January 12, 2008 - Rider 179 Loyola 121
January 12, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
College Swimming & Diving
Men: Rider University 170, Loyola College 130
Women: Rider University 179, Loyola College 121
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Meet
LAWRENCEVILLE—It was packed, loud and wet. Just like any good swimming and diving team likes it. And when the last drop of water had settled on the pool deck, the Broncs had swept conference rival Loyola. Both the Rider University men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams defeated the Greyhounds in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference meet on Saturday afternoon. “We were looking to monitor how effective our training has been coming into the meet,” said head coach Steve Fletcher. “We just returned from some pretty intense long-course training in Florida and our upperclassmen especially responded with a solid performance today.”
In the final home meet of the 2007-08 season, over 500 fans cramed into Coppola Pool's upper deck, pool deck, basically anywhere you could find a spot at the Maurer Center on the Rider University campus.
For the Rider men’s team, junior Josh Rosenbluth (Lawrence) won the 100 back (52.62), 200 back (1:56.77) and 200 IM (1:58.38), freshman Drew Modrov (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) won the 50 free (21.62) and 100 free (47.72) and senior diver Dylan Korn (Hawthorne, N.Y./Westlake) won the one-meter (289.87) and three-meter (281.40).
For the Rider women’s team, freshman Brianna Burns (Chestnut Ridge, N.Y./Spring Valley) won the 50 free (24.73), 100 free (53.07) and 200 free (1:55.06), junior Priscilla Modrov (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) won the 100 butterfly (56.98), 200 butterfly (2:04.12) and 200 IM (2:10.26), sophomore Kellyanne Tomasula (Sussex, N.J./Vernon Township) won the 100 back (59.09) and 200 back (2:10.08) and junior diver Amanda Burke (Churchville, Pa./William Tennent) won the one-meter (260.62) and the three-meter (297.30).
“I think we are peaking at the right time,” Fletcher added. “They are fit and prepared to start training hard as we head into the final four weeks before the conference meet at Loyola. I think today was an indication of where we are in our training.”
“The win today against Loyola was really important,” said women's senior co-captain Stephanie Cosentino (Staten Island, N.Y./Notre Dame Academy) who led off the winning 400 free relay and was second in the 50 free (25.05) and 100 free (54.55) and placed third in the 200 free (1:57.39). “You don’t want to lose the last home meet and Loyola is going to be right there during the conference championships. This was an important win.”
“We were almost an underdog coming in,” said men's senior tri-captain Peter Starr (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown Area Senior) who placed second in the 200 back with a time of 2:00.04. “We’ve been reading about how Loyola was ready to beat us and we just came in as a team, both the women and men and showed that we are going to be a factor at MAAC’s.”
Today was the final home meet for the five graduating seniors, Starr, Cosentino, Korn, Rebecca Sanbower (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Twp.) and Matt Bauer (Lansdale, Pa./North Penn). “The senior class is a really special group,” Fletcher said. “They committed to us for four seasons and were very unselfish. The seniors have always been about the team first and I am impressed with the way they matured and we are going to miss them. They have grown to care about the program and the direction of the team and it is like having five extra coaches out on the pool deck, They have kept the team heading in the right direction and the leaders of today have helped set up the leaders of tomorrow.”
“Being a senior and going through four years, it is great to have everything fall into place as a team,” Starr added. “We want to be on top in the MAAC and our performance today and earlier in the season against Marist shows that we are going to be right there at the conference meet in February. I’m happy that we can show that to everyone. We’ve been training for such a long time and we are showing how good we actually are.”
Also for the Bronc men’s team, freshman Arthur Arciszewski (Phillipsburg) won the 1000 free (9:53.64) and freshman C.J. Kohner (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy Senior) won the 500 free (4:46.81).
Also for the Bronc women’s team, Rebecca Sanbower won the 1000 free (10:39.39).
“We are in a great position right now,” Cosentino added. “This team, especially the younger swimmers are so confident heading into MAAC’s. The seniors have never won the conference championship and we are dying to win it. We are so pumped from our performance today. The last home meet, it is a bitter sweet thing. We are sad to leave but you are also excited to move on.”
The men’s 400 medley relay of Rosenbluth, freshman Mike Tubb (Swedesboro/St. Augustine Prep.), sophomore Scott Player (Chino Hills, Calif./Ruben S. Ayala) and Modrov won with a time of 3:29.52.
The women’s 400 free relay of Cosentino, Sanbower, freshman Alicia Fimple (Drexel Hill, Pa./Upper Darby) and Tomasula won with a time of 3:41.69.
“Facing such a difficult schedule this season has really prepared us,” Starr said. “It helped the team to get closer, sooner. Going through turmoil and overcoming adversity has made the team stronger and has allowed us to get to the point where we are now. Losing close meets has really helped us become a closer team and has prepared us for the pressure of the bigger meets.”
The swimming and diving teams travel to Lafayette on January 26 for the final regular season dual meet. The conference championships will be February 14-16 at Loyola in Baltimore, Maryland.
“The Lafayette meet is always a special meet,” Fletcher said. “I graduated from Lafayette in 1992 and to return there against a strong team is a neat experience. It is a privilege to be able to go back there and coach at that pool.”
“We are ready to head into MAAC’s,” Cosentino added. “We are pumped up.”
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