Bucknell University Athletics
Consistent Sokolosky Primed for Strong Senior Year
12/1/2011 7:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
Dec. 1, 2011
By Todd Merriett, Bucknell Athletic Communications
It doesn't seem possible that someone who is a three-time All-Patriot League selection, a Patriot League champion, an ECAC champion and the owner of individual top-10 times in school history in four events could fly under the radar, but Bucknell senior men's swimmer Eric Sokolosky has seemed to do so over his four-year career.
"Taken for granted is probably a bit strong, but Eric's success has always been assumed," explains Bison sixth-year head coach Dan Schinnerer when asked why Sokolosky has not garnered the headlines it seems he deserves so much. "He won the 50-yard freestyle in his first scored meet as a freshman and has been so consistent ever since. You always know what you are going to get from Eric."
The unassuming Sokolosky came to Bucknell from Branford, Conn., four years ago as one of the final members of a large 11-person freshman class. He was not recruited by Schinnerer, instead making the initial contact with his future coach as a high school junior. Schinnerer told Sokolosky there was a spot on the team for him if he continued to improve, and that he did.
"I think my talent came into form as I was coming into college," reflects Sokolosky. "I got better as a senior and it snowballed from there. I don't know if I was expecting such immediate success, but I knew I had it in me and I have improved every year."
"Eric was a classic late bloomer," says Schinnerer. "When he first came to Bucknell and I met with him, he was not on our radar. I don't think he was on anyone's radar. Once I started doing research on him I noticed his straight up best times were nothing special, but that he had some really good relay splits. We were happy he got in to Bucknell and wanted to be part of the team, but as he went through his senior year he just kept getting better and better so by the time he walked in the door as a freshman we knew we had something special."
Sokolosky proved Schinnerer right and made an immediate impact as a freshman, scoring at his initial Patriot League Championships in the 50 free (5th), 100 free (7th) and 100 butterfly (10th). He earned a Second Team All-Patriot League honor, one of five Bison freshmen to be named All-League that season.
The winner of the 50 free at Sokolosky's debut Patriot League Championships at Kinney Natatorium was senior team co-captain Mark Kawczenski, who touched the wall four spots before the freshman. It was Bucknell's first victory in the 50 free since 2003 after a Bison claimed the event seven times in the league's first 13 years. The wait for the next Bucknell winner of the 50 free would not take nearly as long, thanks to Sokolosky.
Sokolosky joined his former teammate, training partner and mentor as a Patriot League champion the next year at Navy, defeating the Mids' Aaron Aiken by .04 seconds in the final after the two competitors swam the exact same time in the morning prelims.
"Winning the 50 free was one of the greatest accomplishments of my career," says a proud Sokolosky. "It is a great feeling going back to that moment when I watch the video my dad has. It was really exciting. I think it was a team-booster as well. At least I hope it was."
The Bison posted their third consecutive runner-up finish at the Patriot League Championships in 2010, thanks in large part to Sokolosky, who earned First Team All-Patriot League honors after also finishing third in the 100 free and 12th in the 100 fly.
Following the 2010 Patriot League Championships, Sokolosky competed at the ECAC Championships in Pittsburgh, Pa. He followed up his league crown by becoming just the second Bucknell swimmer in more than a decade to win an ECAC title as he claimed the 100 free. In fact, only seven other Bison individuals have ever earned a gold medal at the ECAC Championships.
"ECACs are after Patriots, so there was significantly less stress involved," remembers Sokolosky. "I was relaxed and told myself to see if I could go as fast as two weekends prior at Patriots. It was a great experience going there and having success against different competition."
Sokolosky followed up his standout sophomore campaign with a strong junior year. He placed in the top four at the Patriot League Championships in the 50 free (3rd), 100 free (4th) and 200 free (4th), earning a second consecutive First Team All-Patriot League nod. He selflessly exchanged the 100 fly for the 200 free in hopes of helping the team success.
The team is always the number one focus for Sokolosky, who really enjoys the camaraderie of swimming on a number of relays for the Bison.
"With every relay team remaining intact from last season, and the possibility of freshman contributions as well, I am confident that multiple relay records will be broken this year at the Patriot League Championships," says Sokolosky. "Relays are often the most exciting events at any meet, and are definitely my favorite. Many of my teammates share this sentiment and thrive under the added pressure and excitement."
Sokolosky has been part of relays that hold four school records and his name shows up on the relay top-10 lists 13 times.
Sokolosky expects to get his name on those relay lists a few more times his senior year, while he also hopes to move up the individual top-10 lists where he ranks fifth in program history in the 50 free, third in the 100 free, fourth in the 200 free, and ninth in the 100 fly. To help accomplish those goals, Sokolosky spent this past summer training at home with his club coach, and he competed at the Charlotte UltraSwim, the Mid-Atlantic Championships and the USA National Championships.
"I was hoping to swim really well at the Mid-Atlantic Championships," says Sokolosky, who posted a team-best four top-eight finishes at the mid-summer meet at Kinney Natatorium. "Then, going out to Palo Alto for the National Championships was a great experience. I had never seen a facility like that. I thought Bucknell was good, but Stanford and Palo Alto is a pretty incredible place. I was in awe most of the time. It was a really awesome experience."
While Sokolosky has set some impressive individual goals for the upcoming season, he has even loftier objectives for after he is done competing at the college level. He hopes to make his Olympic Trials cut this year and swim at the highly competitive pre-Olympic meet next June 25-July 2 in Omaha, Neb.
If Sokolosky does compete at the Olympic Trials, maybe win another Patriot League title and move up some of Bucknell's all-time lists he will finally be able to look down on that radar that has been overlooking him for so long.
Note: This story appeared in a recent edition of the Bucknell Basketball Gameday Program.
