2004-05 season preview

November 4, 2004

NORTON, MA- What a difference a year can make! In the fall of 2003, Wheaton College men's and women's swimming and diving head coach Jean-Paul Gowdy took the helm of the program just weeks before the season was set to begin. As the third Wheaton head coach in three years, Gowdy was prepared to instill stability with success to the Lyons' teams.

Leading the men's squad to its highest finish at a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Championship, Gowdy's team also broke an impressive eight school records while witnessing its first swimmer in the 13-year history of the program qualify for a NCAA Championship. The women's team equaled the men's fifth-place standing in the NEWMAC meet, tying its all-time best result at a conference championship while shattering eight school marks.

With a year of experience under his belt, Gowdy plans on solidifying his relationship with the teams and building on the success of last year's season. "Things are much smoother now," said Gowdy of the new season. "Last year it was like having 40 freshmen on the team. There's more time to focus on swimming instead of all the other things that go along with it."

Among the focal points for Gowdy includes both short and long-term goals for this year's teams. Last year's men's squad completed the season with a 5-5 dual mark, while the women were 5-7. This year, Gowdy plans to improve those records and move the Lyons up yet another spot at February's NEWMAC Championships.

The goal is certainly attainable thanks in part to a powerful freshman class that possesses a strong swimming background, a broad knowledge base on what it takes to become stronger swimmers and perhaps most importantly, a wealth of talent. "This freshman class is going to have an immediate impact on the team and should break school records from the beginning," Gowdy stated. "We should be able to beat some teams that we didn't beat last year."

So how does the Middlebury College graduate plan on building from last year's success? Gowdy says he's promoting a few major themes in his programs to keep the Lyons headed in the right direction. Not only will Gowdy emphasize the physical approach of improving the performance of each member of the teams, but he wants to stress the importance of enthusiasm and maintaining the positive attitude that resulted from last year's achievements.

"In the pool, we need to be concerned with the process of getting to where we need to be, not just swimming laps and going home," added Gowdy. "We need to have the athletes involved in getting the results they want come the end of the year. Both inside and outside of the pool, each athlete needs to maintain the enthusiasm that led to the strong performances in last year's NEWMAC meets."

Senior team captains Sarah Lenes (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union) and Blake Worrall (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) for the women alongside senior Chris Klinkow (Hollis, NH/Hollis-Brookline) and sophomore Barrett Roberts (Portland, ME/Deering) on the men's side will assist Gowdy in keeping the teams on track and maintaining the mindset of making big strides towards the upper echelon of the conference. Combining excellent athletic ability and strong personalities, the former 17-time NCAA All-America has the utmost confidence that his teams' leaders will be that bridge between the coach and athlete for the upcoming season.

Supporting Gowdy in these efforts is first-year assistant coach Dan Sinetar and second-year diving coach Danielle Petrone. An experienced member of the American University program, Sinetar comes to Wheaton with a strong foundation of swimming knowledge and will work mainly with the distance swimmers. Petrone, who was a New England champion diver for the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, has high expectations for a promising fleet of Lyon divers.

Gowdy anticipates many swimmers will step up and help Wheaton achieve its goals this year, including senior Amanda Berthelette (Milford, NH/Milford), who figures to have strong showings in the backstroke events, and freshmen Meg Miller (Duxbury, MA/Duxbury) and Abby Pratt (Melrose, MA/Melrose). Miller brings immediate strength to the back and freestyle events, while Pratt will specialize in the free and butterfly.

Worrall, who holds school records in four relay events, joins Lenes and fellow seniors Nicole Bassaleh (Mansfield, MA/Mansfield), Jessie Haynes (Troy, NY/Troy) and Flora McVay (Tottenville, NY/Curtis) in this year's graduating class. Also on board for her senior year will be Benedetta Monzani (Bologna, Italy/Liceo Luigi Galvani).

Returning juniors include Stephanie Abbati (Branford, CT/Branford), Courtney Catalano (Westford, MA/Westford), Maura Huntington (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield), Ashley Jankowski (Lincoln, RI/Lincoln), Christina Kuipers (Andover, MA/Andover) and Lauren Pcholinski (Old Saybrook, CT/Old Saybrook).

Sophomores Kelly Allinson (Portsmouth, NH/Portsmouth), Kristen Behrens (Uxbridge, MA/Uxbridge), and three-time school record holders Cassie Bohn (Manhattan Beach, CA/Mira Costa), Colleen Smith (Milford, CT/Lauralton Hall) and Katie McNicholas (Acton, MA/Acton Boxboro) all return for their second seasons, while freshmen Melinda Labranche (Dorchester, MA/John D. O'Bryant), Elizabeth McKay (Brewster, MA/Nauset Regional), Diane Seltzer (Natick, MA/Natick) and Elizabeth Slavin (Niskayuna, NY/Hyde School) all look to make an early impact.

For the men, Klinkow, who has eight school records, combines with Aaron Beaulieu (Freeport, ME/Freeport), Aaron Fix (Minneapolis, MN/St. Paul Academy) and Brendon Pohner (Agawam, MA/St. Mary's) to round out the senior class. John Kuckens (West Hartford, CT/Hall), the record holder in the 1000 and 1650 freestyle events and member of the record-breaking 400 medley relay squad, is the team's only junior. Roberts, the school's first NCAA Championship qualifier and owner of seven school records, joins fellow sophomores Zach Hicks (Bath, ME/Morse), four-time record-holder Matt Hurley (Belfast, ME/Belfast Area) and Matt Pescosolido (East Greenwich, RI/East Greenwich).

Newcomers to the team include freshmen Joe Fowler (Farmington, ME/Mount Blue), Matt Jordan (Ellsworth, ME/Ellsworth), Ryan Patch (Lexington, MA/Lexington), Chris Snow (Reading, MA/Reading) and Yunuscan Tokcan (Providence, RI/Northfield Mount Hermon).

Gowdy and his programs will have their first opportunity to test the waters on Friday, November 5 at Gordon College before opening their home slate with the Charlie Batterman Relays on November 6. Eager to get the season underway, Gowdy remains optimistic as to how successful these Wheaton teams can be. "We have the drive and the focus to get us where we need to go," said Gowdy.

This page is maintained by Scott Dietz. Last updated on 2/21/07.
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4-5-Dec Fri-Sat MIT Invitational A 6:30pm
(Live Results)
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