LYCOMING SWIMMING LOOKING FORWARD TO ‘BUILDING A NEW TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE’

WILLIAMSPORT, PA – ‘Building a new tradition of excellence’ is the theme for the Lycoming College swimming teams in 2001. The Warrior swimmers are beginning their first year under the direction of head coach Jerry Hammaker and are off to a fast start. After the first week of competition the women are 3-0 and the men are 1-1. Both teams are swimming extremely well despite continuing their normal training schedule.

“Both teams have some upperclassmen that bring valuable experience to mix,” said Hammaker. “Those upperclassmen have really bought into what we are trying to do and their leadership is having a positive impact on the entire team. Everyone is focused on building the program to compete not only in the conference but also on the national level.”

The women’s team will be led by co-captains Andrea Rapach (Jr./Pittsford, NY; Pittsford Mendon) and Jess Amadore (So./Easton, PA; Wilson). Rapach already holds the school record in the 50 and 100 freestyles and has set lofty goals for the 2001-2002 season. Amadore is coming back from off-season knee surgery but has been swimming very strong early in the season.

Kristin Campbell (Jr./Camp Hill, PA; Cedar Cliff) and Karen Turpin (So./West Windsor, NJ; Princeton) are also back after strong seasons a year ago. Campbell will swim the breaststroke and middle-distance freestyle events, while Turpin will compete in the butterfly and IM races. Another upperclassmen joining the team as a transfer is Susan Slepetz (Jr./Wescoeville, PA; Emmaus). Slepetz will swim the sprint freestyle and breaststroke events.

A number of versatile freshmen will also join the team this season. Rebecca Fox (Fr./Middletown, NJ; Middletown) is a very talented athlete who will swim the distance freestyle races. Fox has already set new school records in the 500 and 1000 freestyles. She should have an immediate impact within the conference. Karissa Brown (Fr./Chemung, NY; Waverly) and Heather Sayce (Fr./Nashua, NH; Nashua) will compete in the backstroke events, Erin Patrick (Fr./Media, PA; Penncrest) will swim the sprint and middle-distance frees, Pacy Austin (Fr./St. Michaels, MD: Saint Michael’s) will swim the sprints and flies, and Erin Horsley (Fr./Allegany, NY; Allegany Central) will contribute in the fly and IM events.

“All our returning swimmers scored points at the conference meet last season, and our incoming class is very strong,” said Hammaker. “In addition many of our athletes are versatile enough to swim many different events. That creates a lot of depth on the team and allows us to be flexible with our lineup. All those components add up to a strong team, one that we think will move up in the conference standings this season.”

On the men’s team, co-captains Greg Brown (Sr./Mechanicsburg, PA; Cumberland Valley) and Chris Rager (Sr./Camp Hill, PA; Cumberland Valley) will be counted on to lead the squad. Brown has done a little of everything during his career and Rager will be the team’s sprinter. Both veterans will score a lot of points for Lycoming.

Also returning from last season are Rob Neil (Jr./Dallas, PA; Dallas), Chris DeZago (So./Sparkill, NY; Tappen Zee), David DeZago (So./Sparkill, NY; Tappen Zee), and Matthew Thompson (Jr./Caniesto, NY; Caniesto). Neil will help in the butterfly events, Chris DeZago set a new school mark in the 1000 freestyle last season, David DeZago will compete in the IMs, and Thompson will swim the sprints and breaststrokes.

A key newcomer to the team is Josh Hogan (Fr./Waverly, NY; Waverly). Hogan swims the backstroke and IM races, and also plays an important role leading off in the relays. He will be an impact swimmer in the conference right away.

“The goals for the men’s team will be a little different than for the women,” said Hammaker. “The men will focus more on individual improvement. As a team we lack the depth to compete for the top spots in the conference, but I think you’ll see our times drop as the season goes on. It should be a really interesting year for the men’s team.

“Overall, both the men and women are really concentrating on the team concept. We need to come together in our training and really take pride in our efforts and the success they will eventually lead to,” continued Hammaker. “Everyone here wants to make Lycoming swimming a power in the MAC and then make a splash on the national scene as well.”