COACHES CORNER
Dear Friends and Family of the CUSDT. Thank you for reading our pre-season newsletter. We are all excited about the start of a new year here at Clark and there is a lot to tell you about. For starters, the Alumni Meet was well-attended this year. The following people returned to the Kneller Pool to join the festivities:
Ann (Casera) Valus ‘85, Rae Ann Rutkowski ‘85, Doug Denny-Brown ’87, Betty-Jean (Grazulis) Jaskoviak ‘83, Donna Connor ‘83, Mike Viotti ’06, Joe Page ’07, Laura O’Tell ’03, Shannon Krista ’01, Eric Frederick ’02, Roy Barnum ’04, Gavin Viano ’01, Charlie Desourdy ‘86, Will Aybar ‘02, Abby Crowley ’07, Morgan Dorsey ’06, Kate Lied ’07, Mackenzie Kamm ’07, Jessie Clements ’07, Kate Guilbault ’05, Levente Polyak ’99, Andrew Patterson ’02, Ken Dolabany ’03.
The Red vs Black Meet came down to the last relay with the Red team prevailing 413.5-406.5. Three Individual and Four Relay Meet Records were broken. The 17-year All-Time series now sits at 9-8 in favor of the Black team.
This year’s Training Trip will be to Deerfield Beach, Florida (20 min south of Ft. Lauderdale, 45 min north of Miami). The team returns to campus Jan 1, and will be in Florida from Jan 3-10.
Our Swim Lesson program is approaching capacity and the team is enjoying the experience of teaching. Anyone interested in registering for the spring session should visit http://clarku.edu/athletics/swimlessons
Back to the top
MEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING OUTLOOK
Entering the 2007-08 campaign with just six letter-winners from a team that finished with a 5-6 dual-meet record and sixth place at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship meet, the Clark University’s men’s swim and dive team are committed to maintain their climb up the conference ladder.
“Last year, we had our best NEWMAC meet since I have been here,” said head coach Paul E. Phillips. “We scored the most points, set a couple of new school records and had 11 all-time top-five performances. I was extremely pleased with our effort.”
While 2006-07 was certainly a year to remember, the fifth-year head coach must set about the task of plugging the holes left by team leaders Brian Walsh ’09, Mike Smith ’09 and Tim O’Keefe ’09 – all abroad for the first half of this year – and blend the talents of seven newcomers with returning veterans.
“The absence of those three swimmers is going to impact us quite a bit in the first half,” Phillips said. “They will rejoin the team second semester, so until then we have to hold down the fort.”
“This group has some room to grow, and they are working hard,” he added. “The guys we have now are going to develop as the year goes on, and their hard work will pay off.”
Phillips will look to the team’s lone senior captain Shyamal Asher, a two-time NEWMAC All-Academic selection, to provide enthusiasm and steady leadership this winter. Junior school-record holder Drew Jackson returns to lead the Cougars in multiple events. Last season, Jackson set new school marks in the 100-(55:28) and 200-back (1:58.66), while moving into 5th on Clark’s all-time list in the 200 IM (2:02.54). Junior Chris Auger, after a solid first two seasons in the pool, will look to have a meaningful impact this year in backstroke and middle distance events.
Sophomore Taylor Morono, a member of the 800-yard freestyle relay team who, along with Walsh, Jackson, and Smith, recorded Clark’s second-fastest time ever en-route to a fifth place finish at NEWMAC’s, returns to anchor the Cougar sprinters this winter. Classmate Curtis Reid, the team’s most improved swimmer last winter, and fellow sophomore Clark Reeves will provide valuable depth for the Cougars in multiple events, while first-years Alex Donnenfeld and Dan Howard will look to contribute in the breaststroke and butterfly events respectfully. Sophomore Kevin Williams (freestyle) returns to the team after a one-year hiatus, while first-years Alex Dunn, and Greg Wetmore have joined the fray and will be looking to contribute to the cause. Promising first-year diver, Colin Oldenburg should have an immediate impact on the Cougars fortunes this season.
In addition to an already imposing non-conference schedule, Phillips added defending conference champion Coast Guard Academy to the dual-meet line-up. “We needed to add more conference opponents before the end-of-the-year meet,” he said. “It will be a tough match-up, but it will only make us better in the long run.”
Although many new faces surround the Kneller Athletic Center pool deck, the Cougars are optimistic about the year ahead. “The guys have been working really hard,” Phillips said. “If they commit to each other and come together as a team, I have every reason to believe we will have a very successful season.”
Back to the top
WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING OUTLOOK
After a banner year, the Clark University women’s swim and dive team return with high hopes for an even better 2007-08 campaign. The Cougars, who finished last year with a 7-5 dual meet mark, not only posted their second consecutive winning season, but also claimed its highest finish at the NEWMAC Championships (7th) in four years and increased their point total from the previous season by 62 points.
“Our schedule is going to be a bit tougher this season,” said head coach Paul E. Phillips, entering his fifth season at the helm. “We added Wellesley College, Coast Guard Academy and Vassar College – all solid programs that will help us get to the next level.”
Although the Cougars lost six seniors to graduation, depth certainly won’t be a concern for this year’s squad. “Our roster is more defined in terms of people’s roles this season,” Phillips said. “Some members of the team have developed over the past couple of years and have matured into their natural events, whereas before, they would compete in a variety of races. Now we are at a point where they can focus on their specialty stroke.”
Leading the list of returnees are senior breaststrokers Kara Bochicchio, Marjorie Whalen and Jessica Moise, as well as seniors Cassie Crawford, a sprinter, and freestyler Caitlin Hanson. Both Bochicchio and Whalen are steady and experienced veterans expected to provide leadership in and out of the pool, while Moise, a tri-captain, blossomed late last season with her first-ever NEWMAC finals appearance in the 200-yard breaststroke. Crawford and Hanson, also tri-captains, should flourish in their final campaign.
“We’ve got a strong group of seniors,” Phillips said. “They each bring something different to the table and are going to provide a great brand of leadership this year.”
Clark is well-armed in the backstroke competition; where sophomore Dana Akerfelds, who was just .01 seconds off a new school mark in the 100-yard back, broke records in the 50- and 200-yard backstroke, and junior Jessica Cullen scored key points in two individual events (100/200-back) at last year’s conference meet. Additionally, second-year swimmer Corri Stewart will look to make her mark after an all-time top-five backstroke performance leading-off the 200-yard medley relay. Junior Korin Danchise-Curtis and first-year Tracy Lindboe from East Brunswick, N.J. will also be in the mix.
Junior Kayleigh Lagasse and sophomore Alicia Roman will provide a strong tandem in the butterfly, while improving sophomore Chelsea Hyatt will also be a factor. Junior Lindsey Stone and sophomores Laura Banulski and Katie MacDowell are expected to boost the up-and-coming sprint group, and second-year Maggie Broad will add her talent to the cause. “It’s going to be very important for our sprinters to continue developing,” said Phillips. “Their growth is going to be a core piece of the puzzle this year.”
With a year under their belts, sophomores Chelsea Foley and Nicole Rogers look to make an impact in mid-distance and distance events. Promising newcomers Elizabeth Rosen from North Attleboro, Mass. and Newport Beach, Cali., native Britney Wigley give the Cougars added strength to mid-distance and distance races, respectively.
Junior Jessica Baker will play a pivotal role as the team’s lone diver. She tallied points on both boards at last winter’s NEWMAC meet on the way to a third place finish on Clark’s all-time list.
Not to be overlooked in the mix is first-year Emily Rouleau, an improving breaststroker with the potential to have a superb season. Newcomers Lauren Smith (freestyle), Jennifer Aballo (freestyle), Gabrielle Asay (Fly/IM) and Annie Gieseker (freestyle) should also all be contributors once they adjust to the college pace.
“The team’s depth adds competitiveness and character,” said Phillips. “No one person on the team is the same, but everyone has something in common – great attitudes and work-ethic. If everyone contributes in their own way, we have the potential for one of our best seasons yet.”
Back to the top
PODA AND KELLY JOIN CLARK SWIM AND DIVE STAFF
Krisztina Poda and Tim Kelly will join the Clark University women’s and men’s swim and dive program as assistant coaches this season.
"We are very excited to bring both Krisztina and Tim on staff this year,” said fifth-year head coach Paul E. Phillips. “We haven’t had this experienced coaching staff since I’ve been here, so their contribution will be invaluable.”
Originally from Bekescsaba, Hungary, Poda was a four-year letter-winner at Bucknell University, where she finished on the Bison’s top-10 career list in the 500-yard freestyle and the 1650-freestyle. The Patriot League All-Academic selection was also a member of three top-10 all-time relay events and qualified for the ECAC Championships.
“We are lucky to have Krisztina,” Phillips said. “Her swimming background is unique in that she brings international experience and a Division I perspective to the program. Her knowledge, energy and enthusiasm fit right in with what we are trying to accomplish at Clark.”
Poda, who served as a voluntary coach at Bucknell’s swim stroke clinic, also held stints with area youth leagues in Hungary and assisted with Team Pitt in Pittsburgh, Pa. She earned her bachelor’s in international relations from Bucknell and is working towards her master’s in finance at Clark.
Kelly, a native of North Attleboro, Mass., is currently the head coach of the Attleboro YMCA Tsunami swim team and the North Attleboro High School swim squads, where he has led both the boy’s and girl’s teams to three consecutive Bay Colony League Championships.
“Tim is a good friend of mine,” said Phillips. “He is someone that I’ve known for almost 10 years now and he has had a lot of success both at the high school and club level. With his skill and experience, he will be another knowledgeable voice on the pool deck.”
Kelly also guided the North Attleboro boy’s team to a pair of Massachusetts state runner-up appearances (2001-2003) and the girl’s team to a 33 dual-meet unbeaten streak.
This marks the first collegiate coaching job for both Poda and Kelly.
Back to the top
CLARK SWIM AND DIVE NAMED TO CSCAA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
The Clark University men’s and women’s swim and dive teams have been named to the Division III College Swim Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Academic All-American team for the winter/spring 2007 semesters.
With a 3.15 GPA, the Cougar men placed 25th in all of Division III, while the women stood 52nd with a 3.27 grade point average. Both teams were second in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) behind MIT. It was the team’s highest GPA since head coach Paul E. Phillips took over the program in 2003.
In all, 66 men’s teams and 81 women’s teams in Division III earned team Academic All- American honors.
Pomona-Pitzer’s women’s team and Washington University’s (St. Louis) men headed the Division III Academic All-American lists with a 3.68 and 3.64 GPA, respectively. But Washington & Lee, which ranked second among both the women and the men, took the overall crown.
The CSCAA arranged three categories for the team Academic All-American accolade. Clark’s men's swim and dive team were acknowledged in the excellent group, recognizing team GPA’s with a 3.00 or above, while the Cougar women were accepted as superior (3.25 GPA or above). Other categories include, commendable (2.80 GPA or above).
Back to the top
2007 ALUMNI MEET
Back to the top
Men's & Women's Swimming Office
Paul E. Phillips, Head Coach, 508-793-7170
Email: pephillips@clarku.edu
|
|
COACHES CORNER
