upper St. Clair), Ronald Hatt (New Brighton/Freedom), David Jesberger (St. Marys/Elk County Catholic), Jacob Sherk (Elizabethtown/Elizabethtown), Terrance Watterson (Pittsburgh/Bentwood), and Steve Zomcik (Kersey/St. Marys) will be expected to make key contributions during the season and impact the team’s points on the board.
When discussing the upcoming 2008-09 schedule, Coach Wallace had a ton of energy in her voice, “Our dual meet schedule will challenge our athletes to swim faster and more aggressively all season. It will prepare them for postseason competition.” Key meets this season include the home meet against the Allegheny Gators in November, and the road trip to battle Penn State Altoona on January, 17, well as the Blue Devil Invite in December, where the blue and white expect to defend its first place finish from last season. Coach Wallace continued, “The Blue Devil Invite continues to be a significant experience for our younger athletes to prepare them for a college style championship.”
The blue and white will compete at the AMCC Championships on February 12-14. “Our goal this year is to defend our Championship titles and qualify more for the ECAC Championships,” said Wallace. The ECAC Championships are scheduled two weeks later in Boston, Massachusetts.