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QUINTIN JAMES
Staff Writer
Coming off four straight road meet losses, the Fredonia women’s swimming and diving team came back home to face off against fierce rival Geneseo.
But the Blue Devils dropped their first home meet of the season against Geneseo by a score of 153-124. The team fought a tough battle, but ended up on the short end of the stick.
There were many bright spots individually for the Blue Devils, though. Senior Sam Rokos won three events as she continued her hot streak. She won the 400 IM, and the 50 and 100-freestyles. She finished with a time of 4:50.16 in the 400M and a 55.27 in the 100-freestyle and a 25.39 in the 50-freestyle.
Junior Meghan Bartlett showed that practice makes perfect by having the top spot off both boards on Saturday. She finished with a 257.05 on the three meter board and won the one-meter board with a score of 357.25.
Samantha Kowalewski, a junior, came in second and freshman Julie Coomer came in third in the three-meter board with scores of 235.95 and 223.55 respectively.
This season was expected to be a tough one for the Blue Devils. Rokos explained how tough the season has been.
“It’s been a hard season for sure. We lost nine seniors last year and we have four new freshman this year. It’s been a process, but we’re working hard every day,” said Rokos.
The Blue Devils are a young team with young talent that’s improving. One of those young swimmers is sophomore Taylor Chwalinski. She also understands that a positive attitude is imperative in order to achieve their goals.
“I’m just trying to improve on the little things. Holding my stream lines and breathing techniques are important if I want to have a good start on relays,” said Chwalinski.
Many team members acknowledge that they need to stay patient and confident, but it’s been an uphill battle this year. New faces and a lack of depth have hurt them this season.
Swimming in their own pool and not having to travel to other schools should have helped the young Blue Devils. Diving Coach Ryan Fuller knows how important it is to have the upcoming meets in Steele Hall.
“The divers will certainly be more comfortable. The anxiety level should be lower and we just have to go out and do what we practiced in the week.” said Fuller.
The goal for the divers was to improve their score, but mostly just see consistency in their dives and takeoffs. Fuller likes the way they swam but says consistency is the key for the rest of the season.
“I want more national qualifiers by season’s end. I think we can accomplish that goal,” said Fuller.
He noticed a significant amount of improvement in this Blue Devil team. Two divers that he said were improving: Kowalewski and Bartlett. They both have been stepping up and improving their game week by week.
The Blue Devils showed potential in the meet against Geneseo and look to continue to improve throughout the rest of the season. Their next five meets are at home in Steele Hall, so we should see a more comfortable and relaxed group out there. The goal is to keep working and improving daily. The next meet is on Saturday when they face off against Alfred State at 6 p.m.