Men's Swim & Dive Opens 2019-20 Campaign at UMBC

Saturday, October 5

Baltimore, Md.

1 p.m.

Bucknell University

UMBC

Photo by: Marc Hagemeier

Men's Swim & Dive Opens 2019-20 Campaign at UMBC

9/30/2019 2:44:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving

A SEASON PREVIEW IS INCLUDED BELOW THE UMBC MEET NOTES

Setting the Scene
What: Bucknell (0-0) at UMBC (0-0)
When: Saturday, October 5 – 1 p.m.
Where: UMBC Aquatic Center – Baltimore, Md.

Bucknell at a Glance
• In 2018-19, the Bison went 3-5 (3-4 Patriot League). They went on to place third (397 points) at the 10-team Patriot League Championships and fourth (313 points) at the 24-team ECAC Championships.
• Chadd Cummings (2nd), Charlie McFarland (2nd) and Matt McGoey (2nd) were Bucknell's 2019 All-Patriot League honorees. McGoey made the All-Patriot League Second Team for the second year in a row.
• Of Bucknell's 2019 All-Patriot League selections, Cummings and McFarland were lost to graduation.
• McGoey is the lone returning individual school record holder; he owns the Bison standard in the 200 IM (1:47.84).
• Returnees Jacob Lubinski (400 medley), McGoey (200 freestyle), Liam Pitt (200 medley, 200 freestyle) and Jack Rose (200 medley) were members of school record setting relay teams.
• The Bison are very young in 2019-20, featuring a roster with 27 underclassmen. They have only two seniors: McGoey and Michael Park.
• The program welcomed nine newcomers in 2019-20. They hail from five different states: California (4), New York (2), Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

UMBC at a Glance/Series History
• This is the 13-straight year the Bison will open their season against the Retrievers. Every year since 2007, the teams have met in the first weekend of the season for an unscored meet. Eight of those meetings occurred at Kinney Natatorium, including the past six in a row.
• Last year, the UMBC men and women both won America East championships, the first time both teams had done so since the 2010-11 campaign. The men defended their title with 1113.5 points, the most ever by a team, while the women reclaimed the crown with 894.5 points.
• The Retrievers have won the past two American East championship. They rejoined the American East ahead of the 2017-18 campaign; in 2017, they won their third-straight CCSA crown.
• UMBC took ninth at the 24-team ECAC Championships, accumulating 148 points.

A Look Ahead
• The Bison next travel to Massachusetts for duals against Patriot League foes Holy Cross (Oct. 18, 4 p.m.) and Boston University (Oct. 19, 1:30 p.m.).

Season Preview

The Bucknell men's swimming & diving team might be very young, but head coach Dan Schinnerer is confident that it will still make a splash in 2019-20.

The Bison placed third at each of the past two Patriot League Championships, bolstered by the achievements of All-Patriot League honorees Chris Devlin '18, Charlie McFarland '19 and Chadd Cummings '19. While his team returns only one All-Patriot League selection in senior Matt McGoey, Schinnerer believes that it has the potential to continue its rise up the Patriot League standings.

"To be third at the Patriot League Championships each of the past two seasons was an achievement," Schinnerer said. "Certainly, we want to continue to move up in the standings, but we currently have a team that is very underclassman heavy. When you lose guys like Charlie and Chadd, your team will have a different dynamic."

Bucknell's youth movement is apparent upon a quick glance at its roster. The Bison have just two seniors: McGoey and Michael Park. Eighteen of the 27 student-athletes on their roster are underclassmen.

"We're going to need some young people to step up," Schinnerer said. "If they do that, and they progress over the course of the season, I think it's realistic to say that we'll have a better team than we've had in a while. It may be a very young team, but it's very talented."

As is the case every season, Schinnerer and his coaching staff want to have the Bison at their best entering the Patriot League Championships. This year, they will be held on February 19-22 at Navy's Lejeune Hall in Annapolis, Md.

Below is a stroke group by stroke group breakdown of the 2019-20 Bison.

IM
Returnees: Matt McGoey, Nico Pagni, Michael Park, Sean Quinn, Matt Rakovec, Carter Weiland
Newcomers: Alec Baker, Alan Flower, George Rump

As he will for the entire team, McGoey will set the pace for Bucknell's IMers. A two-time All-Patriot League recipient who owns a Patriot League bronze medal and a school record in the 200 IM, he is among the most versatile swimmers who have donned the Orange and Blue.

"Matt is the quintessential IMer," Schinnerer said. "That's his most successful event, but he has such great versatility. When he entered our program, we weren't exactly sure what he was. When you look at what he swam his freshman year compared to what he'll swim this year, it's definitely evolved. He's one of those unique athletes who can not only put the four strokes together to be a great IMer but can also break it out and be one of our best sprint freestylers, one of our best butterflyers, a really strong breaststroker and a really good backstroker. He's unique in that way, but it's great to have."

In 2019-20, McGoey might very well swim every event…

"Except for distance freestyle," Schinnerer clarified, with a laugh. "That's the one event he can't do very well. Matt is definitely our jack-of-all-trades when it comes to the dual meets. We look at match-ups and slot him in where we need him."

Beyond McGoey, sophomores Sean Quinn and Carter Weiland are poised to contribute in the IM events. In addition, freshman Alec Baker could make an impact right away in the 200 IM.

Freestyle
Returnees: Mitch Gavars (Distance), Derek Knight (Sprint), Jacob Lubinski, Matt McGoey, Michael Park, Liam Pitt (Sprint), Sean Quinn, Matt Rakovec (Distance), Nate Romanowski, Jack Rose, Sam Sweeney, Carter Weiland (Distance)
Newcomers: Alec Baker, Alan Flower (Distance), Leo Kuyl (Sprint), Matt Mills (Sprint), Christian Stef (Sprint)

Bucknell's young core of freestylers has plenty of promise. While Schinnerer said that McFarland, who last year broke Bucknell Athletics Hall of Famer Jim Harvey's 31-year-old school record in the 50 freestyle en route to a Patriot League silver medal, will be missed, he's confident that freestyle will remain one of his team's strengths.

Leading the charge on the sprint side will be sophomore Liam Pitt, who is coming off a strong freshman year that saw him crack the Bison's top 10 in both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle. Beyond Pitt, Schinnerer expects freshmen Leo Kuyl and Matt Mills to have an immediate impact in sprint freestyle races.

"Liam did a really nice job as a freshman," Schinnerer said. "He'll be transitioning from following Charlie's lead to setting the tone for the group. We're confident he can do that. He also has some good talent behind him in Leo and Matt. We definitely have a great core of sprint freestylers."

In the middle-distance races, Bison fans can expect to see more of McGoey than they did a year ago. Baker and fellow freshman Christian Stef could swim both the 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle while junior Nate Romanowski has the potential to be a difference maker in the 200 freestyle.

Bucknell will likely remain strong in the distance freestyle races. Juniors Mitch Gavars and Matt Rakovec and sophomore Carter Weiland have the potential to put even more points on the board at the 2020 Patriot League championship meet than they did at the 2019 rendition. They will likely be pushed to new heights by freshman Alan Flower, who Schinnerer said is "coming in at scoring level already."

"On the distance side, we bring back a strong core," Schinnerer said. "Mitch, Matt, Carter and Alan definitely have the ability to make the distance freestyle events some of our strongest."

Backstroke
Returnees: Kevin Flynn, Nick Haddad, Jacob Lubinski, Matt McGoey, Sam Miller, Jack Rose, Sam Sweeney
Newcomers: Alec Baker, Garrett Kiesel

Entering the 2018-19 campaign, backstroke was one of Bucknell's biggest question marks. The Bison expected to replace Chris Devlin, a four-time All-Patriot League First Team honoree and two-time Patriot League Swimmer of the Meet, by committee.

In the end, a trio of underclassmen stepped up. Now that they are another year older, Schinnerer expects even bigger things from junior Jacob Lubinski and sophomores Nick Haddad and Jack Rose.

Last year, Haddad made his mark at the Patriot League Championships, reaching the 'A' finals in both the 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke while logging program top-five times in both. Lubinski joined him in the 'A' finals of the 100 backstroke while Rose cut his teeth as a member of Bucknell's medley relay teams, including the school-record-setting 200 medley squad.

"We were young last year but progressed very well," Schinnerer said. "We've got good depth there. It's definitely one of our deeper stroke groups."

Schinnerer also highlighted junior Kevin Flynn, sophomores Sam Miller and Sam Sweeney and freshman Garett Kiesel as potential contributors.

Breaststroke
Returnees: Matt McGoey, Nico Pagni
Newcomers: Ryaan Hatoum, George Rump

For four years, the Bison could count on Cummings to score points in both breaststroke events at the Patriot League Championships. Cummings, who graduated with school records in both disciplines, will be sorely missed, as will Tom Gannon.

While Bucknell fans might see McGoey swimming more of the breaststroke than he has in years past, Schinnerer is excited about his two incoming freshmen: Ryaan Hatoum and George Rump.

"We're excited about them, but we also understand that they're freshmen," Schinnerer said. "They'll have to step up right away, but they'll have a bit of a learning curve. We're confident both can become contributors if they progress over the course of the season."

Butterfly
Returnees: Nick Haddad, Jacob Lubinski, Nico Pagni, Michael Park, Liam Pitt, Sean Quinn, Nate Romanowski
Newcomers: Alec Baker

As he did with the backstroke, Schinnerer entered the 2018-19 campaign considering the butterfly a developmental group. In the end, Lubinski took a big step forward as a sophomore, scoring in both the 100 butterfly and 200 butterfly at the Patriot League Championships.

"Last year, we started out thinking the butterfly would be a developmental group," Schinnerer said. "Jacob ended up having a great year and really stepped up as a leader. We expect big things from him this year."

Pitt is expected to be a key contributor in the 100 butterfly while Quinn will have an impact in the 200 butterfly. Because of Bucknell's depth at backstroke, Schinnerer expects to slot McGoey into the 200 butterfly, an event he swam more regularly during his first two years in Lewisburg.

Diving
Returnees: Will Cadwallader, Garrett Sommer
Newcomers: Nick Pirone

Schinnerer is excited about his group of divers. Junior Garrett Sommer, who reached the 'A' finals in both boards at last year's Patriot League Championships, is back as is sophomore Will Cadwallader, who put together a solid freshman campaign that saw him post Bucknell's fourth-best 1-meter dive score (276.75).

The returnees will be pushed by freshman Nick Pirone, who Schinnerer said is "coming in at scoring level already."

"We're excited to have three solid divers for the first time in a few years," Schinnerer said. "Garrett and Will did a great job last year, and we believe they can do even better this year. Nick is definitely talented, and he's going to make the group even more competitive."

Relays

While Bucknell's relays will be made up of different pieces than they were in years past, Schinnerer believes that they have the potential to be equally successful. The Bison do need to replace McFarland and Cummings, who were both key pieces of multiple school-record-setting relays during their time in Lewisburg.

"Especially with the medleys and the sprint freestyle relays, it won't be simple to replace Charlie and Chadd," Schinnerer said. "We do have to fill those gaps, but we definitely have the ability to do so if we continue to progress over the course of the season. We may have to move people around, but it will be exciting to figure that out."

As he will in a multitude of individual events, McGoey figures to be a key piece of Bucknell's relays. Schinnerer is also excited to have Pitt and Rose back; both were members of last year's school-record-setting 200 medley relay team as freshmen. Beyond that trio, Schinnerer is looking forward to seeing what Kuyl and Mills, both of whom stand over 6-foot-5, will bring to the Bison freestyle relays.

"On the freestyle side, with that influx of young sprint and middle-distance freestylers, I like what we have to work with," Schinnerer said. "Our relays will look different than they have in the past couple of years, but I think we have the ability to be even better."

Returning School Record Holders
Jacob Lubinski: 400 medley relay (3:16.51)
Matt McGoey: 200 IM (1:47.84), 200 freestyle relay (1:20.82)
Liam Pitt: 200 medley relay (1:29.19), 200 freestyle relay (1:20.82)
Jack Rose: 200 medley relay (1:29.19)

Returning Patriot League Individual Medalists
Matt McGoey: 200 IM (2019 Bronze)

Returning All-Patriot League Honorees
Matt McGoey: 2019 (2nd Team), 2018 (2nd Team)