LYCOMING SWIMMING READY TO DIVE INTO SEASON

WILLIAMSPORT, PA – The Lycoming College swimming team has made quite a splash in two seasons under head coach Jerry Hammaker. Both the men’s and women’s squads have produced consecutive winning dual meet seasons, placed in the top three at the conference championships, and broken a total of 17 school records under Hammaker’s leadership. Last season, Lycoming burst onto the national scene by qualifying a student-athlete for the national championships and naming their first All-American in 20 years. This season, the Warriors will look to build on their recent success and continue to become a force both in the conference and nationally.

Leading the way for the men’s team will be two-time All-American Nathan DeCapria (So./Jersey Shore, Pa.; Central Mountain). Last season, DeCapria became the first men’s swimmer from Lycoming to ever qualify for the national championships. He went on to place second in the 50 free and 16^th in the 100 free to earn All-American status in both events. DeCapria will again anchor the sprints and relays for the Warriors this season. With his success a year ago, DeCapria has set his sights even higher, aiming for a sub-20 in the 50 free.

Also returning and looking for big seasons are Steven Hawley (So./New Cumberland, Pa.; Trinity) and Josh Hogan (Jr./Waverly, N.Y.; Waverly). Hawley, a school record holder in the 100 backstroke, will again compete in the backstrokes, as well as the sprints and relays. Last season, he placed in seven events at the conference championships and is working towards qualifying for nationals in 2004. Hogan will compete in the flies and backs. He placed in six events at the conference championships in 2003 and will again be a key scorer for the Warriors this season.

Sophomores Stuart Olsen (Evanston, Ill.; Evanston) and Jeffrey Swatkins (Guilford, Conn.; Xavier) are two swimmers who appear poised for breakout seasons in 2003-04. Olsen has put in a solid off-season after competing in the middle distance freestyle events in his first year at Lycoming. Olsen could see significantly faster times this season and give the Warriors a boost in both dual and championship meets. Swatkins has also been working hard and is ready to give Lycoming an added dimension with solid performances in the IM, fly, and middle distance events.

“What is interesting about the men’s team this season is that their focus has really shifted to the national level,” said Hammaker. “The team realizes we still lack the depth to really compete for a conference title, but last year they saw Nathan not only qualify for the national championships but place there. Lycoming finished 32^nd in the nation as a team, while the MAC team champion didn’t send anyone to nationals. The main goal of the men’s team is to qualify more athletes for the national championships, so we can have the opportunity to compete on the big stage.”

The women’s team will be led by junior Rebecca Fox (Middletown, N.J.; Middletown) and sophomore Kelly Sykes (Willimantic, Conn.; Windham). Fox holds a trio of individual school records and has been the Warriors best all-around swimmer over the past two seasons. She placed in seven events at the conference championships a year ago and will again be counted on for her versatility. Sykes set a school record in the 100 backstroke and placed in six events at the conference championships as a freshman. She will again be looked towards to provide points in the backstoke, as well as the flies and relays.

A pair of freshman to watch in 2003-04 are Amy Gatehouse (Bethel Park, Pa.; Bethel Park) and Kellie Cicconi (Odessa, N.Y.; Odessa-Montour Central). Gatehouse comes to Lycoming expecting to contribute in the breaststrokes, IMs, and relays. Cicconi joins the Warriors and immediately becomes one of their top sprinters.

“On the women’s side, we’re looking to get back to the level we were at two years ago,” said Hammaker. “There was a bit of a let down last year after the quick success the team experienced in 2002. But I think this year’s team is much more well-rounded, we should do well in championship scoring formats. This team also has the potential to have a number of national qualifiers.”

Both teams open the season at a Division II invitational at Clarion University, on Saturday, October 25. The men will add a dual match against Bloomsburg University before both squads settle into the heart of their dual meet schedules. The highlight of the regular season will be the pre-Christmas training trip to Hawaii.

“We’re anxious to get the season started. I think everyone is a little tired of just training and they’re ready to compete and find out exactly where we’re at,” said Hammaker. “It’s been a great off-season in a number of aspects – our athletes have trained hard, the coaching staff worked hard at recruiting, and we’ve had tremendous support from the administration with new equipment and additional coaches. Now we’re ready to put it all together.”