Bucknell Men's Swimming and Diving Prepares for Patriot League Title Defense
Nov. 5, 2003 LEWISBURG, Pa. - The Bucknell men's swimming team will look to follow up last year's Patriot League championship season with a successful title defense beginning this Saturday with the Bucknell Sprint Invitational in Kinney Natatorium, and the Bison appear to have the team to accomplish the feat. "We have a seamless environment here where everyone is working as a team. Everyone, including the athletes and coaches, are getting both the space and the support they need to accomplish our goals this season," Bucknell Head Coach Jerry Foley said. Foley will focus on the distance swimmers, and assisting Foley with the divers will be Errol Carter, returning for his eighth season. Ten-season veteran Sandy Elion and newcomer Craig Strong will work with the strokers and individual medley swimmers. Volunteer assistant Sean Martin joins the staff for his first season, and will work with Judson Aungst, in his third year, on the sprint swimmers. Accomplishing the feat will depend on a host of rising seniors and underclassmen. Tri-captains Peter Garvin (Silver Spring, Md./Our Lady of Good Counsel), Matt Hallowell (Bath, Maine/Morse), and Michael Willats (Hamburg, N.Y./St. Francis) are all coming off fine postseason performances, and strong returns from each of them will be essential. Garvin was the team's leading scorer at the 2003 conference meet, when he won both the 50 and 100 freestyles and took fifth in the 100 fly. Hallowell qualified for the PL finals and moved into the top-10 list in both the 200 and 400 IM, while Willats scored in three championship events. Providing additional senior leadership in and out of the pool will be Jack Sheehan (Wenonah, N.J./Gateway Regional) and Michael Harrigan (Doylestown, Pa./La Salle College High School). Sheehan ranks in the school's top-10 list in the 200 IM. Adam Freeman (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) will lead the diving corps for the Bison this season. Freeman won the one-meter title and took third in the three-meter at last year's Patriot League championships. He was also named the Patriot League Scholar-Athlete for men's swimming and diving. Providing depth for the Bison among the divers are sophomores Joseph Duncan (Golden, Colo./Golden) and Jake Thompson (Freeport, N.Y./Chaminade). Thompson and Duncan rank second and third, respectively, on the school's one-meter dive list. Jake Thieman (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley), Andrew Steiner (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence), and Joel Hoffman (Island Heights, N.J./Monsignor Donovan) represent the junior class swimmers. Thieman ranks on the school's 50 free list, while Steiner ranks on the 100 and 200 breaststroke lists. Freestyler Todd Bauer (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton Area) and the versatile Mark Kretzer (Northport, N.Y./Harborfields) are the top returning sophomores. Bauer ranks second on the school all-time list in the 1650 free and third in the 500 free. He posted a silver medal and two fifth-place finishes during Bucknell's league title run. Kretzer clinched the Bison's first Patriot League title with an uplifting win in the 200 fly and also took sixth in the 100 fly and 100 back. He entered the school's top-10 list in all three events, including third in the 200 fly. "We're developing as a team while we're filling holes that were created through graduation. We lost seven seniors from last year," Bucknell Head Coach Jerry Foley said. To compensate for the loss of such a quality senior class, Foley will be counting on a group of six freshmen and one transfer for a boost in 2003-04. And the Bison will need it, with a very strong Navy squad joining the Patriot League's men's ranks for the first time this year. Bucknell's schedule includes Saturday's home meet before the league season begins with an early challenge with a visit to Annapolis, Md., where the Bison will face a strong Navy team along with American. The Midshipmen were picked to win the Patriot League while Bucknell was picked to finish second. Of the 16 first-place votes, Navy earned 12, while the Bison received two. Army and American received the other two. Navy plays host to the Patriot League championships in February.
After a trip to Army for the team's second league meet, the Bison will host the Bucknell Trials/Finals Invitational, with New Hampshire, Fordham, La Salle, and Delaware, followed by a January training trip to Florida. Upon the team's return, Bucknell will host a dual with Colgate, visit George Washington, host Lafayette, visit Lehigh, and host a preview of the league championships with the Bison Invitational. Six league teams are scheduled to participate, with the league championships held two weeks later, February 26-28.
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