Well, we are now in sunny Florida. Although the weather has not been as nice in the past, it is still much better then the cold weather that is hitting Pittsburgh. So far we've had one "cold" morning (48 degrees) with lots of sunshine in the lower to mid 70's. Thursday should be the best day of the week with a high temperature of 80. So far, the team is doing very well and they are starting to adapt to long course training. We have put in four practices so far with another coming up this evening. We are training in a great facility in Pompano Beach with LCM in the AM and SCY in the PM.
The team is starting to feel the effects of all of the doubles, dryland and speed work with a lot of soreness but it will pay off come February. Tonight will be a bot of a stretch out swim to get the team ready for Thursday.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Happy Holidays
All of us here at Duquesne Swimming want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Dave and I will be heading down to Florida on Saturday, followed by the team on Monday. The team will be in Florida December 28-January 6, with classes starting on January 7. We're looking forward to some great weather, some great training and some time away from the cold. I will be posting periodically, so make sure you follow along.
Dave
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Akron: Day 3
The Akron Invite was very exciting the last night, with some good racing and some fast swims. Roman Becicka started off the night by winning the 1650 free with a time of 16:03.30. The men's 100 free was very exciting as Ed LeBlanc just touched out Ryan Tiel from Clarion with a new meet and pool record of 44.97. On the women's side Caitie Zajko won the 200 breast, breaking the school and meet record with a time of 2:19.20. The men wrapped up the meet winning the 400 free relay in a nice early season time of 3:04.87.
With the final day of the Akron Invitational now over, the swimmers will be focusing their attention to finals this week and then home to get ready for our Florida trip in Pompano Beach. All-in-all I was pleased with the teams performance over these last three days; I would give us a "B". We got a good look at St. Bonaventure and a very sharp Xavier program. To really be able to compete in February all of our swimmers will need to step it up and score points. The foundation has been laid out, the next two and a half months will define who we want to be. Good luck to all of the Duquesne Swimmers on Finals! I am off to Juniors in Columbus tomorrow and will return on Friday.
See you around the pool,
Dave
With the final day of the Akron Invitational now over, the swimmers will be focusing their attention to finals this week and then home to get ready for our Florida trip in Pompano Beach. All-in-all I was pleased with the teams performance over these last three days; I would give us a "B". We got a good look at St. Bonaventure and a very sharp Xavier program. To really be able to compete in February all of our swimmers will need to step it up and score points. The foundation has been laid out, the next two and a half months will define who we want to be. Good luck to all of the Duquesne Swimmers on Finals! I am off to Juniors in Columbus tomorrow and will return on Friday.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Day 2: Akron Invite
With another day of the Akron Invitational over, I am pleased to report the team continues to improve. We had a couple of school records broken today and some individual champions. The evening session started with the women's 200 medley relay registering a 5th place finish. The team of Tara VanNatta, Caitie Zajko, Kirstie Shumaker and Meghann McGoldrick recorded a 1:47.40. They were followed by the men's team of Mitch Smith, Ian Walsh, Jim O'Hara and Brendan Schilling, recording a second place time of 1:33.09. Both relay times were season best swims.
Following the relays, the individual events started off with the 400 IM. Lori Yeaman got the ball rolling for the Lady Dukes, improving from her prelim swim by 5 seconds with a 4:45.43. Hannah Kondrotas and Miriam McGeath swam in the final heat, with Kondrotas swimming a time of 4:36.56 and McGeath winning the event with a time of 4:30.27. All the swims were season bests. On the men's side, Hunter Chiasson recorded a 19th place finish and Roman Becicka recorded a season best 4:01.19, finishing in second place. Following the IM, the swimmers jumped in the water for the 100 fly.
Kirstie Shumaker led the way for the women with a season best 58.21, finishing 10th. Erin Cawley finished out the consolation final with a 16th place finish, while Meghann McGoldrick finished in 20th. For the men, Dan Doyle and Greg Matuszewski scored in 22nd and 23, respectively. Brendan Schilling just missed winning the consolation heat with a season best time of 51.50, while Jim O'Hara captured first place with a time of 50.10. After the fly, the meet went back to the freestyle events with the 200 free.
Kristi Magee was the top finisher for us on the women's side, recording a 13th place finish with a solid 1:56.05. She was followed by Angela Majkut with a 16th place time of 1:57.44. In the men's event, Nick Kovacs finished 18th place with a season best time of 1:45.20. Chris Kobela was the lone swimmer for the Dukes in the consolation finals finishing with a solid 1:44.94. In the championship finals, Ed LeBlanc took home first place with a new meet and team record of 1:38.23. The next event, the 100 breast, was another solid one for the Dukes.
Caitie Zajko led the way for the women, finishing third with a new school record of 1:05.75. Karissa Gorman finished 6th with a season best of 1:07.43 and Hillary Hocson finished 14th with a time of 1:07.87. The men finished 1-2 in the 100 breast, with freshmen Mark Krchnak out touching Ian Walsh. Mark won the event with a time of 57.98 with Ian finishing with a 58.11. Another solid event followed for the team in the 100 backstroke.
Morgan Claycomb finsished 5th with a time of 58.58, Tara VanNatta finished 9th with a winning time of 58.55 and Briana Mangis finished 17th with a time of 58.98. For the men, Mitch Smith led the way with a 7th place finish of 52.36. Greg Matuszewski won the consolation heat with a time of 53.66, while Hunter Chiasson finished with a 55.42. In the bonus heat, Tim Mancuso finished 19th with a time of 54.69, while Dan Doyle finished 24th with a time of 56.15. The final event of the evening, the 800 free relay turned out to be one of the most exciting events of the evening.
The women's team of Annie Hayles, Amanda McClelland, Angela Majkut and Kristi Magee, put in a solid performance, finishing 6th with a time of 7:48.12. The men, had a great race with Xavier that came down to the last leg. Ed LeBlanc was just out touched by Nathan Green with a great split of 1:37.81. The time of 6:49.32 was good enough for second place and was also a season best time.
The invitational wraps up tomorrow with the 200's of the strokes, 100 free, 1650 and 400 free relay.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Following the relays, the individual events started off with the 400 IM. Lori Yeaman got the ball rolling for the Lady Dukes, improving from her prelim swim by 5 seconds with a 4:45.43. Hannah Kondrotas and Miriam McGeath swam in the final heat, with Kondrotas swimming a time of 4:36.56 and McGeath winning the event with a time of 4:30.27. All the swims were season bests. On the men's side, Hunter Chiasson recorded a 19th place finish and Roman Becicka recorded a season best 4:01.19, finishing in second place. Following the IM, the swimmers jumped in the water for the 100 fly.
Kirstie Shumaker led the way for the women with a season best 58.21, finishing 10th. Erin Cawley finished out the consolation final with a 16th place finish, while Meghann McGoldrick finished in 20th. For the men, Dan Doyle and Greg Matuszewski scored in 22nd and 23, respectively. Brendan Schilling just missed winning the consolation heat with a season best time of 51.50, while Jim O'Hara captured first place with a time of 50.10. After the fly, the meet went back to the freestyle events with the 200 free.
Kristi Magee was the top finisher for us on the women's side, recording a 13th place finish with a solid 1:56.05. She was followed by Angela Majkut with a 16th place time of 1:57.44. In the men's event, Nick Kovacs finished 18th place with a season best time of 1:45.20. Chris Kobela was the lone swimmer for the Dukes in the consolation finals finishing with a solid 1:44.94. In the championship finals, Ed LeBlanc took home first place with a new meet and team record of 1:38.23. The next event, the 100 breast, was another solid one for the Dukes.
Caitie Zajko led the way for the women, finishing third with a new school record of 1:05.75. Karissa Gorman finished 6th with a season best of 1:07.43 and Hillary Hocson finished 14th with a time of 1:07.87. The men finished 1-2 in the 100 breast, with freshmen Mark Krchnak out touching Ian Walsh. Mark won the event with a time of 57.98 with Ian finishing with a 58.11. Another solid event followed for the team in the 100 backstroke.
Morgan Claycomb finsished 5th with a time of 58.58, Tara VanNatta finished 9th with a winning time of 58.55 and Briana Mangis finished 17th with a time of 58.98. For the men, Mitch Smith led the way with a 7th place finish of 52.36. Greg Matuszewski won the consolation heat with a time of 53.66, while Hunter Chiasson finished with a 55.42. In the bonus heat, Tim Mancuso finished 19th with a time of 54.69, while Dan Doyle finished 24th with a time of 56.15. The final event of the evening, the 800 free relay turned out to be one of the most exciting events of the evening.
The women's team of Annie Hayles, Amanda McClelland, Angela Majkut and Kristi Magee, put in a solid performance, finishing 6th with a time of 7:48.12. The men, had a great race with Xavier that came down to the last leg. Ed LeBlanc was just out touched by Nathan Green with a great split of 1:37.81. The time of 6:49.32 was good enough for second place and was also a season best time.
The invitational wraps up tomorrow with the 200's of the strokes, 100 free, 1650 and 400 free relay.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Friday, December 4, 2009
Day 1: Finals
With the first day of finals in the bag, the team will now get ready for day # 2 of the Akron Invite. Although the morning session started a little slow for us, the evening session is where the team really started rolling.
The meet started with the women's 200 free relay of Meghann McGoldrick, Katy Hare, Amanda McClelland and Krist Magee putting together a solid effort with a sixth place time of 1:36.65, a season best time. The men's team of Brendan Schilling, Doug McWhorter, Dan Doyle and Chad Houck also put together a solid effort, placing 5th with a time of 1:24.88.
Following the 200 free relays the women got the individual events going with Amanda McClelland placing 15th in the 500 free (5:11.78) and Annie Hayles placing 7th with a time of 5:06.20. On the men's side, Brian Bouvier swam to a 21st place (4:51.64), Nick Kovacs swam to a 19th place (4:49.55), Chris Kobela swam a season best of 4:42.49, good enough for 7th and Ed LeBlanc swam a 4:38.54, placing second 2nd.
The women continued with the fast swimming in the 200 IM with Hillary Hocson placing 21st with a 2:12.31, Miriam McGeath placing 6th with a time of 2:09.84 and Caitie Zajko taking home the silver with a time of 2:07.84. In the men's IM, Roman Becicka was the sole finalist and touched the wall with a second place finish and a season best time of 1:52.89.
As the meet continued, the sprinter got a crack at it and Meghan McGoldrick made the most of her opportunity, winning the consolation heat and swimming a life time best of 23.76. On the men's side Chad Houck finished 24th with a time of 22.07, Doug McWhorter finished 15th with a time of 21.78, Brendan Schilling won the consolation heat with a time of 21.28 and Jim O'Hara finished 4th int he finals with a time of 21.20. Following the diving break, the last event (400 medley relay) got underway.
The women's relay of Morgan Claycomb, Caitie Zajko, Kirstie shumaker and Meghan McGoldrick swam a very solid time of 3:55.72, good enough for 6th place. The men's relay of Mitch Smith, Ian Walsh, Jim O'Hara and Ed LeBlanc ended the day with a second place time of 3:23.82.
All-in-all, it was a very solid night for the team. I am quite certain with the first day jitters out of the way, the teams will continue to get better with each of the final two days of the meet.
See you around the pool,
Dave
The meet started with the women's 200 free relay of Meghann McGoldrick, Katy Hare, Amanda McClelland and Krist Magee putting together a solid effort with a sixth place time of 1:36.65, a season best time. The men's team of Brendan Schilling, Doug McWhorter, Dan Doyle and Chad Houck also put together a solid effort, placing 5th with a time of 1:24.88.
Following the 200 free relays the women got the individual events going with Amanda McClelland placing 15th in the 500 free (5:11.78) and Annie Hayles placing 7th with a time of 5:06.20. On the men's side, Brian Bouvier swam to a 21st place (4:51.64), Nick Kovacs swam to a 19th place (4:49.55), Chris Kobela swam a season best of 4:42.49, good enough for 7th and Ed LeBlanc swam a 4:38.54, placing second 2nd.
The women continued with the fast swimming in the 200 IM with Hillary Hocson placing 21st with a 2:12.31, Miriam McGeath placing 6th with a time of 2:09.84 and Caitie Zajko taking home the silver with a time of 2:07.84. In the men's IM, Roman Becicka was the sole finalist and touched the wall with a second place finish and a season best time of 1:52.89.
As the meet continued, the sprinter got a crack at it and Meghan McGoldrick made the most of her opportunity, winning the consolation heat and swimming a life time best of 23.76. On the men's side Chad Houck finished 24th with a time of 22.07, Doug McWhorter finished 15th with a time of 21.78, Brendan Schilling won the consolation heat with a time of 21.28 and Jim O'Hara finished 4th int he finals with a time of 21.20. Following the diving break, the last event (400 medley relay) got underway.
The women's relay of Morgan Claycomb, Caitie Zajko, Kirstie shumaker and Meghan McGoldrick swam a very solid time of 3:55.72, good enough for 6th place. The men's relay of Mitch Smith, Ian Walsh, Jim O'Hara and Ed LeBlanc ended the day with a second place time of 3:23.82.
All-in-all, it was a very solid night for the team. I am quite certain with the first day jitters out of the way, the teams will continue to get better with each of the final two days of the meet.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Akron Invite Day 1: Prelims
With the first morning of the Akron Invite in the books, the team is now resting and getting ready for this evening's finals. As I told the team on the bus, the first mornings of these meets when you're not rested is sometimes tough. We did dot have any swims that were utlerly bad but nothing that was extremely exciting. I will give the swim of the morning however, to Chris Kobela. For those of you that do not know Chris, he is our former school record holder in the 500 and 1650 freestyle. Oh, and by the way, a Luekemia survivor. This morning Chris had an awesome swim in the 500 free with a time of 4:42.55, only 8 seconds off his best time from three years ago. I am certain he will swim even faster tonight!! Some other swims of note include Annie Hayles and Amanda McClelland in the 500 free (5:05.56 and 5:09.65, respectively). Ed Leblanc in the 500 free (4:39.19). Miriam McGeath and Caitie Zajko in the 200 IM (2:09.25 and 2:09.79, resepcetively). Roman Becicka with a solid 1:53.09 in the morning's 200 IM, Meghan McGoldrick with a 24.26 in the women's 50 free and solid 50 swims from our men of 21.28 (Jim O'Hara), 21.38 (Brendan Schilling), 21.75 (Doug McWhorter) and 21.85 (Chad Houck).
The finals get underway this evening at 6 PM with the 200 free relay, followed by the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and finishing with the 400 medley relay. You can find all of the results at: http://www.gozips.com/fls/10800/zippyinvite/evtindex.htm?&SPSID=47074&SPID=4307&DB_OEM_ID=10800
See you around the pool,
Dave
The finals get underway this evening at 6 PM with the 200 free relay, followed by the 500 free, 200 IM, 50 free and finishing with the 400 medley relay. You can find all of the results at: http://www.gozips.com/fls/10800/zippyinvite/evtindex.htm?&SPSID=47074&SPID=4307&DB_OEM_ID=10800
See you around the pool,
Dave
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Bronx beating
Well, the weekend started off with a win at St. Peter's and turned ugly as we entered The Bronx to take on Fordham and Rhode Island (women). We did not expect to win agaisnt Fordham on the women's side but thought we were good enough to beat Rhode Island. Obviously we were wrong. URI came ready to swim and ended up with a victory 115-118. Although we did suffer a defeat, we had some good swims. The women were lead by Miriam McGeath, who broke the school record in the 200 breast with a time of 2:22.16 and had a solid 2:09.39 in the 200 IM. Tara VanNatta and Briana Mangis also had solid times in the 200 back, swimming 2:09.82 and 2:09.31, respectively.
On the men's side, Fordham was ready and walked away with a 103.5-126.5 victory. Roman Becicka posted some fast times, winning the 1000 Free (9:39.73), 200 IM
(1:53.87) and 500 Free (4:40.44). The 200 fly was a solid event for us as Jim O'Hara recorded a 1:55.91, Dan Doyle swam a 1:58.39 and Brian Bouvier swam a 1:59.36. Chris Kobela continued to improve, swimming a 1:45.94 in the 200 Free and a 4:48.09 in the 500 free. Matt Wollenschlaeger also had a solid performance swimming a 10:00.38 in the 1000 Free
The team will now regroup, take a break away from campus as we start Thanksgiving Break and prepare for the Akron Invite.
See you around the pool,
Dave
On the men's side, Fordham was ready and walked away with a 103.5-126.5 victory. Roman Becicka posted some fast times, winning the 1000 Free (9:39.73), 200 IM
(1:53.87) and 500 Free (4:40.44). The 200 fly was a solid event for us as Jim O'Hara recorded a 1:55.91, Dan Doyle swam a 1:58.39 and Brian Bouvier swam a 1:59.36. Chris Kobela continued to improve, swimming a 1:45.94 in the 200 Free and a 4:48.09 in the 500 free. Matt Wollenschlaeger also had a solid performance swimming a 10:00.38 in the 1000 Free
The team will now regroup, take a break away from campus as we start Thanksgiving Break and prepare for the Akron Invite.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Men's team keeps rolling, women rebound
This past weekend we took on my Alma mater, Clarion University at Towers Pool. The men continued their winning ways with a 108-83 victory, while posting up some fast times and establishing some pool records. Ed LeBlanc and Roman Becicka lead the way for the men's team. Eddie won the 1000 free, 100 Free (pool record; 45.65) and was part of the winning 200 free relay. Roman Becicka won the 400 IM (pool record; 4:06.42) and the 100 fly. Jim O'Hara also posted three wins for the Dukes, winning the 200 free and both relays. Senior Chris Kobela also had a good day, registering a win in the 500 free.
On the women's side we finally had the meet I was waiting for. Walking away with a 110-90 victory, but more importantly, each of the swimmers stepped up and raced and we finally put together a very complete meet. Freshmen Miriam McGeath lead the way, winning the 400 IM in pool record time of 4:33.34. Another freshmen, Meghann McGoldrick took the win in the 50 free with a time of 24.54, while fellow freshmen Caitie Zajko swam a fast 1:07.17 in the 100 breast. Sophomore Kristi Magee posted a victory in the 200 free with a time of 1:56.85 while fellow sophomore, Amanda McClelland was victories in the 100 free with a time of 54.82.
With the season almost half over, both teams are starting to gain momentum and swim with confidence. I believe we have now set the tone for the rest of the season with our best swimming still ahead of us. We head to The Bronx this coming weekend for a showdown with Fordham on the mens side and Fordham and Rhode Island on the women's side. You can find this past weekend's results at: http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-swim/stats/2009-2010/duq-clar.html
See you around the pool,
Dave
On the women's side we finally had the meet I was waiting for. Walking away with a 110-90 victory, but more importantly, each of the swimmers stepped up and raced and we finally put together a very complete meet. Freshmen Miriam McGeath lead the way, winning the 400 IM in pool record time of 4:33.34. Another freshmen, Meghann McGoldrick took the win in the 50 free with a time of 24.54, while fellow freshmen Caitie Zajko swam a fast 1:07.17 in the 100 breast. Sophomore Kristi Magee posted a victory in the 200 free with a time of 1:56.85 while fellow sophomore, Amanda McClelland was victories in the 100 free with a time of 54.82.
With the season almost half over, both teams are starting to gain momentum and swim with confidence. I believe we have now set the tone for the rest of the season with our best swimming still ahead of us. We head to The Bronx this coming weekend for a showdown with Fordham on the mens side and Fordham and Rhode Island on the women's side. You can find this past weekend's results at: http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-swim/stats/2009-2010/duq-clar.html
See you around the pool,
Dave
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Teams go 5-1 this weekend
In what was an eventful weekend for both programs, we managed to muster out five wins for Duquesne Swimming. The weekend started at Niagara as the men's and women's teams easily handled the Purple Eagles. The men walked away with a 115-82 decision while the women came away with a 104-96 victory. After the Niagara meet we headed into Buffalo, got a great dinner at Prima's Pasta and settled in for a relaxing evening.
The meet at ECC, in all honesty was a think-tank between me, Sean at Bonaventure and Jamie at LaSalle. We were sitting in Lewisburg at the PA state meet having lunch and thought that having a double-dual meet at the facility we have the conference meet was a great idea. After discussing the particulars, we proceeded to come up with a format for the meet. Although it needs a little tweaking, the meet that we ended up writing down on that little cocktail napkin (Sean actually still had it), turned out to be a great idea.
The meet was divided into two sessions: Session one consisted of the 200 relays, the 1650, 200s of strokes and the 100 free. Session two included the 400 relays, the 50 free, the 500 free and the 200 IM. Each swimmers was able to swim five events total. It was a tough meet for the swimmers, with some of them having to swim back to back events. I was very pleased with how the team responded to the challenge. The men walked away with two victories, beating St. Bonaventure 174-148 and LaSalle 195-133. The women had a close one against LaSalle but fell a little short, 150-168 but took the win over St. Bonaventure 214-108.
Considering where we are in our training, I was very happy with how the teams did. The men are at a great place right now, but we still have a long way to go. The women are making progress but we are still looking to put it all together. I am certain as we continue with the season, both teams will only get better.
You can find all the results at: http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-swim/sched/duqu-m-swim-sched.html
Thanks for following and as always,
See you around the pool,
Dave
The meet at ECC, in all honesty was a think-tank between me, Sean at Bonaventure and Jamie at LaSalle. We were sitting in Lewisburg at the PA state meet having lunch and thought that having a double-dual meet at the facility we have the conference meet was a great idea. After discussing the particulars, we proceeded to come up with a format for the meet. Although it needs a little tweaking, the meet that we ended up writing down on that little cocktail napkin (Sean actually still had it), turned out to be a great idea.
The meet was divided into two sessions: Session one consisted of the 200 relays, the 1650, 200s of strokes and the 100 free. Session two included the 400 relays, the 50 free, the 500 free and the 200 IM. Each swimmers was able to swim five events total. It was a tough meet for the swimmers, with some of them having to swim back to back events. I was very pleased with how the team responded to the challenge. The men walked away with two victories, beating St. Bonaventure 174-148 and LaSalle 195-133. The women had a close one against LaSalle but fell a little short, 150-168 but took the win over St. Bonaventure 214-108.
Considering where we are in our training, I was very happy with how the teams did. The men are at a great place right now, but we still have a long way to go. The women are making progress but we are still looking to put it all together. I am certain as we continue with the season, both teams will only get better.
You can find all the results at: http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-swim/sched/duqu-m-swim-sched.html
Thanks for following and as always,
See you around the pool,
Dave
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Men Win, Women Split
This week we traveled out to Lewisburg, PA for a dual meet against Bucknell for the men and a double dual meet against Bucknell and St. Francis for the women. The men completely dominated the meet, winning 11 of the 14 swimming events and walking away with a 155-125 victory. The guys started the meet out right taking 1/3 in the 200 medley relay with a winning time of 1:34.23 and 1:38.22. Roman Becicka paced the field in the 1000 with a winning time of 9:49.49, followed by Brian Bouvier in fourth with a time of 10:06.03. The men weren't done there as Ed Leblanc took first in the 200 free with a time of 1:42.15. Bucknell got one in the 100 back but Mitch Smith (53.11), Greg Matuszewski (54.23) and Dan Doyle (55.33) put up some solid times. Ian Walsh bounced back for the Red and Blue winning the 100 breaststroke with a time of 58.47. Walsh was followed by freshmen teammate, Mark Krchnak with a time of 59.08. Roman Becicka continued his winning ways, posting a victory in the 200 fly with a time of 1:52.47. Matt Wollensclaeger (1:57.93) and Tim Mancuso (2:01.99) also posted some solid swims. In the 50 freestyle Jim O'Hara and Brendan Schilling took 2/3, respectively with times of 21.35 and 21.38. After the break Ed LeBlanc hit the pool in the 100 free with a winning time of 45.10. He was followed by teammate Jim O'Hara in third with a good early season time of 47.14. Bucknell bounced back in the 200 back but Greg Matuszewski (1:57.65) and freshmen Mitch Smith (1:58.62) both posted sub 2 minute performances. In the next event, the 200 breaststroke, senior Ian Walsh and freshmen Mark Krchnak delivered the 1-2 punch again with times of 2:10.98 and 2:11.57, respectively. Ed Leblanc took the 500 free in 4:44.20, while senior Chris Kobela (4:52.91) and junior Matt Wollenschlaeger (4:55.08) posted a third and a fourth. In the next event, junior Jim O'Hara set the pace winning the 100 fly in a time of 50.70. He was followed by senior Brendan Schilling in third with a time of 52.68. The 200 IM was paced by Roman Becicka in a winning time of 1:53.66, Ian Walsh in 4th with a time of 2:00.31 and Krchnak in fifth with a time of 2:01.66. The men wrapped up the meet with another relay victory as the team of Schilling, Chad Houck, Doyle and LeBlanc posted a winning time of 1:25.21.
All-in-all for the men it was a very good meet. We got up and raced and were competitive in every event. The upperclassmen are doing their part, and the freshmen are beginning to get a grasp of collegiate swimming and the importance of racing each race to the wall. Although Bucknell was a solid meet for us, the real test for the men's team will come next week as we travel to Buffalo to take on perennial A-10 powers St. Bonaventure and LaSalle.
On the women's side, the outcome was not quite as dramatic but we were able to salvage a split, loosing to Bucknell 114-184 and winning against St. Francis of PA 142-120. The women started the meet a little slow, giving both teams the edge in the 200 medley relay, recording two solid times of 1:50.30 and 1:50.63. Hannah Kondrotas put together a very solid 1000, with a time of 10:28.22. The next Duke in line was freshmen Karissa Gorman with a 10:38.21. In the 200 freestyle, Kristi Magee lead the way with a 1:57.98, followed by teammate Amanda McClelland (1:58.07) and senior Annie Hayles (1:58.22) and sophomore DeAnn Pertz (2:00.35). The 100 backstroke saw Morgan Claycomb lead the Dukes with a 1:00.27, followed by Kirstie Shumaker (1:00.99), fellow juniors Briana Mangis (1:01.14) and Tara VanNatta (1:02.19). The women dominated the 100 breaststroke taking 1-2 as freshmen Hillary Hocson recorded her first collegiate win with a 1:07.44. She was followed by fellow freshmen Caitie Zajko with a time of 1:07.52. The next event saw freshmen Miriam McGeath see her first collegiate action, taking the 200 fly with a time of 2:07.72. Kondrotas followed for the Dukes with a 2:14.05 and junior Lori Yeaman with a 2:14.63. In the 50 free, junior Kim Schade paced the Dukes with a time of 25.03. She was followed by fellow teammates Magee (25.21), McClelland (25.26) and freshmen Lauren Leon with a time of 26.42. In the 100 free Magee was back in the action recording a second place finish of 54.21. Mclelland was the next Duke to touch the wall with a time of 55.27, followed by Kim Schade (56.08). In the 200 back, the Dukes put together three solid swims with junior Mangis leading the group in a 2:10.34, followed by sophomore Morgan Claycomb (2:10.49) and junior Tara VanNatta (2:12.36). In the 200 breast, the Dukes again had two of the top three spots, with McGeath recording a fast early season time of 2:23.68. She was followed in third by Zajko (2:26.25) and Hocson in fifth with a time of 2:27.09. The 500 free was lead by senior Annie Hayles with a second place time of 5:12.36. In the 100 fly, junior Kirstie Shumaker registered a second place with a solid time of 58.74. The next Duke to touch the wall was Erin Cawley with a time of 1:00.45, Yeaman (1:01.12) and Kondrotas (1:01.66). In the final individual event of the day, McGeath lead the Dukes with a time of 2:11.12, followed by Zajko (2:12.06), Cawley (2:14.26) and Mangis (2:17.17). The team finished the meet with the 200 free relay, with the team of Schade, Shumaker, Katy Hare and Magee recording a 1:40.22.
Overall, despite our slow start, the team really stepped up the second half of the meet. As we begin to piece together the team we will get better and better every week. If we can begin to approach every competition as an opportunity to get better, race and expect more from each other we will continue to grow.
The women will also be in action next week as we travel to Niagara for a Friday meet and to ECC, the home of the conference meet, for a double dual against St. Bonaventure and LaSalle. You can find all of the results from the Bucknell meet at:
http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-swim/stats/2009-2010/bucknell.html
See you around the pool,
Dave
All-in-all for the men it was a very good meet. We got up and raced and were competitive in every event. The upperclassmen are doing their part, and the freshmen are beginning to get a grasp of collegiate swimming and the importance of racing each race to the wall. Although Bucknell was a solid meet for us, the real test for the men's team will come next week as we travel to Buffalo to take on perennial A-10 powers St. Bonaventure and LaSalle.
On the women's side, the outcome was not quite as dramatic but we were able to salvage a split, loosing to Bucknell 114-184 and winning against St. Francis of PA 142-120. The women started the meet a little slow, giving both teams the edge in the 200 medley relay, recording two solid times of 1:50.30 and 1:50.63. Hannah Kondrotas put together a very solid 1000, with a time of 10:28.22. The next Duke in line was freshmen Karissa Gorman with a 10:38.21. In the 200 freestyle, Kristi Magee lead the way with a 1:57.98, followed by teammate Amanda McClelland (1:58.07) and senior Annie Hayles (1:58.22) and sophomore DeAnn Pertz (2:00.35). The 100 backstroke saw Morgan Claycomb lead the Dukes with a 1:00.27, followed by Kirstie Shumaker (1:00.99), fellow juniors Briana Mangis (1:01.14) and Tara VanNatta (1:02.19). The women dominated the 100 breaststroke taking 1-2 as freshmen Hillary Hocson recorded her first collegiate win with a 1:07.44. She was followed by fellow freshmen Caitie Zajko with a time of 1:07.52. The next event saw freshmen Miriam McGeath see her first collegiate action, taking the 200 fly with a time of 2:07.72. Kondrotas followed for the Dukes with a 2:14.05 and junior Lori Yeaman with a 2:14.63. In the 50 free, junior Kim Schade paced the Dukes with a time of 25.03. She was followed by fellow teammates Magee (25.21), McClelland (25.26) and freshmen Lauren Leon with a time of 26.42. In the 100 free Magee was back in the action recording a second place finish of 54.21. Mclelland was the next Duke to touch the wall with a time of 55.27, followed by Kim Schade (56.08). In the 200 back, the Dukes put together three solid swims with junior Mangis leading the group in a 2:10.34, followed by sophomore Morgan Claycomb (2:10.49) and junior Tara VanNatta (2:12.36). In the 200 breast, the Dukes again had two of the top three spots, with McGeath recording a fast early season time of 2:23.68. She was followed in third by Zajko (2:26.25) and Hocson in fifth with a time of 2:27.09. The 500 free was lead by senior Annie Hayles with a second place time of 5:12.36. In the 100 fly, junior Kirstie Shumaker registered a second place with a solid time of 58.74. The next Duke to touch the wall was Erin Cawley with a time of 1:00.45, Yeaman (1:01.12) and Kondrotas (1:01.66). In the final individual event of the day, McGeath lead the Dukes with a time of 2:11.12, followed by Zajko (2:12.06), Cawley (2:14.26) and Mangis (2:17.17). The team finished the meet with the 200 free relay, with the team of Schade, Shumaker, Katy Hare and Magee recording a 1:40.22.
Overall, despite our slow start, the team really stepped up the second half of the meet. As we begin to piece together the team we will get better and better every week. If we can begin to approach every competition as an opportunity to get better, race and expect more from each other we will continue to grow.
The women will also be in action next week as we travel to Niagara for a Friday meet and to ECC, the home of the conference meet, for a double dual against St. Bonaventure and LaSalle. You can find all of the results from the Bucknell meet at:
http://www.goduquesne.com/sports/m-swim/stats/2009-2010/bucknell.html
See you around the pool,
Dave
Friday, October 23, 2009
Duquesne v. Buffalo
Both Mens and Womens teams opened the dual meet season this afternoon against the University of Buffalo. After 8 weeks of training both teams were excited to finally get up and race in a first class facility. Despite a timing system failure, the teams posted some very fast times on our watches.
The mens team won eight of the 11 swimming events, only giving up victories in the 200 fly, 200 back and 400 free relay. The 400 medley relay of Mitch Smith, Ian Walsh, Jim O'Hara and Ed LeBlanc opened up the meet recording an early fast season time of 3:25.50. Roman Becicka followed in the 1000 swimming an unofficial 9:43.35. Eddie Leblanc put up a great swim in the 200 free with an unofficial time of 1:40.29, Jim O'Hara followed up in the 50 with a winning time of 21.31, followed by Brendan Schilling with a time of 21.41. Roman Becicka wrapped up the first half of the meet winning the 200 IM in a time of 1:53.52. Following the break, Ed LeBlanc recorded a winning time of 45.94 in the 100 free. Roman Becicka followed suit in the 500 free with a winning time of 4:41.89 and Ian Walsh won the 200 breast with a time of 2:11.77. Despite heading into the meet with a 32 point diving deficit, the men's team only lost by a narrow margin of 114-123. Overall it was a great meet and a great learning experience for the upstart freshmen.
On the womens side the ladies opened up with a nice 3:59.53 400 medley relay. Hannah Kondrotas posted a solid time of 10:36.31 in the 1000 free as well as a winning time of 2:10.57 in the 200 fly. The women had solid 200 freestyles with Kristi Magee and Amanda McClelland swimming unofficial times of 1:57's. Morgan Claycomb and Briana Mangis both posted solid swims in the 200 backstroke registering times of 2:11.44 and 2:11.76, respectively. Freshmen Caitie Zajko and Hillary Hocson both posted solid 200 breaststroke times of 2:29.13 and 2:29.53, respectively. Despite loosing the meet, the women had some very solid performances, laying the groundwork for the rest of the season.
We'll be back in action next week as we travel to Bucknell for a 2 PM start time.
See you around the pool,
Dave
The mens team won eight of the 11 swimming events, only giving up victories in the 200 fly, 200 back and 400 free relay. The 400 medley relay of Mitch Smith, Ian Walsh, Jim O'Hara and Ed LeBlanc opened up the meet recording an early fast season time of 3:25.50. Roman Becicka followed in the 1000 swimming an unofficial 9:43.35. Eddie Leblanc put up a great swim in the 200 free with an unofficial time of 1:40.29, Jim O'Hara followed up in the 50 with a winning time of 21.31, followed by Brendan Schilling with a time of 21.41. Roman Becicka wrapped up the first half of the meet winning the 200 IM in a time of 1:53.52. Following the break, Ed LeBlanc recorded a winning time of 45.94 in the 100 free. Roman Becicka followed suit in the 500 free with a winning time of 4:41.89 and Ian Walsh won the 200 breast with a time of 2:11.77. Despite heading into the meet with a 32 point diving deficit, the men's team only lost by a narrow margin of 114-123. Overall it was a great meet and a great learning experience for the upstart freshmen.
On the womens side the ladies opened up with a nice 3:59.53 400 medley relay. Hannah Kondrotas posted a solid time of 10:36.31 in the 1000 free as well as a winning time of 2:10.57 in the 200 fly. The women had solid 200 freestyles with Kristi Magee and Amanda McClelland swimming unofficial times of 1:57's. Morgan Claycomb and Briana Mangis both posted solid swims in the 200 backstroke registering times of 2:11.44 and 2:11.76, respectively. Freshmen Caitie Zajko and Hillary Hocson both posted solid 200 breaststroke times of 2:29.13 and 2:29.53, respectively. Despite loosing the meet, the women had some very solid performances, laying the groundwork for the rest of the season.
We'll be back in action next week as we travel to Bucknell for a 2 PM start time.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Red and Blue Meet
With five weeks of the swim season under our belt, it was time for the swimmers to have an opportunity to get up and race and the parents to get back into the swing of Duquesne Swimming at the annual Blue/Red Meet. This meet was a great opportunity for us to really get a look at the new swimmers, see what they are capable of and to build upon what we see. The format was a high school format with all of the 400 IMr's doing all of the stroke events.
The meet was highly contested with several swimmers registering some new All-Time Top Tens, one pool record and some personal best times. Although the Red team was the favorite, in the end, the Blue Team, coached by me, won out over the Red Team, coached by Coach Bocci, 1,331-1,089.
The Blue Team will have bragging rights for the season and can parade around the pool deck with the chalice that goes to the winning team.
We officially kick off the season in two weeks as we travel to Buffalo to take on The University of Buffalo. Hopefully we'll see some of you there.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Alumni Meet
I am happy to report to all that the Alumni Meet this past Friday was a great success! We had over 20 alums show up, strap on a suit and compete once again. Swimmers in attendance at the meet or the social included: Kevin Ferguson, Craig Smith, Brad Masterson, Amy Turocy, Jillian Rupinski, Elena Pollock, Brendan Speers, Clayton Dean, Scott Darwin, Doug Yeager, Dan Wargo, Liz Yager, Erin McEvoy, Ian Walsh, Kyla Favret, Katie McHugh, Dulcie Swope, Tony Herzog, Dani (Newcomb) Wicker, Christina Sherrard, Katrina Streiner, Mallory Marx and Susie Morrow.
We kept the meet simple and short, not sure what kind of physical shape the former Duquesne Dukes would be in. The meet consisted of a 50 free, 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, 50 backstroke, 100 free and 100 IM, with many breaks sprinkled in between when needed. It was great to see that no matter how long it has been since any one of the former swimmers competed, they still had that competitive fire.
Following the meet, Coach Bocci and I hosted a social at the Red Ring and beyond. Here many coach and athlete stories were told. I found out how Craig Smith ran 3 miles after a thief while he was life guarding to save a purse stolen from another student. It also amazed me to hear some of the stories told by Clayton Dean and Brendan Speers. There were also many stories told that I cannot reveal to protect the names of the innocent and the guilty. Needless to say, I am certain all the alumni enjoyed their time here at Duquesne!
It was also enjoyable for me to see so many people make the time and come back after being away from Duquesne Swimming for 2 years up to 25 years. Hopefully for the alums that returned and the ones that could not make it, Duquesne Swimming is not just a four year experience but an experience that lasts a lifetime. Thanks!
I also want to send out a special thanks to Katie McHugh who did most of the leg work to put all of this together.
See you around the pool,
Dave
We kept the meet simple and short, not sure what kind of physical shape the former Duquesne Dukes would be in. The meet consisted of a 50 free, 50 butterfly, 50 breaststroke, 50 backstroke, 100 free and 100 IM, with many breaks sprinkled in between when needed. It was great to see that no matter how long it has been since any one of the former swimmers competed, they still had that competitive fire.
Following the meet, Coach Bocci and I hosted a social at the Red Ring and beyond. Here many coach and athlete stories were told. I found out how Craig Smith ran 3 miles after a thief while he was life guarding to save a purse stolen from another student. It also amazed me to hear some of the stories told by Clayton Dean and Brendan Speers. There were also many stories told that I cannot reveal to protect the names of the innocent and the guilty. Needless to say, I am certain all the alumni enjoyed their time here at Duquesne!
It was also enjoyable for me to see so many people make the time and come back after being away from Duquesne Swimming for 2 years up to 25 years. Hopefully for the alums that returned and the ones that could not make it, Duquesne Swimming is not just a four year experience but an experience that lasts a lifetime. Thanks!
I also want to send out a special thanks to Katie McHugh who did most of the leg work to put all of this together.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Open Water Swim and Cook-out
The teams took to the water today for our sixth annual open water swim and team cook-out. The swim was once again at Lake Arthur in Moraine State Park. Not only does this open water swim serve as the official start of our season, but it gives the team a great opportunity to get away from campus for a few hours to take in the beauty of the park, enjoy some nice open water swimming and have a great cook-out as a team at Coach Bocci's ranch located just outside of Butler.
The day started with Coach Bocci and me heading out to the lake to chart out the course and take in a little fishing with our sons, David and Ben. The water temperature was perfect and the area was slightly foggy but began to clear as the teams pulled up in the vans. Once getting changed and given a few instructions from me, the swimmers took to the water in a highly contested event. Sophomore Roman Becicka, who was forced to start from the back, once again took first place for the men's team and sophomore Amanda McClelland took home top honors for the women. After our last two sprinters exited the water, we headed over to Coach Bocci's for the team cook-out.
The weather was perfect and the swimmers were able to take in a few games of volleyball while Coach Bocci and I cooked the burgers and dogs. All-in-all it was great day and a perfect way to get the season rolling. I am sure some of the alumni have some great memories from our open-water swims or cook-outs. Mine was the capture the flag tournament we held back in 2004. Hopefully some of the alumni will share theirs.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Friday, September 4, 2009
Alumni Meet
Alumni, Friends and Family of Duquesne Swimming,
Has it been that long?!!?! We are in the process of putting together plans for an Alumni Swim Meet Homecoming Weekend. The meet will take place on Friday, October 2 in the evening around 6 PM. We wanted to make it as late as possible so many of the out-of-towners can make it. No worries though, the meet will only consist of 25's, 50's and possibly some 100's. Following the meet, we would like to have a get-together at the Red Ring. This will be a great opportunity to catch-up with some long-lost teammates, relive some old memories and make some new ones. If you are interested, shoot me an email so we can begin our list. Katie McHugh will also be sending out some information.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
A new season begins!!
Today was our first official day of weights and water work. The strength coach gave a lot of praise to the team regarding their intensity in the weight room this morning. Following morning weights the student-atheltes attended classes until our PM swimming sessions. The afternoon was pretty easy, getting the fundraiser stuff together and spending some time on freestyle drills. The team begins the dry land phase tomorrow..........looking forward to it!
See you around the pool,
Dave
See you around the pool,
Dave
Friday, August 28, 2009
Sweeeeeet Friday :)
Hello!
Today went by extremely fast. I had four classes in the morning and received zero homework in all but one! Tonight's gonna be a good night.
I just got back from a girls team dinner at Annie's. We ate pasta, bonded and told embarrassing stories! The girls are all very nice and I feel like I am part of the team already. Although I am still very excited for practice to start. I can't wait to get back in the water.
Earlier this afternoon I got a call from the Offramp Duquesne catering service. They left a message on my phone about a care birthday package that was perishable. I couldn't believe it! I was actually getting mail that I could eat! I walked over to Offramp to find a giant cookie cake with Happy Birthday Caitie written on it! Under the cake was a card signed by my parents, Justin, and puppy Jackpot. This brought a huge smile to my face:) Thank you!
As for now, we're all walking down to south side!
Caitie
I'm sorry that I didn't get my post up in time last night! But anyways, yesterday was very exciting. I only had 2 classes in the morning and then a class at 4:30 that was optional but I went just to see what it was like. I got most of my homework done yesterday afternoon, so I don't have any this weekend YAY!
I got mail yesterday from my mom and Thiago. I was so excited when I opened my mail box and there were TWO letters! Thanks guys!
The senior girls invited all the girls to their house to have a pasta dinner. It was so good to have a home cooked meal. I miss my mom's cooking so much. After we ate, we went around the room tell things about us like what our major is, what we swim, where we are from, and a random fact. After we got through the introductions, we went around the room and told the our most embarrassing story. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to start the season.
Thanks for letting Caitie and I blog for the first week of college. It was fun and I'm so glad I got to do it!
Miriam
Today went by extremely fast. I had four classes in the morning and received zero homework in all but one! Tonight's gonna be a good night.
I just got back from a girls team dinner at Annie's. We ate pasta, bonded and told embarrassing stories! The girls are all very nice and I feel like I am part of the team already. Although I am still very excited for practice to start. I can't wait to get back in the water.
Earlier this afternoon I got a call from the Offramp Duquesne catering service. They left a message on my phone about a care birthday package that was perishable. I couldn't believe it! I was actually getting mail that I could eat! I walked over to Offramp to find a giant cookie cake with Happy Birthday Caitie written on it! Under the cake was a card signed by my parents, Justin, and puppy Jackpot. This brought a huge smile to my face:) Thank you!
As for now, we're all walking down to south side!
Caitie
I'm sorry that I didn't get my post up in time last night! But anyways, yesterday was very exciting. I only had 2 classes in the morning and then a class at 4:30 that was optional but I went just to see what it was like. I got most of my homework done yesterday afternoon, so I don't have any this weekend YAY!
I got mail yesterday from my mom and Thiago. I was so excited when I opened my mail box and there were TWO letters! Thanks guys!
The senior girls invited all the girls to their house to have a pasta dinner. It was so good to have a home cooked meal. I miss my mom's cooking so much. After we ate, we went around the room tell things about us like what our major is, what we swim, where we are from, and a random fact. After we got through the introductions, we went around the room and told the our most embarrassing story. It was a lot of fun and I can't wait to start the season.
Thanks for letting Caitie and I blog for the first week of college. It was fun and I'm so glad I got to do it!
Miriam
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The city is pretty
6:15 came way too early. This morning the swimming and cross country teams had a compliance meeting. Afterwards I decided to take a swim. I completed Coach Sheets' workout and decided to do a little extra. Normally I would have a class @ 925 but my professor had another obligation and cancelled! It kind of felt like a 2 hour delay or a snow day. I'm not complaining!
I only had two classes today. And both of them were in Fisher Hall. For those of you who don't know where Fisher Hall is in reference to the dorms, you're in for a bit of a surprise. It was about a ten minute walk each way to and from St. Ann's. These classes are definitely the easiest of my course load by far. University 101 helps student athletes make the transition from high school to college. It focuses on the balance between school work and athletics. About an hour later I walked back to Fisher for my Technology class. Let me just say that you are definitely getting a good workout here. I feel like I am constantly on the go. I'm always running! As my Dad would say, it's free exercise.
Later on, I studied some theology and philosophy and then decided to meet my friend Lauren for dinner. As I walked outside of the dorm, I really got a good look at the city of Pittsburgh. It truly is the best city in the U.S. The sun was setting behind the skyline. It looked like a scene from a movie. Most people would probably argue that cities are not typically pretty. However, Pittsburgh is pretty. It's pretty in it's own way. And I pretty much love it.
Tomorrow's friday!
Caitie
Thursday!
I was up and ready to go by 6:15. At 6:30 A.M. we had a meeting for swimming about NCAA ruling. So this morning bright and early we sat in a Lecture hall listening to some guy tells us what to do and not to do as an athlete. Let me tell ya some of these rules are really stupid. But anyways, we signed our name about a million times on a million different lines and we're released. I went back to my dorm and took about a half an hour nap. I got up around 8:40 for my 9:25 class.
Bio lecture was intense. There was no way I could ever write that fast to get all the information down before she changed the slide. So I stopped writing and tried to listen to what she was saying instead of getting mad because I wasn't getting it all. Later to find out, I did the right thing because the slides that I was trying to write, she puts on blackboard after the class. So I'm in good shape.
I had a new class today. I only have this class on Thursdays. Research and Info Skills! It seems like that class is going to be fairly easy, but also help me out in a lot of different ways.
Like I said yesterday, I was done by 1:05. I checked my mail...nothing today, and headed to the dorm to grab my suit. When I got to the pool, there were only a few people there; Erin, Adam, and me. Before I jumped into the water, Coach yells out of his office, "Erin, wait for me. I'll be ready in 10 minutes". (I don't know if I got that qoute exactly right but close enough) The next thing I know coach is in the pool with us doing the practice. Way to go Coach!!!
Today was a long day, but I learned a lot, had some study time, and got to hang out with some friends over lunch.
'Til tomorrow!
Miriam
Bio lecture was intense. There was no way I could ever write that fast to get all the information down before she changed the slide. So I stopped writing and tried to listen to what she was saying instead of getting mad because I wasn't getting it all. Later to find out, I did the right thing because the slides that I was trying to write, she puts on blackboard after the class. So I'm in good shape.
I had a new class today. I only have this class on Thursdays. Research and Info Skills! It seems like that class is going to be fairly easy, but also help me out in a lot of different ways.
Like I said yesterday, I was done by 1:05. I checked my mail...nothing today, and headed to the dorm to grab my suit. When I got to the pool, there were only a few people there; Erin, Adam, and me. Before I jumped into the water, Coach yells out of his office, "Erin, wait for me. I'll be ready in 10 minutes". (I don't know if I got that qoute exactly right but close enough) The next thing I know coach is in the pool with us doing the practice. Way to go Coach!!!
Today was a long day, but I learned a lot, had some study time, and got to hang out with some friends over lunch.
'Til tomorrow!
Miriam
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Smiles for Wednesday :)
Finally, it's Wednesday! Yay! We are halfway through the week and it feels awesome:)
This morning I went the power center and rode the bike for about a half hour. It is absolutely gorgeous inside. Everything is top of the line and equipped with TV's I watched Saved by the Bell and enjoyed laughing at adorable Zach Morris. It was a great way to start off my morning. On my way back to St. Ann's I ran into Starbucks to grab a caramel macchiato. I was officially awake by 8:15 after the bike ride and a few sips of coffee.
My first class started with a quick philosophical lesson on Meno, continued with a well thought out discussion on the Christian faith in Theology and finished with a short math class focused on word problems. After class ended, I went to the bookstore to exchange a book, waited in line for twenty minutes, and realized that I forgot my receipt back in the dorm! I started up a conversation with the guy in front of me. He mistakenly thought I was senior which totally blew my mind! :)
Afterwards, I went to the pool with meg and found out it was closed due to chemical problems. Then I decided to meet my friend Lauren for dinner at Options. It was pretty good!
All in all, today was long but pretty sweet. Can't wait for the weekend! Nice job Phils!
Caitieeee:)
It seems like every day gets longer and longer. I had a night class from 6:00 to 8:40. Then after the night class I hit the books at the library. I got my pre-class assignments done for my research class tomorrow, and I got some of my Bio done too. It always feels good when you accomplish something. I learned a valuable lesson today. Time is very important and it will fly by if you don't use it wisely. I didn't get to swim today due to chemical problems at the pool. I hope they are fix tomorrow. But the time I didn't spend in the pool today, I spent in my room studying. Wednesday is my longest day of the week.
From 12:20 to 2:50 I had a Bio Lab, we watched the heart beat of a Daphnia (water fleas). It was pretty cool. The first water flea I picked was like almost about to die. That water flea's heart rate was 18 beats per minute, which is extremely slow. The second one I picked was a fast little booger. His heart rate was so fast we couldn't even count it. Finally he (the flea) calmed down and we recorded his heart rate at 164 beats per minute.
Tomorrow I'm done at 1:05. Maybe tomorrow I can grab some dinner unlike tonight. Instead I went to Starbucks after my night class, and got a little treat. Ha.
I got my first thing in the mail today. My weight watch scale! I'm so happy with it! I can't gain that freshmen 10 or 20 or whatever it is. So far I'm good!
If you have read all my blogs this week...Thank you and I appreciate it!
'Til next time! Bye!
Miriam
This morning I went the power center and rode the bike for about a half hour. It is absolutely gorgeous inside. Everything is top of the line and equipped with TV's I watched Saved by the Bell and enjoyed laughing at adorable Zach Morris. It was a great way to start off my morning. On my way back to St. Ann's I ran into Starbucks to grab a caramel macchiato. I was officially awake by 8:15 after the bike ride and a few sips of coffee.
My first class started with a quick philosophical lesson on Meno, continued with a well thought out discussion on the Christian faith in Theology and finished with a short math class focused on word problems. After class ended, I went to the bookstore to exchange a book, waited in line for twenty minutes, and realized that I forgot my receipt back in the dorm! I started up a conversation with the guy in front of me. He mistakenly thought I was senior which totally blew my mind! :)
Afterwards, I went to the pool with meg and found out it was closed due to chemical problems. Then I decided to meet my friend Lauren for dinner at Options. It was pretty good!
All in all, today was long but pretty sweet. Can't wait for the weekend! Nice job Phils!
Caitieeee:)
It seems like every day gets longer and longer. I had a night class from 6:00 to 8:40. Then after the night class I hit the books at the library. I got my pre-class assignments done for my research class tomorrow, and I got some of my Bio done too. It always feels good when you accomplish something. I learned a valuable lesson today. Time is very important and it will fly by if you don't use it wisely. I didn't get to swim today due to chemical problems at the pool. I hope they are fix tomorrow. But the time I didn't spend in the pool today, I spent in my room studying. Wednesday is my longest day of the week.
From 12:20 to 2:50 I had a Bio Lab, we watched the heart beat of a Daphnia (water fleas). It was pretty cool. The first water flea I picked was like almost about to die. That water flea's heart rate was 18 beats per minute, which is extremely slow. The second one I picked was a fast little booger. His heart rate was so fast we couldn't even count it. Finally he (the flea) calmed down and we recorded his heart rate at 164 beats per minute.
Tomorrow I'm done at 1:05. Maybe tomorrow I can grab some dinner unlike tonight. Instead I went to Starbucks after my night class, and got a little treat. Ha.
I got my first thing in the mail today. My weight watch scale! I'm so happy with it! I can't gain that freshmen 10 or 20 or whatever it is. So far I'm good!
If you have read all my blogs this week...Thank you and I appreciate it!
'Til next time! Bye!
Miriam
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Tuesday brings tons of work!
Hello again! Today was another busy yet enjoyable day. Everyone on campus was extremely friendly and accommodating. I feel bad when I meet new people. I shake their hand and they say their name, but for some reason five seconds later, I can never remember what I should call them. Although when you share the same name with five different people on your floor, you are forced to remember who they are.
Anyway, I had my first teaching class today. It went fairly well until someone asked why the room smelled like chlorine. I worked up enough courage to raise my hand and let everyone know that I was a swimmer. The class started laughing which was a nice icebreaker. The teacher assigned us forty pages to read and a paper to be completed by thursday. I'm going to be very busy for the next few days.
Later I went to Offramp, picked up a salad wrap which was delicious and a yogurt parfait. I've come to the conclusion that you just cannot eat at Towers for every meal. It just doesn't work. It's either hit or miss when you walk into that cafeteria. Breakfast is by far the best meal that they serve. How can you possibly ruin a bowl of cereal or a bagel?
That's all for now. Four days and counting until my 18th birthday. Cheesecake Factory here we come.
Caitie
Today I got to sleep in 25 more minutes than I did yesterday. I know that may not sound like a lot, but every little bit helps. Instead of having 2 classes like yesterday, I had 3. A little bit longer day but I was still done by 1:05! After class, I met up with some of my newly made friends and headed to options. Today I got something different; a chicken wrap! Let me tell ya it was GOOD! We left options and went to the bookstore. I don't even know how many times I have been there already. But anyways, my team leader, Trisha works in the bookstore, (love her) helped me out. I got most of my books yesterday but I had to make a special order for 3 of them so that when they did come in, I would difinitly get a copy. After the little bookstore run, I went to swim. Today we had a challenge set. 8x100...2 on 1:30, 2 on 1:20, 2 on 1:10 and the last 2 were on 1:05! I made them all! It is always exciting when you make ALL of the challenging sets! Swimming works up your apetite so I was off to dinner at Towers once again. I had a huge salad and a piece of pizza, and I grabbed an apple for later. After dinner, Erika and I watched some of the boys soccer game and the headed abck to the dorms to get some homework done. I have my first lab tomorrow. Pray it goes well. Thanks for reading this blog and I can't wait for what tomorrow holds! Bye!
Miriam
Anyway, I had my first teaching class today. It went fairly well until someone asked why the room smelled like chlorine. I worked up enough courage to raise my hand and let everyone know that I was a swimmer. The class started laughing which was a nice icebreaker. The teacher assigned us forty pages to read and a paper to be completed by thursday. I'm going to be very busy for the next few days.
Later I went to Offramp, picked up a salad wrap which was delicious and a yogurt parfait. I've come to the conclusion that you just cannot eat at Towers for every meal. It just doesn't work. It's either hit or miss when you walk into that cafeteria. Breakfast is by far the best meal that they serve. How can you possibly ruin a bowl of cereal or a bagel?
That's all for now. Four days and counting until my 18th birthday. Cheesecake Factory here we come.
Caitie
Today I got to sleep in 25 more minutes than I did yesterday. I know that may not sound like a lot, but every little bit helps. Instead of having 2 classes like yesterday, I had 3. A little bit longer day but I was still done by 1:05! After class, I met up with some of my newly made friends and headed to options. Today I got something different; a chicken wrap! Let me tell ya it was GOOD! We left options and went to the bookstore. I don't even know how many times I have been there already. But anyways, my team leader, Trisha works in the bookstore, (love her) helped me out. I got most of my books yesterday but I had to make a special order for 3 of them so that when they did come in, I would difinitly get a copy. After the little bookstore run, I went to swim. Today we had a challenge set. 8x100...2 on 1:30, 2 on 1:20, 2 on 1:10 and the last 2 were on 1:05! I made them all! It is always exciting when you make ALL of the challenging sets! Swimming works up your apetite so I was off to dinner at Towers once again. I had a huge salad and a piece of pizza, and I grabbed an apple for later. After dinner, Erika and I watched some of the boys soccer game and the headed abck to the dorms to get some homework done. I have my first lab tomorrow. Pray it goes well. Thanks for reading this blog and I can't wait for what tomorrow holds! Bye!
Miriam
Monday, August 24, 2009
Monday is fun-day :)
Hello, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Caitie Zajko. I'm from Allentown, Pennsylvania which is about 5 hours from the 'Burgh. I'm majoring in elementary education and I swim breaststroke and IM. For the next week, my roommate and I will be blogging about our first week of college. Enjoy!
Today was the first day for many things. It was the first day of classes. It was the first day of swim practice. And it was the first day I've done laundry since I arrived on campus last tuesday. The "first time" for many things can be nerve-wrecking, exciting, and scary. But today I didn't feel any of those. I felt relaxed and calm. Surprisingly, I actually had fun! And that's how college is supposed to be, right? Classes were exactly what I expected. Lecture. Lecture. Lecture.- but in a unique way. During my thinking and writing class we experimented with a boys vs. girls game to explore the writing process. (Of course the girls won) But anyway, we had fun while we were learning and that's what's important. Later on, I decided to go for a swim. Practice went well, although it's pretty difficult to motivate yourself to swim lap after lap with no one cheering you to the finish. Next week should be a lot better as we start practicing as a team. After practice, I was forced to head down to the laundry room. Over an hour went by, and I was still in line to clean my clothes. Finally, when it was my turn, I realized I forgot the detergent upstairs. Luckily, the girl behind me in line was nice and decided to lend me some detergent. About a half hour later, I took my laundry out of the washer to find that my white sheets were covered in blue spots! Apparently, the blue detergent didn't rinse out and had left some noticeably large blue spots. Oh well, blue and white polka-dot sheets are much more fashionable than plain old white sheets. I've finally come to the conclusion that Duquesne University is perfect. I love it here. Now I'm heading to Offramp!
Swimmingly yours,
Caitie
My name is Miriam McGeath. I'm from Roanoke, Virginia and I'm 18 years old. It took me about 6 hours to get on campus. I am a Physical Therapy major and I swim the 400 IM and the 200 breast.
Well, this was the first day of classes. I had Calculus and Interpersonal Communications. I thought for the first day of college it went very well. I saw my advisor today about my schedule and she was very helpful. My schedule is full and I will be pretty busy with 18 credits. Open swim also started today. It was felt great to get back in the pool. I know this may sound weird but I was excited to get back to school and swimming. I can't wait to start my routine schedule again. After swimming, i went to the bookstore to get the right books I need for my classes. They are so expensive!
College has been everything I thought it would be and more. I loved orientation and all the activities I have done thus far.
Oh yea, a couple more things, Dining halls! Towers is okay. The good thing about Towers is that it is all-you-can-eat!! I ate at options for lunch today and it was amazing. Off Ramp...I hear they call that the grease pit. I went there for dinner but it was too crowded, so I went to Towers instead.
Dorm Rooms! I am living in St. Ann's. The rooms are kinda tight with everything you need. But Caitie and I are doing great!
Laundry Room! What is up with only having 6 washers and 6 dryers?? There are about 300 people on the girls side that need to do laundry. I just think we should have a couple more!
Miriam
Today was the first day for many things. It was the first day of classes. It was the first day of swim practice. And it was the first day I've done laundry since I arrived on campus last tuesday. The "first time" for many things can be nerve-wrecking, exciting, and scary. But today I didn't feel any of those. I felt relaxed and calm. Surprisingly, I actually had fun! And that's how college is supposed to be, right? Classes were exactly what I expected. Lecture. Lecture. Lecture.- but in a unique way. During my thinking and writing class we experimented with a boys vs. girls game to explore the writing process. (Of course the girls won) But anyway, we had fun while we were learning and that's what's important. Later on, I decided to go for a swim. Practice went well, although it's pretty difficult to motivate yourself to swim lap after lap with no one cheering you to the finish. Next week should be a lot better as we start practicing as a team. After practice, I was forced to head down to the laundry room. Over an hour went by, and I was still in line to clean my clothes. Finally, when it was my turn, I realized I forgot the detergent upstairs. Luckily, the girl behind me in line was nice and decided to lend me some detergent. About a half hour later, I took my laundry out of the washer to find that my white sheets were covered in blue spots! Apparently, the blue detergent didn't rinse out and had left some noticeably large blue spots. Oh well, blue and white polka-dot sheets are much more fashionable than plain old white sheets. I've finally come to the conclusion that Duquesne University is perfect. I love it here. Now I'm heading to Offramp!
Swimmingly yours,
Caitie
My name is Miriam McGeath. I'm from Roanoke, Virginia and I'm 18 years old. It took me about 6 hours to get on campus. I am a Physical Therapy major and I swim the 400 IM and the 200 breast.
Well, this was the first day of classes. I had Calculus and Interpersonal Communications. I thought for the first day of college it went very well. I saw my advisor today about my schedule and she was very helpful. My schedule is full and I will be pretty busy with 18 credits. Open swim also started today. It was felt great to get back in the pool. I know this may sound weird but I was excited to get back to school and swimming. I can't wait to start my routine schedule again. After swimming, i went to the bookstore to get the right books I need for my classes. They are so expensive!
College has been everything I thought it would be and more. I loved orientation and all the activities I have done thus far.
Oh yea, a couple more things, Dining halls! Towers is okay. The good thing about Towers is that it is all-you-can-eat!! I ate at options for lunch today and it was amazing. Off Ramp...I hear they call that the grease pit. I went there for dinner but it was too crowded, so I went to Towers instead.
Dorm Rooms! I am living in St. Ann's. The rooms are kinda tight with everything you need. But Caitie and I are doing great!
Laundry Room! What is up with only having 6 washers and 6 dryers?? There are about 300 people on the girls side that need to do laundry. I just think we should have a couple more!
Miriam
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Moving Day
The day is finally here for our incoming freshmen! For three months campus has been very quiet...until yesterday when all of the freshmen made their way to "The Bluff" to begin the next chapter of their young lives. I was able to walk around campus the last few days, speak to "the new group" of swimmers and some of their parents. As I meandered I saw many emotions such as confusion, excitement and anxiety.
I am certain as orientation passes, classes begin and we ease into the swimming season, each one of the new faces of Duquesne Swimming will begin to feel more and more at home. As a matter of fact, two of our new swimmers, (Caitie Zajko and Miriam McGeath) will chronicle their first week of campus life and classes here at Duquesne. Hopefully we will all get a better idea of what a typical freshmen deals with as they assimilate into their college surroundings.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Juniors and more
As I sit here in Dulles Airport waiting for my connection to Pittsburgh I thought I would give all of you an update on the trip to Seattle. The meet was very, very, very fast, Seattle is a beautiful city and former Duquesne Swimmer, Kathy Smucler 04' is doing very well.
I arrived in Seattle on Wednesday evening after a long day of connections in St. Louis and Denver. Fortunately I was able to take in finals Wednesday night, which in turn, helped me to adjust to the three hour time change. I caught prelims and finals the next two days where I was able to witness a lot of fast swimming. I would consider the trip a great success. I was fortunate enough to speak with all of the swimmers (after the completion of their last event, of course) I went out to watch as well as their parent's. I feel very confident in the type of student-athlete we are recruiting at Duquesne. Of course, all of them were great swimmers but upon speaking with them face-to-face, I believe they are all people of great character that will help our program from many aspects. There is always a lot of down time between sessions so I was able to connect with Kathy Smucler on Thursday and Saturday.
Kathy is doing very well for herself. She is a "traveling" nurse that works when she is needed. This gives her a great opportunity to travel (she just finished up a contract in San Diego) and is now working in Seattle. On Thursday between prelims and finals Kathy took me to downtown Seattle where we toured the city; walking along Elliott Bay, Space Needle Park and toured the famous Pike Market Place. We did not get to see them throw any fish but Kathy and I enjoyed ourselves, throwing down free samples of anything that was available. On Saturday, Kathy and I undertook an adventure that I will remember for a very long time. We both decided to travel 1 hour south to Mt. Rainier National Park to "hike" a trail with the possibility of seeing the mountain. For those of you that know Kathy, when your with her, you always get a little more then what you were prepared for.
The day was very overcast so visibility was not very good. Kathy had the great idea to travel up to Paradise, one of the visitor centers in the park closest to Mt. Rainier. We decided to take a 2 mile round trip hike towards the mountain. We departed Paradise with one bottle of water and a 1 oz bag of cheddar rabbits each. I did not know that Kathy was planning to take me on a "death march" towards Camp Muir, the base camp used for individuals attempting to climb the entire mountain. When we reached our 1 mile destination, it was still cloudy so Kathy suggested we keep going.......we did. It did not take long and the rabbits and water were gone. Thankfully part of the glacier was melting so we did have our own water source (Kathy and I both partook in eating a little snow....thankfully it was not yellow). As we continued to climb, me in my New Balance sneakers and t-shirt and Kathy in her hiking boots and tank top, continued to see people with wind burned faces, large backpacks, and snow axes working their way down the mountain. I thought to myself "maybe we are not equipped appropriately to make this climb?" One hiker even warned us of the snow and crevasses we were headed for. Regardless, we pushed on. As we continued to hike the clouds lessened and the mountain became very visible. At one point we turned around and saw we had actually climbed above the clouds and saw nothing but beautiful blue sky and Mt. Rainier. We pushed on until we could not climb any more because the snow had gotten too deep to walk through and the common sense of the dangers that loomed won out. All-in-all we ascended about 8,500 ft up the mountain and were only 1500 feet shy of Camp Muir. It was a great experience and the beauty of our surroundings astonished me. Thanks, Kathy.
See you around the pool,
Dave
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Off to Junior Nationals
With the start of school right around the corner, recruiting starting to pick up and the beginning of commitments for official visits this fall, I will be heading out to Junior Nationals in Federal Way, WA to watch some of these swimmers. This will be a great opportunity to put names with faces, watch them swim and once the competition is over have face-to-face conversations. Hopefully it will not be all business and I can take in some of the sights of the surrounding Seattle area.
See you around the pool,
Dave
See you around the pool,
Dave
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Congratulations Ed and Danie
This past weekend Dave, his wife Amy, my wife Christina and I were fortunate enough to travel to Lexington, KY to witness the marriage of Ed Wicker (07') and Danie Newcomb (08'). The wedding was held in downtown Lexington and the reception was held at Fasig-Tipton(http://www.fasigtipton.com/), a horse sales company. The Honeymoon will be spent in Vegas. We were also joined by former Duquesne Swimmers, Scot Darwin (07'), Katie McHugh (08'), Sarah Schnieber (09'), Dulcie Swope (09'), Megan Stritch (09'), Jason Cassidy (09') and Kyla Favret (10'). It was great catching up with all of them to find out what they are doing "post-Duquesne Swimming".
Scott has just been hired as a middle school teacher and high school swimming coach in Virginia and will probably be the next one to tie the knot. Katie McHugh will be starting her new job tomorrow as an elementary school teacher at a year round school in Columbus, OH. Sarah Schnieber is working as a Speech Pathologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH, Dulcie Swope and Megan Stritch just finished with their Physicians Assistant Degrees and are presently searching for employment. Jason Cassidy has packed his bags, left Duquesne and is headed West to San Diego and plans on living with Mike Semanchik (07') and will begin working on his Masters Degree. Kyla will begin the final year of her Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy here at Duquesne.
The reception was a blast! It was enjoyable to see everyone cut loose on the dance floor and it reaffirmed to me why they were all such great swimmers. No one could keep up with Coach Bocci......he showed us why he will be auditioning next season for "So, You Think You Can Dance." Best wishes to Ed and Danie on a long life together!
See you around the pool,
Dave
Scott has just been hired as a middle school teacher and high school swimming coach in Virginia and will probably be the next one to tie the knot. Katie McHugh will be starting her new job tomorrow as an elementary school teacher at a year round school in Columbus, OH. Sarah Schnieber is working as a Speech Pathologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital in Cincinnati, OH, Dulcie Swope and Megan Stritch just finished with their Physicians Assistant Degrees and are presently searching for employment. Jason Cassidy has packed his bags, left Duquesne and is headed West to San Diego and plans on living with Mike Semanchik (07') and will begin working on his Masters Degree. Kyla will begin the final year of her Doctoral Program in Physical Therapy here at Duquesne.
The reception was a blast! It was enjoyable to see everyone cut loose on the dance floor and it reaffirmed to me why they were all such great swimmers. No one could keep up with Coach Bocci......he showed us why he will be auditioning next season for "So, You Think You Can Dance." Best wishes to Ed and Danie on a long life together!
See you around the pool,
Dave
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Men and Women named to CSCAA All-American Teams
Awesome job to both the men's and women's program for being named to the CSCAA Scholar All-American Teams! The men were ranked an impressive 13th in Division I with a 3.25 GPA and the women were a respectable 69th with a 3.23 GPA. Congratulations to all of the swimmers and academic support staff!!
Dave
Dave
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Congratulations Matt!!
Congratulations to our former assistant coach, Matt Puthoff. He and his wife Kathy welcomed a new baby girl into the world this morning. Madison Ann weighed in at a whopping 8 lbs, 14 oz and was 22 inches long. Mother and Baby are doing well.....Matt still can't believe he could have created something so beautiful! Welcome to parenthood Matt and Kathy.....a swimming scholarship awaits!!
Dave and Dave
Dave and Dave
July 1 is here!
For many of you July 1 may be the start of a long holiday weekend or a chance to go on vacation. For us here at Duquesne and all of the other Division I swimming schools around the country it is the first day we can officially make contact via phone with recruits.
For me it is an exciting day! I will have an opportunity to speak with some great young ladies and gentlemen that will become a part of our program in the future. Not only will we begin a speaking dialogue but hopefully a great relationship that will carry on for four years of college swimming and beyond. Yes, we are looking for the next conference champion and/or NCAA qualifier but we are also looking for those kids that feel Duquesne will be the best place, the best "fit", for them. Here's to the next 364 days of recruiting!!
See you around the pool,
Dave
For me it is an exciting day! I will have an opportunity to speak with some great young ladies and gentlemen that will become a part of our program in the future. Not only will we begin a speaking dialogue but hopefully a great relationship that will carry on for four years of college swimming and beyond. Yes, we are looking for the next conference champion and/or NCAA qualifier but we are also looking for those kids that feel Duquesne will be the best place, the best "fit", for them. Here's to the next 364 days of recruiting!!
See you around the pool,
Dave
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Golfing with Alumni
As you can tell from the title, today was a great opportunity to get out and play golf with some of our former Duquesne Swimmers. Ed Wicker and I had been trying to find a date within our schedules to meet up, play golf, and just "shoot the breeze". I was fortunate enough that we were going to play later in the day and my wife, Christina, was able to hold down the fort at home. We played at Birdsfoot Golf Club right outside of Freeport, PA. If you are ever in the area and want to play golf, I highly recommend it. I had been there once before and was looking forward to playing......I had not seen Ed in a while and Doug Yeager was also planning on playing.
Doug graduated from Duquesne in 2006 and he and his wife Maria were working as teachers, but decided to leave their teaching careers to move to Pittsburgh and pursue their Master's Degree's at "the other Division I Pittsburgh school." Doug is attending Pitt working towards his degree in The Teaching of Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility, while his wife Maria works towards her Master's in Early Intervention. It was great to see Doug and I look forward to seeing him around the pool for the meets this year.
Ed, who is now working for Bombardier, will be getting married in 29 days to former Duquesne Swimmer Dani Newcomb (08'). I am looking forward to their wedding for many reason's: It is always great to see two people that you care about get married to each other. I love Lexington, KY and will have an opportunity to stay with my parent's who live there (my parent's will love it because they will get to see their grandchildren for three days), but also to hopefully catch up with all of the former Duquesne swimmers that swam with both of them. Anyway, back to the golf.
Ed and Doug were partners, and I was responsible for bringing a fourth to be my partner. I asked the coach from St. Francis (and also the husband of our former GA Megan Trimbur), Pat Gallagher to be my partner. The game was very enjoyable and because we were playing so late, took us right to dusk. Ed had some fabulous drives and Doug had some great putts. Pat and I just plugged along. The last few holes were quite a challenge and it always seemed, regardless if one could see the balls off the tee, that Doug's and Ed's always landed in the fairway. They did beat us in match play, but Pat and I won the outright holes as a team. Regardless, it was a great time with friends and we hope to play golf together again very soon.
Speaking of golf, the Duquesne Athletic Fund (DAF) golf outing is right around the corner. Last year Coach Bocci and I had a blast playing and were happy to see all the hole sponsorships from Duquesne Swimming Alumni and parents. This years golf outing will be Monday, September 28th. Unlike years in the past, every sponsorship that comes from Duquesne Swimming, half will go directly back to the program. I am attaching the link to the site so you will have access to it. www.goduquesne.com/daf/duqu-events/html If you can't play and want to sponsor a coach to play that would be great. If your business can sponsor a hole, a cart, or any of the other sponsorship packages just fill out the information, let them know you are associated with Duquesne Swimming and return it. If you have any questions feel free to call me.
Dave
Doug graduated from Duquesne in 2006 and he and his wife Maria were working as teachers, but decided to leave their teaching careers to move to Pittsburgh and pursue their Master's Degree's at "the other Division I Pittsburgh school." Doug is attending Pitt working towards his degree in The Teaching of Visually Impaired and Orientation and Mobility, while his wife Maria works towards her Master's in Early Intervention. It was great to see Doug and I look forward to seeing him around the pool for the meets this year.
Ed, who is now working for Bombardier, will be getting married in 29 days to former Duquesne Swimmer Dani Newcomb (08'). I am looking forward to their wedding for many reason's: It is always great to see two people that you care about get married to each other. I love Lexington, KY and will have an opportunity to stay with my parent's who live there (my parent's will love it because they will get to see their grandchildren for three days), but also to hopefully catch up with all of the former Duquesne swimmers that swam with both of them. Anyway, back to the golf.
Ed and Doug were partners, and I was responsible for bringing a fourth to be my partner. I asked the coach from St. Francis (and also the husband of our former GA Megan Trimbur), Pat Gallagher to be my partner. The game was very enjoyable and because we were playing so late, took us right to dusk. Ed had some fabulous drives and Doug had some great putts. Pat and I just plugged along. The last few holes were quite a challenge and it always seemed, regardless if one could see the balls off the tee, that Doug's and Ed's always landed in the fairway. They did beat us in match play, but Pat and I won the outright holes as a team. Regardless, it was a great time with friends and we hope to play golf together again very soon.
Speaking of golf, the Duquesne Athletic Fund (DAF) golf outing is right around the corner. Last year Coach Bocci and I had a blast playing and were happy to see all the hole sponsorships from Duquesne Swimming Alumni and parents. This years golf outing will be Monday, September 28th. Unlike years in the past, every sponsorship that comes from Duquesne Swimming, half will go directly back to the program. I am attaching the link to the site so you will have access to it. www.goduquesne.com/daf/duqu-events/html If you can't play and want to sponsor a coach to play that would be great. If your business can sponsor a hole, a cart, or any of the other sponsorship packages just fill out the information, let them know you are associated with Duquesne Swimming and return it. If you have any questions feel free to call me.
Dave
Thursday, June 25, 2009
2009-2010 Meet Schedule
The schedule is finally done for the upcoming season. I was waiting to hear back from one of the schools I had contacted regarding a meet. They have since gotten back to me and now everything is finalized.
We will have two home meets this season. One against PSAC power Clarion and the other against Pitt (this will be our Senior Day). We will also be swimming our traditional A 10 opponents, (St. Bonaventure, LaSalle, Fordham, Rhode Island and Xavier) and have added two Big East teams (the afore mentioned Pitt and WVU), as well as an ACC school (Virginia Tech). This, in conjunction with the venues of the meets will give the student-athletes a great swimming experience and help all of us prepare for the conference meet at the end of the season.
We will be competing against Bucknell and St. Francis in Lewisburg at Bucknell's great facility. We were able to secure The ECC facility (this is where the conference meet is held), for a double-dual meet against St. Bonaventure and LaSalle. We will also be traveling to The Bronx to swim Fordham and Rhode Island as well as traveling to Cleveland State to take on CSU and Xavier.
As you look at the schedule you will notice quite a few back-to-back events as well as a three day prelim/final mid-season meet at Akron. I think these meets are a great way to prepare the team for the grueling four day conference meet format. I am certain it will give us the ability to learn how to swim fast day after day.
We will start the season with an Alumni Meet in October and hopefully conclude the year with NCAA's in March . Between those two events we have developed a great schedule that will give our freshmen time to grow, generate some great competition and allow some fast swimming. I look forward to seeing all of you at some point in the season!
Dave
Oct 2: ALUMNI MEET (Tentative) 6 PM
Oct 10: RED & BLUE MEET 11 AM
Oct 23: @ Buffalo 4 PM
Oct 31: @ Bucknell w/St. Francis 2 PM
Nov 6: @ Niagara 2 PM
Nov 7: @ ECC (St. Bonaventure/LaSalle) 10 AM/3:30 PM
Nov 14: CLARION 1 PM
Nov 20: @ St. Peters 4 PM
Nov 21: @ Fordham w/Rhode Island 12:30 PM
Dec 4-6: @ Akron Inv. Prelims/Finals
Dec 28-Jan 6: Florida Training (Pompano Beach)
Jan 16: @ Cleveland State w/ Xavier 12 PM
Jan 23: PITT TBA
Jan 30: @ WVU w/Virginia Tech 12 PM
Feb 17-20 @ ECC (Buffalo, NY) Prelims/Finals
Mar 18-20 NCAA Women's Champs. Purdue University
Mar 25-27 NCAA Men's Champs. Ohio State University
We will have two home meets this season. One against PSAC power Clarion and the other against Pitt (this will be our Senior Day). We will also be swimming our traditional A 10 opponents, (St. Bonaventure, LaSalle, Fordham, Rhode Island and Xavier) and have added two Big East teams (the afore mentioned Pitt and WVU), as well as an ACC school (Virginia Tech). This, in conjunction with the venues of the meets will give the student-athletes a great swimming experience and help all of us prepare for the conference meet at the end of the season.
We will be competing against Bucknell and St. Francis in Lewisburg at Bucknell's great facility. We were able to secure The ECC facility (this is where the conference meet is held), for a double-dual meet against St. Bonaventure and LaSalle. We will also be traveling to The Bronx to swim Fordham and Rhode Island as well as traveling to Cleveland State to take on CSU and Xavier.
As you look at the schedule you will notice quite a few back-to-back events as well as a three day prelim/final mid-season meet at Akron. I think these meets are a great way to prepare the team for the grueling four day conference meet format. I am certain it will give us the ability to learn how to swim fast day after day.
We will start the season with an Alumni Meet in October and hopefully conclude the year with NCAA's in March . Between those two events we have developed a great schedule that will give our freshmen time to grow, generate some great competition and allow some fast swimming. I look forward to seeing all of you at some point in the season!
Dave
Oct 2: ALUMNI MEET (Tentative) 6 PM
Oct 10: RED & BLUE MEET 11 AM
Oct 23: @ Buffalo 4 PM
Oct 31: @ Bucknell w/St. Francis 2 PM
Nov 6: @ Niagara 2 PM
Nov 7: @ ECC (St. Bonaventure/LaSalle) 10 AM/3:30 PM
Nov 14: CLARION 1 PM
Nov 20: @ St. Peters 4 PM
Nov 21: @ Fordham w/Rhode Island 12:30 PM
Dec 4-6: @ Akron Inv. Prelims/Finals
Dec 28-Jan 6: Florida Training (Pompano Beach)
Jan 16: @ Cleveland State w/ Xavier 12 PM
Jan 23: PITT TBA
Jan 30: @ WVU w/Virginia Tech 12 PM
Feb 17-20 @ ECC (Buffalo, NY) Prelims/Finals
Mar 18-20 NCAA Women's Champs. Purdue University
Mar 25-27 NCAA Men's Champs. Ohio State University
Monday, June 22, 2009
Men's Recruiting Class 2009-2010
I thought that collegeswimming.com would have posted the men's top recruiting classes by now but it seems they are bogged down with other things. With July 1st right around the corner and another recruiting cylce soon beginning I wanted to get all of you caught up on this past men's recruiting class.
I think the staff did a great job of filling Tony's departure with another breaststroker that I feel has not even reached near his potential. Along with filling Tony's spot we also added a backstroker that has top five conference potential as well as some needed depth to the roster in the sprint freestyle, the mid-distance freestyle, the backstroke and butterfly. I truly believe that each guy coming into the program will be a contributor one way or another and will give us the depth we need to be more competitive at the conference meet. Dave and I have always thought if we can recruit good kids that are talented, love to swim and work hard the fast swimming will take care of itself.
As always, you can find the recruits that committed at the athletic website.... http://www.goduquesne.com/ . I am also in the midst of finalizing the meet schedule for next year and will post in within the week.
Take care,
Dave
I think the staff did a great job of filling Tony's departure with another breaststroker that I feel has not even reached near his potential. Along with filling Tony's spot we also added a backstroker that has top five conference potential as well as some needed depth to the roster in the sprint freestyle, the mid-distance freestyle, the backstroke and butterfly. I truly believe that each guy coming into the program will be a contributor one way or another and will give us the depth we need to be more competitive at the conference meet. Dave and I have always thought if we can recruit good kids that are talented, love to swim and work hard the fast swimming will take care of itself.
As always, you can find the recruits that committed at the athletic website.... http://www.goduquesne.com/ . I am also in the midst of finalizing the meet schedule for next year and will post in within the week.
Take care,
Dave
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Open Water Swim is Finished!!!
Now, that was an experience. I thought that swimming 4.4 miles was going to be a challenge but I did not realize how mentally challenging it was going to be. We (John, Jason and myself), went out in the first wave with the slower swimmers to try and avoid the individuals that were actually at the race to win. Our philosophy was just to finish....a feat we all accomplished! However, I did not realize how fatigued I would become with about 1.5 miles remaining. The first mental blow was when five yellow capped swimmers (the second wave finally caught me)....I was leading the race up to that point. These swimmers blew by me like I was standing still! So, I decided to "float" a little bit, do some backstroke and regain my composure. That was stupid. For any of you that have ever done a marathon it was like slowing down to walk with only three or four miles left. It took quite some time to get moving again and get back into the rhythm (what was left) of my stroke. When I finally turned the corner for the last 800 yards I was thinking to myself..."finally". That 800 yards seemed to last an eternity. I tried to muster up one last charge to make it to the finish. I was fortunate that the young lady that eventually won for the women was next to me. I went stroke for stroke with her to the finish and eventually pushed her out of the way running up the shoot to finish ahead of her (of course I did not push her out of the way) but managed to touch bottom before her and out run her to the finish line. I did win the race for all of the swimmers in the first wave but ended the day 57th overall. Not too shabby for 700+ entrants. John ended up finishing 169th and Jason 209th. Jason exclaimed as he exited the water, "I will never do that again." I think I will take some time to reflect on that.
The one thing I did realize was it was not the race that I was looking forward to but the opportunity to spend some time with some old college teammates. We had an opportunity to spend a few days together before the race talking about the "good old days" when we were in college but also catching up with our new lives as professionals, fathers and husbands. I think that was the real reason we did the race, not to prove that we could do it, but to be able to spend time together as friends. Here is the link to the results enjoy. https://www.lin-mark.us/results_files/bay4409.txt Hopefully the pictures come out as well.
Dave
The one thing I did realize was it was not the race that I was looking forward to but the opportunity to spend some time with some old college teammates. We had an opportunity to spend a few days together before the race talking about the "good old days" when we were in college but also catching up with our new lives as professionals, fathers and husbands. I think that was the real reason we did the race, not to prove that we could do it, but to be able to spend time together as friends. Here is the link to the results enjoy. https://www.lin-mark.us/results_files/bay4409.txt Hopefully the pictures come out as well.
Dave
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Chesapeake Bay Open Water Swim
Wow! It is now less then 24 hours until the open water swim in the Chesapeake Bay. I must admit I am a little nervous. However, I do remember feeling this anxiety before I ran my first marathon and that worked out well.......at least I finished. I have never done an open water swim before so this will be something new for me. I am happy that I will not be doing it alone....some of my former college teammates at Clarion University, Jason Miller and John Traube, have decided to swim it as well. I keep telling everyone this must be my "mid-life crisis" swim. However, I cannot take credit for "plunging" into this. Jason is the one back in October that got the wild idea of doing this swim. He also talked John and I into doing it. I was content swimming laps up and down a pool to prove I still "had it", or thought I did and I am sure John thought he would never see a pool again from any kind of training standpoint. Well, those thoughts are over and we will go into the Bay tomorrow hoping to arrive on the other side....the other side of the bay that is. Here is the link for the swim, so check it out and wish us luck! http://www.bayswim.com/
Women's Recruiting Class 2009-2010
Well, the recruiting season for this year is finally over. We got the last piece of the puzzle for the women's team in mid/late April. The roster has a lot of depth, which we needed on both sides and some critical holes have been filled. The class has gotten some recognition from college swimming.com so we are hopeful the class lives up to some of the hype it is getting. You can find that information at the following link: http://www.collegeswimming.com/news/2009/jun/11/womens-recruiting-11-25/ . To get a full break-down of the class head on over to the Duquesne Atheltics link... www.goduquesne.com and click on swimming. The men's update should be posted next week some time.
I hope all of you will enjoy this new part of Duquesne Swimming and follow us regularly. Have a great summer!
I hope all of you will enjoy this new part of Duquesne Swimming and follow us regularly. Have a great summer!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Working out the kinks
Thanks to Sean for this great idea. I am in the process of working out the kinks and figuring out how to make this a very productive website for all. Please keep checking back periodically for my progress.
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