Warriors Thump LVC and FDU in Double Dual
Win in Final Regular Season Meet Adds to Emotion on Senior Day

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. --- Warrior swimming took to Lycoming pool for the last time in the 2006 regular season and made a statement to the rest of the conference with an overwhelming triumph in a double-dual meet over Lebanon Valley College and FDU-Florham.  Total scores from the meet are not available.

Aside from next month’s Middle Atlantic Conference championships, this afternoon’s meet also marked the final competition for 13 Warrior seniors.  At the first intermission following the 50-yard freestyle event, Warrior swimming honored their upperclassmen leaders with praise, gifts, and a line of hugs and handshakes in celebration of an outstanding career in blue and gold.  The Warrior seniors are Brett Bausinger (Berwick, Pa./Berwick), Kyle Drake (Tannersville, Pa./Pocono Mountain), Steve Hawley (New Cumberland, Pa./Trinity), Nesma Karedis (Orefield, Pa./Parkland), Ashley Klappholz (Cranford, N.J./Cranford), Chris Mungo (Booton, N.J./Montville Township), Stuart Olsen (Evanston, Ill./Evanston), Lacey Pietropaolo (Victory, N.Y./Victory Central), Mark Ross (Laurens, N.Y./Oneonta), Brian Smith (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross), Jeff Swatkins (Guilford, Conn./Xavier), Kelly Sykes (Willimantic, Conn./Windham), and Nancy Villante (Philadelphia, Pa./Nazareth Acad.).

Lycoming won 13 of the first 17 total events and earned 18 overall wins including the men’s and women’s meet-opening 200-yard free relays.  Teaming up for the men were Hawley, Mungo, freshmen Brian Fausel (Burdett, N.Y./Watkings Glen Central), and Brandon Good (Clearfield, Pa./Clearfield Area).  Getting the job done for the women were freshman Nichole Zoller (Colonia, N.J./Union Catholic Reg.), junior Amy Gatehouse (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park), Sykes, and freshman Julie Harahush (Pottsville, Pa./Pottsville). 

Hawley and Mungo both picked up a pair of individual victories on the men’s side.  Hawley took care of business in the 100-yard backstroke and the 50-yard freestyle.  Mungo grabbed both the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events.

Fausel and Good also grabbed solo wins.  Good earned his in the 100-yard freestyle while Fausel touched first in the 100-yard butterfly.  Junior Chris Dempsey (Newtown, Pa./Notre Dame) picked up the remaining men’s victory in the 1,000-yard freestyle.

On the women’s side, Gatehouse, Harahush, and Sykes added a pair of single-event wins to their relay victory.  Gatehouse matched Mungo with triumphs in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke events.  Harahush sprinter her way to wins in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle races, and Sykes was no match in the 200-yard butterfly and 200-yard backstroke events.

Freshmen Milvana Ban (Harrisburg, Pa./Bishop McDevitt) and Nichole Zoller nabbed the remaining three Lady Warrior races.  Ban topped the field in the 200 and 500-yard freestyles while Zoller stopped the watches first in the 100-yard backstroke.

The Warriors will be in training for the next three weeks leading up to the MAC Championships on February 10-12.  The conference meet is held at the Wilkes-Barre CYC beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 10.