Bucknell University Athletics
A Swimming and Diving Season to Remember 2002-03
4/21/2003 8:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving
April 21, 2003
The Bucknell Swimming and Diving teams opened the season with goals in mind and accomplished more than just goals; they accomplished dreams. The Bison completed one of the most successful seasons in Bucknell History in 2002-03. For the first time ever in Patriot League History, a single institution swept the Patriot League Championship Titles and the Bucknell Women's Swimming and Diving team achieved an undefeated dual meet season.
The making of history started in the fall, when the swim team began practice in the Freas-Rooke Pool. They watched with anticipation as the construction on the brand new olympic-size Kinney Natatorium was nearing its final stages. The Bison felt blessed with such a facility when they entered it one morning at 6 a.m. for the first varsity practice in the new natatorium. Through this transition from Freas-Rooke to making the Kinney Natatorium home, seniors Gonzalo Diaz, Rebecca Dolan, Christopher Feinthel, Darby Golino, Michael Guskey, Geoffrey Konopka, Kurt McCoy, Lauren Mosler, Stelios Saffos and Stephen Schwanhausser helped guide the team as they faced their last season as a Bison.
The Swimming and Diving Teams were also active outside the pool throughout the fall semester. As the summer came to an end and the school year began, the teams gathered for a team building activity on a sunny Sunday on the West Fields. The team members spent the day engaged in a variety of exercises led by the Quest Corporate Institute in an effort to improve their ability to work together. On October 5th during Parents Weekend, the members of the team participated in the 5k race sponsored by the Lambda Chi Fraternity for The Doug Flutie Foundation. Swimmers Lauren Kmec, Andrew Steiner, and Matt Hallowell won their respective races.
The swimmers kicked off the season with a splash at the Blue and Orange Intra-squad Meet on October 25. This marked the Bison's first competitive experience in the Kinney Natatorium. The Bison then traveled to Drexel University on November 2, which resulted in their first two victories. The women collected a 185-102 win and the men tallied a 168-132 win. Senior Darby Golino earned a gold after recording 2:07.56 for the Drexel Pool Record in the 200 back. Daniela Faas captured a first place finish in the 1000 freestyle with a time of 10:38.37. Golino also earned first place honors in the 100 backstroke (59.87). On the men's side of competition, the Bison Men earned eight gold medals. Kurt McCoy (1000 freestyle), Stelios Saffos (100 breaststroke), Michael Harrigan (100 & 200 butterfly), Michael Guskey (50 freestyle), Michael Shilling (200 breaststroke), Todd Bauer (500 freestyle) and Matt Hallowell (200 IM) finished first in their respective events. The team chose to honor Darby Golino and Michael Harrigan as the Athletes of the Meet. Golino was also honored Patriot League Female Swimmer of the Week.
The Bison opened Kinney Natatorium when the swimming team hosted the Sprint Invitational on November 9. The women's squad finished in second place, only 7.5 points behind West Chester. The men grabbed third place, behind West Chester and Penn State. Highlighting the day for the Bison with first place finishes were Jamie Flick, with a time of 31.39 in the 50 breast, Meghan Freese, capturing 24.56 in the 50 free, and Sarah Petcavage, with a score of 218.80 in the 3-meter diving competition. Lectie Altman found herself a slot on the All-Time Top Ten Charts (5th) after capturing second in the 100 back with a time of 58.84. Altman, along with teammates, Freese, Flick and Mary Krakowski placed themselves eighth on the All-Time List in the 400 medley relay with a time of 4:00.71. The women finished with a total of 801 points, and the men closed with 633.50. On the men's side of competition, Bison leaders included Michael Guskey, who placed first in the 50 breast (27.12) and Adam Freeman, who captured first place in both the 1-meter (266.8) and 3- meter (244.20) diving competitions. The team chose Freese and Guskey as the Bison Athletes of the Meet after the Sprint Invitational. Adam Freeman received Patriot League Male Diver of the Week accolades after he swept the men's diving competition.
Bucknell was fortunate to face its first Patriot League opponents, American and Navy, with a home pool advantage. The women were victorious over both American, 176-124, and Navy, 163-137. The women's victory over Navy was the first duel meet victory since 1997. The Bison Men fell to American by a score of 166-133. The women who competed against both opponents received a number of golds against the PL Foes. In the women's 200 medley relay, Golino, Flick, Krakowski and Freese placed first with a time of 1:48.10, which placed them third on the All-Time list. Altman captured first in the 200 free with a time of 1:54.87 making her third on the All-Time list in that event. Also placing first in individual events for the Bison were Golino (100 backstroke & 200 IM), Flick (100 & 200 breaststroke), and Freese (50 free). Tailing each other, Altman and Golino recorded first and second in the 200 back. For the men, Adam Freeman placed first in both the one- and three-meter diving events for the second time this season. Freeman took fifth on the All-Time list with his 271.65 score in the one-meter diving. He accomplished 238.95 in the three-meter diving competition. Assisting in adding points to the men's side, Mark Kretzer, Guskey, Harrigan, and Peter Garvin placed second in the 200 medley relay. Saffos received the silver in the 100 breaststroke (59.75), edging in the 10th spot on the All-Time charts. Schilling recorded 2:11.18 in the 200 breaststroke to capture second, which placed him on the All-Time Top Ten list, bumping Jay O'Neil off the list by one-tenth of a second. Bauer captured second in the 500 free with a time of 4:51.63. Freeman and Altman were named Athletes of the Meet by their teammates. Freeman was also named Patriot League Diver of the Week for the second consecutive week. Golino was named the Bull Run Inn Bison Athlete of the Week.
The Bison hosted their second PL dual meet on November 23 against Army. On the women's 400-medley relay, Altman, Flick, Krakowski and Lynne Ashenfelter placed first with a time of 4:01.28, which placed them tenth on the All-Time list. Faas captured the gold in the 1000 yard free. Altman scored first place points in the 200 yard free. A number of pool records were set during the meet against the Black Knights. Freese broke the pool record in the 50 freestyle, while Golino recorded a pool record in the 200 IM and the 200 breaststroke. Adam Freeman placed first in the one- and three-meter diving competitions. The sophomore diver scored his highest score in the three-meter dive (270.07), only to look forward to achieving new goals. In the 200 breast, Schilling clocked in with a time of 2:10.42, which placed him eighth on the All-Time list for Bucknell. The women were victorious over Army, 141-100, however the men dropped their second loss of the season, 164-79. The team chose Todd Bauer and Daniela Fast as Athletes of the Meet. After setting a new pool record, Freeze was honored Patriot League Swimmer of the Week.
With the new facility on hand, the Bison hosted the first annual Trials and Finals Invitational in the Kinney Natatorium on December 7 - 8. Both swimming and diving teams completed day one on top. Adam Freeman set the school record in the one-meter 11-dive competition with a score of 475.95 during the preliminary round. Freeman crushed the previous record, held by Bob Richards in 1973, by 61.17 points and now stands first on the All-Time list. In the 200 freestyle relays, Guskey, Jake Thieman, Michael Willits and Garvin earned the gold. In the finals, McCoy (16:53.27), Gonzo Diaz (17:11.63) and Brooks Steadman (17:14.33) placed second through fourth in the 1650 free. In the 100 backstrokes, Christopher Feinthel (54:38) and Kretzer (54.98) (captured second and third, respectively, during the finals competition. In the 100 breaststroke event, Saffos received the gold while clocking in at 59:79, which tied him for tenth on the All-Time list. Guskey placed second only nine-tenths of a second behind Saffos in the 100 breast. To close the scoring for the Bison Men on the Saturday, Kretzer, Saffos, Harrigan and Garvin captured the gold in the 400-medley relay. Many Bison women placed themselves on the All-Time Top Ten charts during the first day of the two day invitational. The 200 free relay team, Freese, Krakowski, Golino and Erica Wild, captured a time of 1:38.38 in the final swim and placed themselves fifth on the All-Time list. Flick captured a second place medal in the 100 breast (1:06.77) and now stands second on the All-Time list.
The Bison Women ended the Trials and Finals weekend in first place with a compiled score of 1,035, while the men also finished atop Fordham and University of New Hampshire with 1,198 points. Kretzer, Guskey, Harrigan and Garvin received the gold medal in the 200 medley relay. Garvin also placed first in the 100 free with a time of 47.99. Bauer (4:48.74) and Kurt McCoy (4:51.84) placed first and second in the 500 freestyle. Freeman captured a first place finish with 433.25 points in the 11-dive three-meter diving competition. Willats, Thieman, Harrigan and Garvin won the 400 freestyle relay. Hallowell (4:17.64) and Diaz (4.21.20) captured the silver and bronze medals in the 400 IM. During the women's competition, Golino, Flick, Krakowski and Freese won the 200 medley relay. Freese grabbed a second gold medal in the 100 free with a time of 52.82, which set a new pool record. Golino (2:05.66) and Altman (2:06.19) captured second and third in the 200 backstroke, and Altman now stands fourth on the All-Time charts. Krakowski clocked in at 58.67 in the 100 fly for the gold, which placed her fourth on the All-Time list. Petcavage scored 339.36 points in the three-meter 11-dive competition. Chris Feinthel and Mary Krakowski received the Athlete of the Meet Honors by their teammates, while Freeman racked up his third PL Diver of the Week Award. Freeman was also named Bull Run Inn Bison Athlete of the Week.
Over the winter break the swimming and diving squads planned a training trip to Naples, Fla. Despite the rough beginning with unexpected bus difficulties, the team spent ten days in sunny Naples, Florida. The team came together as a group during their toughest training of the year and met all the challenges their coaches set before them. They practiced with and competed against Brown University in Naples. With a new tan, the team returned to Bucknell University with the energy and drive to face more Patriot League Rivals.
The women's team captured a 188-107 victory over Lafayette, while the men's team tallied a 162-136 win over the Leopards. In the women's events, the Bison captured the gold and silver medal in the first race of the afternoon, the 200 medley relay. Faas clocked in at 10:37.32 in the 1000 for a first place finish, and in the 200 freestyle Jennifer Cancro (1:57.38) and Altman (1:57.93) grabbed the first two times. Golino set a new pool record with a time of 59.69 in the 100 backstroke, while Freese captured the silver. Flick won the 100 breast. Jackie Feinthel placed first for the Bison in the 200 butterfly and Freese got first in the 50 freestyle. Freshmen Lectie Altman continued the winning trend with a first place finish in the 200 back (2:08.17). Petcavage scored 242.40 points in the three-meter diving competition for a first place medal, while receiving the silver medal in the one-meter six-option diving session with 211.35 points. On the men's side of the competition, Bucknell captured the gold medal in the 200 medley relay. Chris Feinthel grabbed nine points for the Bison in the 100 back (54.47). The Bison Men completed a few one-two-three sweeps during the competition. Stephen Schwanhausser (1:00.22), Schilling (1:01.94) and Andrew Steiner (1:02.46) topped the Leopards off in the 100-breaststroke. Schwanhausser (2:09.89), Schilling (2:15.29) and Steiner (2:18.11) grabbed the top three medals in the 200 breast. Kretzer received his second first place finish in the 200 fly after setting a new pool record with a time of 1:55.87 and placing himself eighth on the All-Time Top Ten. For the third time during the 2002 - 2003 Season, Freeman placed first in both one- and three-meter diving competitions against the Leopards. He received 261.82 points during the one-meter event, and grabbed 285.14 in the three-meter. Freeman broke his personal best in the three-meter by 34.19 points. The team named freshmen Mark Kretzer and Junior Jen Cancro Athletes of the Meet. Kretzer and Freeman swept the PL Male Swimming and Diving awards after defeating Lafayette.
The Bison attended their only away Patriot League Meet versus Colgate in Hamilton, N.Y, on January 18. Despite a long cold night in the hotel, the women finished with a 190-110 win and the men, a 173-127 victory. With a time of 1:58.58, Cancro won the 200 free, while teammate Lectie Altman finished second. Jackie Feinthel (2:11.06), Becky Dolan (2:13.66), and Vanessa Scaringi (2:14.75) marked the top three times in the 200 fly. Grabbing the gold medal back-to-back, Freese swam the 50 free in 24.40 and the 100 free in 53.31. In the 500 free, Faas (5:12.60), Cancro (5:17.52), Feinthel (5:19.14) and Leslie Rice (5:26.61) grabbed the top four slots for the Bison. The Bison Men also dominated the waters of Colgate. Kretzer, Saffos, Garvin and Willats captured a first place finish in the 200 medley relay. McCoy earned a gold medal in the 1000 freestyle event, while Bauer earned the gold in the 200 free. Christopher Feinthel (55.28) snatched a first place finish in the 100 backstroke. Saffos (1:00.52) finished second 100 breaststroke, while Schwanhausser (1:00.59) earned third place. Kretzer (1:57.65), Ryan Fisher (2:01.32), Diaz (2:01.98) captured the top three slots in the 200 fly. Kretzer received his third gold medal in the 200 back. Schwanhausser and Schilling snatched the top two times in the 200 breast. Bauer and McCoy also grabbed the top two slots in the 500 free. Kurt McCoy and Becky Dolan earned Athlete of the Meet Awards from their teammates. Jamie Flick was honored Female Swimmer of the Week by the Patriot League Office.
The Orange and Blue hosted their final regular season meet at home against Lehigh. The men were victorious over the 2002 Patriot League Champs by a score of 157-143, while the women also assisted in a 215-85 sweep. During the first race of the day a Golino, Flick, Krakowski and Freese earned the first nine points and broke the school record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:47.28. The quad previously stood sixth on the All-Time charts. Golino (58.27), Altman (1:00.51) and Tricia Rado (1:02.62) clocked the top three times in the 100 back. Flick received a gold in the 100 breast. Placing more points on the board for the Bison were Jackie Feinthel (2nd, 2:09.69), Dolan (3rd, 2:12.80) and Scaringi (4th, 2:12.89) in the 200 fly. Freese, Krakowski and Wild received the top trio of medals in the 50 free. In the diving competition, Petcavage snatched both the first place finishes on the women's side. She completed the one-meter diving with a score of 213.14, and the three-meter competition with 218.85. Lisa Rockwell placed second for the Bison in the one-meter dive with a score of 192.07. On the men's side of diving, Freeman easily earned the gold medals in both the one- and three-meter diving events for the fourth time on the season. In the one-meter competition, Freeman received 291.22 points, 94.13 points above second place Dave Edelstein from Lehigh. With 291.22 points, Freeman set a new school record in the one-meter dive (260.92, 7th AT). Freeman swept the runner-up by over 52 points. The men's 200-yard medley relay team captured a first place mark. Kretzer, Guskey, Garvin and Willats finished with a time of 1:35.88. McCoy received the first individual medal for the Bison, while swimming the 1000 freestyle in 9:52.11. Guskey, Saffos and Schwanhausser clocked in at the top three slots in the 100 breast. Krezter added another gold honor to Bucknell's list after swimming the 200 butterfly. Garvin and Thieman marked second and third in the 50 free. The Bison men put the finishing touches to an exciting meet with first and fourth place victories in the 400 free relay. Thieman, Harrigan, Willats and Garvin clocked in at 3:10.48 for a first place finish. Brian Cole, Dean Deluca, Saffos and Guskey placed fourth with a time of 3:16.03. Jake Thieman and Jamie Finkleman received Bison Athlete of the Meet from the Bucknell Team. Freeman and Golino received weekly accolades from the Patriot League. Freeman received his fifth PL honor for the season, while Golino earned her second. Freeman was named Bull Run Inn Bison Athlete of the Week for the second time this season.
The Men's and Women's Team rested in order to prepare for the Patriot League Championships held at the Kinney Natatorium on February 20-22. The women's team wrapped up the 2002 - 2003 dual meet season with a perfect 7-0 record for the first time in BU history. The most exciting moment in 2003 Bucknell Swimming history would have to be the winning moment with Bucknell swept the Patriot League Championships. Bucknell had an opportunity to host its first Patriot League Swimming Championship in the newly opened Kinney Natatorium. Bucknell has not hosted a swimming championship since 1969, when the men's team hosted the Middle Atlantic Conference Championships. The Bison set eighteen new school records in the matter of three days. The women set thirteen and the men grabbed eight. The excitement in the air in Kinney Natatorium throughout the three days never fell. Parents, athletes, students and spectators supported the Bison from the first to last race.
On day one of the Championships, the men finished a top by over thirty-one points over defending champion Lehigh. The women had a 65.5 lead over second-place Navy. Freese was the star of the night for the Bucknell women. She obliterated the school and championship records in the 50-yard freestyle and also anchored two winning relays. Bucknell's 200-yard freestyle relay opened the night with a convincing win in meet-record time of 1:34.94. Wild, Golino, Krakowski and Freese set the pace in the initial event of the finals. Freese's winning time of 23.32 in the 50-yard freestyle shattered Margaret Grunow's 10-year-old school and PL record by a whopping .26 seconds. The time also qualified Freese provisionally for the NCAA Championships. Krakowski placed fourth in the 50-freestyle (24.42). Golino, Krakowski, Freese and Flick captured a first-place finish, by six seconds, in the 400-yard medley relay. The relay squad set a new meet, league and pool record with a time of 3:49.54. Golino's 100 backstroke split of 57.31 was also a Bucknell's school record.
Bucknell got off to an outstanding start in the very first event of the evening finals, winning the 200-yard freestyle relay. Thiemen, Guskey, Williams and Garvin finished with a time of 1:22.17 for the gold. Garvin later grabbed the Bison's only individual gold in the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.52. That was just part of a big scoring night in the 50 free for Bucknell. Bucknell's 400 medley relay team, featuring Chris Feinthel, Guskey, Kretzer and Garvin, set a new school record with a second-place time of 3:22.93. That was just part of a big scoring night in the 50 free for Bucknell. Thieman placed seventh in 21.13, while Guskey (21.33), Willats (21.42) and Saffos (21.44) swept the top three spots in the consolation final. Schwanhausser earned a fourth place finish in the 200-yard IM, clocking in at 1:54.38. Bauer finished at 4:38.66 in the 500 freestyle for a fifth-place finish. In the first diving competition of the championships, Bucknell's Adam Freeman finished third on the three-meter springboard with a score of 417.05.
On day two, the Bison Teams held onto their leads. The women finished day two with a 170 point lead over Navy and the men held onto a 30 point lead over Lehigh. The Bison began the evening with a meet record time of 1:44.35 in a victory in the 200 medley relay. Golino, Flick, Krakowski and Freese also set a new school record as well as a league record in the relay. Flick went on to earn the gold in the 100 breaststroke with a finish time of 1:04.69. As the night progressed, Bucknell added more points when Faas earned second-place honors in the 400 IM (4:28.51). Krakowski earned 17 points for the Bison with a 57.06 finish to set new school record in the 100 butterfly. Altman's winning time of 1:53.11 in the 200 freestyle gave the Bison a boost mid-evening. Second runner-up, Cancro earned a time of 1:53.22. Golino received a gold medal after clocking in at 57.36 in the 100 backstroke and set a new school record. Altman (57.84) and Freese (58.59) placed third and fourth, respectively. In the last event for the evening, Faas, Dolan, Altman and Cancro captured a first-place finish, by 1.5 seconds, in the 800 freestyle relay. With a time of 7:35.25, that foursome broke the school, league and meet record. On the men's side, the Orange and Blue started the second night off with a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay. Kretzer, Guskey, Garvin, and Willats received silver medals with a time of 1:32.00. In the championship finals of the 100 breaststroke, Orange and Blue caps were all over the pool, as Bison swimmers occupied five of the eight lanes. Guskey's time of 55.76 earned a second-place award. Schwanhausser (56.66) placed fourth, while Saffos (57.49), Schilling (58.05) and Geoffrey Konopka (58.59) earned sixth through eighth. Chris Feinthel's 52.09 placed fourth in the 100 backstroke. The Bucknell 800 free relay team captured the final points for day two. Bauer, Kretzer, Hallowell and McCoy earned a fifth place finish with a time of 6:59.24.
The final day arrived and the teams were pumped. Both teams accomplished one of their biggest goals and became Patriot League Champions! The women won by over 237 points, while the men's team had never finished higher than third in a PL Championship meet, held off defending champion Lehigh by 69 points. Defending champion Navy finished second on the women's side with 575 points, followed by Lehigh (520), Colgate (494), Army (431), American (300.5), Holy Cross (193) and Lafayette (157). Bucknell's men also set a team scoring record with 701 points. Lehigh was second with 632.5, followed by American (580.5), Army (564), Colgate (365), Lafayette (342) and Holy Cross (183). Three Bison women won their second individual events of the championships on Saturday night, headlined by Freese's win in the 100 free. Her time of 51.09 in the finals was one-hundredth of a second off her morning prelim time, which shattered the league and school records and met the NCAA provisional qualifying standard. Freese also hit the NCAA mark in the 50 free on Thursday. Golino and Altman went 1-2 in the 200 backstroke. Golino's time of 2:02.27 set meet and school records. Flick set a new Bucknell record in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:20.30. Faas was runner-up in the 1650 free in 17:05.85, also setting a Bucknell record. On the men's side, Garvin won the 100 free in 45.58, and freshman Kretzer sewed up Bucknell's team victory with a win in the 200 butterfly (1:52.66) in the final individual event of the meet. Bauer, turned in a strong second-place finish in his collegiate debut in the 1650 free. Freese and Garvin were honored with Bull Run Inn Co-Bison Athlete of the Week after assisting with winning PL Titles.
Head coach Jerry Foley and his coaching staff received Patriot League Coach of the Year for both the Men's and Women's Swimming and Diving. Kathleen O'Dell, Judson Aungst, Errol Carter, Sandy Elion, and Carl Milofsky assisted Coach Foley throughout the season. Twelve Bison earned All-League honors.
The Bucknell Swimming and Diving Teams accomplished many goals throughout the 2002 - 2003 Season. From team building, to a training trip, to the excitement of a new facility, to winning Patriot League Titles, the Bison concluded a season of memories and have made their mark in the history books of Bucknell Athletics.
