Men’s Swimming Set to Kick Off 2011-12 Saturday-cnbnews.net
Friday, October 14, 2011
press release
HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 12, 2011) – The Stevens Institute of Technology men’s swimming team will open its 2011-12 season on Saturday with a dual-meet at the De Baun Aquatic Center versus in-state rival Montclair State University beginning at 1 p.m. Stevens is coming off the most successful year in program history as the Ducks placed 14th at the NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships.
Leading the Ducks this season will be a trio of seniors in Mark Bagniewski (Cranford, N.J.), Carl Nagle (Little Silver, N.J.), and Ben Watkins (Michigantown, Ind.). Each is a three-year member of the program that has grown and improved each season through exceptional work ethic and dedication.
Bagniewski will be a valuable member of the breaststroke and sprint groups all year and has made marked improvements since 2008-09, his rookie campaign. The Cranford native will look to continue shaving time in all his events, and eye a trip to the NCAA’s in his last year on Castle Point. Bagniewski is a strong influence on the younger members of the squad as a leader in the classroom, in the pool, and throughout the campus community.
Nagle has been one of the Ducks’ top sprinters since his freshman season and he too will look to make his first trip to the national championships in March. A key member of several relays, Nagle will eye individual Empire 8 and ECAC titles and is already a two-time all-conference honoree in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Watkins, like Bagniewski, is a great example of a student-athlete and is also a tireless worker. He will look to continue his improvement in the pool and contribute valuable points to the Ducks’ bid to win a third-straight ECAC Championship and second Empire 8 title.
“All three of our captains know the program and will be able to help our younger guys throughout the season,” Head Coach Trevor Miele (New York, N.Y.) said. “They are all well-rounded and their combined strong points and qualities as individuals will provide great leadership, focus, and stability for the entire program.”
Senior Matthew Smith (Cream Ridge, N.J.) is another Duck with a lot of experience. He has been key to the Ducks’ success at championship meets and hopes to record NCAA cuts in the individual medley and butterfly events this year.
Stevens lost three seniors to graduation in Dan Pecoraro (Lodi, N.J.), Matthew Preedy (Southampton, Pa.), and Evan Wilson (Oak Harbor, Wash.). All three were extremely valuable to the Ducks and there rise to a top-15 program, but Miele and the rest of the staff has a remarkable amount of returning talent.
“Dan, Matt (Preedy), and Evan were a big reason we ended last year as well as we did, but if our returners continue to develop the way they did last year, I think we will be able to continue to compete with anyone,” said the coach.
Sophomore Conor Arcuri (Beaverton, Ore.) had a strong freshman season and hopes to record NCAA cuts in the distance and middle distance freestyle events with steady progress. He was a member of the Empire 8 Champion 800-yard freestyle team in 10-11.
Junior Alex Benham (Raleigh, N.C.) is the school-record holder in the 500-yard freestyle and has reached the NCAA Championships in his first two seasons as a Duck. Benham is a four-time honorable mention All-American, has won a pair of Empire 8 titles, and will now eye the top-eight in his distance events this season at nationals.
Junior Greg Charriez (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) has looked excellent in preseason practice and like so many Stevens swimmers, has his sights on the NCAA’s. Charriez is one of the Ducks’ top athletes in the butterfly and backstroke events and is currently a member of the school-record 200-yard medley relay team.
Sophomore Elijah Davis (Broomfield, Colo.) made enormous strides his freshman season and hopes to earn Stevens valuable championship points at the ECAC’s and Empire 8’s in 2011-12. He too will be hoping for an NCAA cut in his freestyle events.
Sophomore Mitchell Epperly (Mahwaah, N.J.) is one of the Ducks’ best in the butterfly and has shown a superb work ethic in his first year-plus on the squad. Sophomore Brian Ginebaugh (Belmont, Mich.) is definitely a candidate to reach the NCAA’s after earning a pair of all-conference nods as a rookie, while fellow sophomore Shawn Hanak (North Royalton, Ohio) has put in a lot of work during the offseason and is eyeing Dan Pecoraro’s backstroke records. He will also be a key contributor in freestyle events.
Sophomore Henry Hernandez (Chico, Calif.) has looked good in preseason after a lot of solid work in the offseason, and sophomore Tyler Hessler (Southbury, Conn.) is looking to once again be one of the Ducks’ top sprinters this season. Hessler turned in one of the fastest splits in the 50-free at last year’s NCAA’s and will certainly be valuable and important to Stevens’ success at the ECAC’s, Empire 8’s, and national’s.
Junior John Hu (Oak Harbor, Wash.) is Stevens’ most decorated returner. The veteran was the Empire 8 Swimmer of the Year in 2011 and the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year in 2010. He is a four-time all-conference honoree and is a four-time NCAA All-American. Hu also was an honorable mention All-America accolades three times and holds individual school-records in the 200-yard breaststroke, 200-yard individual medley, and 400-yard individual medley.
Like his classmate, Tyler Hessler, Joe Huyett (Blandon, Pa.) is hoping to improve upon a freshman season that saw him reach the NCAA’s and earn honorable mention All-America honors. One of the top sprinters in the Stevens stable, Huyett is a two-time first-team All-Empire 8 performer.
Junior Daniel Munt (Raleigh, N.C.) made successful strides as a sophomore in 2010-11 and will eye NCAA cuts in butterfly events and sprints after a lot of hard work this summer. Sophomore Nick Noga (Oriskany, N.Y.) will look to build on a rookie year in which he reached the NCAA Championships, earning honorable mention All-America honors in the 800-yard freestyle relay.
Coach Miele has once again infused his team with a talented freshman group. Carlos Blandon (Miami Beach, Fla.) has shown great ability in the distance events and the versatile Matthew Daw (Raleigh, N.C.) is close to NCAA cuts already. Wesley Elford (Phoenix, Ariz.) will look to help fill the hole in events swam by graduate Evan Wilson, and Price Hu (Oak Harbor, Wash.) has shown a lot of promise in the 200-yard butterfly.Christopher Iosue (Bellingham, Mass.) looks strong in distance events, and Jack Rees (Temecula, Calif.) has shown the ability to record NCAA-cut times early on in butterfly and sprint events.
“I think we are a strong team top to bottom,” said Miele. “If we work as hard as we have in the past and the guys continue to grow, I think we will continue to see strong results. It will definitely be an exciting season, and we hope to challenge for another ECAC and Empire 8 title along with a quality showing at NCAA’s.”
After the Montclair dual, the Ducks will face New York University and SUNY Cortland on October 21 and 22 in a tri-meet in Manhatan before hosting Misericordia University on November 5. Stevens will then get ready for the ECAC Championships slated for December 2-4 in East Meadow, N.Y. Following a training trip during winter break, the Ducks will visit Johns Hopkins University and SUNY New Paltz before hosting The College of New Jersey in their Duck Country event on January 29. Hartwick College will visit on February 4 in the final home meet of the season. The Empire 8 Championships are slated for February 22-25 and some individuals will compete in the ECAC Open Championships over that same time period. The NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships are scheduled for March 21-24 in Indianapolis, Ind.