Xavier Swimming Closes Out Home Schedule With Loss to Sacred Heart

On Senior Day, Xavier swimming ended the home portion of its schedule by losing to Sacred Heart 98-86. The defeat was Xavier’s sixth straight and dropped the Falcons to 4-7 on the season.

While freshman Mike Pimer in the 500 free was the only Xavier swimmer win on the night, with a time of 5:45.61, the team had 8 second place finishes. Senior Greg Brown was runner-up in the 200 IM with a time of 2:17.35 and finished second in the 100 fly at 59.79. The Falcons 200 medley and 200 free relays also both placed second.

Despite her squad losing yet another meet due to its lack of depth, Xavier Head Coach Leandra Matos is looking beyond their poor record and to the improvement her swimmers have shown this season.

“Individually wise, I’m very happy with my time,” she said. “All of our swimmers have gotten better and improved their times since the beginning of the season. That’s impressive, considering this is a rebuilding year.”

Xavier has one more meet on the road versus Fairfield Prep next Tuesday before some of its swimmers move on to the SCC Championships on February 29^th and the Class LL Championship and State Open next month. Even in a so-called rebuilding season, the Falcons have qualified eight swimmers for Class LL’s and should qualify more in the next few weeks. Here is a list of the eight team members who are already qualified for the LL Championship.

Stephen Russo ’12 - 100 Fly

Greg Brown ‘12 - 100 Fly

Blake Bibisi ‘12 – Diving

Spencer Beaulieu ‘12 – Diving

Matt Lyons ‘11 - 100 Breast

Ben Criscuolo ‘11 - 50 Free

Michael Malz ‘12 - 50 Free

Mike Pimer '9' - 100 Fly

Rob Dodenhoff '12' - 100 Fly

Correction: Xavier had a win in the 100 breast with a State qualifying time by Matthew Lyons.

Q&A: Xavier Captains Look Back on Memorable Careers

The quarter of AJ Cosenza, Stephen Russo, Greg Brown and Kris Fogarasi have provided Xavier swimming with leadership both in and out of the pool this season. The Falcons senior captains are key swimmers in events like the 200 IM, 100 fly and 200 medley relay. More importantly, the captains have been great leaders for a young team that experienced significant change coming into the season. Suffice to say, Xavier’s 4-2 start wouldn’t have occurred without them. Last week at practice, the group sat down to discuss the season and their experiences on the team.
The team is 4-2 in what is supposed to be a rebuilding year. How would you assess the season so far?
AJ Cosenza: We knew coming into the season that a lot of things were different and that this was meant to be a rebuilding year. I think we’re doing very well and we’ve gotten better as it’s gone on.
Stephen Russo: There have been a lot of guys who got a chance to swim more and prove themselves this season. We’ve had a lot of meets with great performances.
There were a lot of changes with the team from last year to this year. You guys had some strong swimmers graduate or leave the team and Coach Manos took over right before the season when Keith Nichols stepped down. How tough was it for all that to happen, and what’s the change to Coach Manos been like?
AC: It was tough to see Coach Nichols go, but having Coach Manos and Coach Applegate has been great. They do a really good job of teaching stroke technique. Everyone’s improved in that since the start of the season.
Greg Brown: We all really like Coach Manos. From the start everyone clicked with her and Coach Applegate, and she’s helped our swimmers to improve. It’s showed up with how good guys have been doing in the meets.
What is your favorite part of being captains?
Kris Fogarasi: I really enjoy leading by example. I try to challenge my teammates and set an example for them to follow in the water.
GB: Being on the team is like being part of a second family. You really get to know one another and experience all the meets and practices together. It’s so much fun and we’re all sad that it’s going to be over soon.
Do any of you have one favorite moment from your years on the team?
SR: Definitely the Glastonbury meet two years ago. The atmosphere was crazy and we won by six points. That was a lot of fun and it was a huge win.
GB: Even the parents were doing cheers. When the parents are doing cheers you know a meet’s intense.
KF: I’ll actually say the win against Shelton a few weeks ago. We were down going into the very last relay and won the meet on the last leg. It was a huge boost for the team.
What are your plans after graduation? Are you going to swim in college?
KF: I’m going to Northeastern. I’m not going to swim on the main team, but I hope to keep doing it at the club level.
SR: I’m gonna go to Roger Williams and I’m definitely looking to swim for the school.
GB: I’ve been considering a few schools and haven’t made a final decision yet. I’m leaning towards Swarthmore right now. I hope to swim there or another school at the Division III level. I don’t want to give it up.
AC: Yeah, I haven’t made a final decision on a school either. But I could definitely swim on D-III level too.

Xavier Swimming Off to Strong Start in Rebuilding Year

Xavier swimming improved to 4-1 with a 103-81 victory over Hamden at Wesleyan’s Freeman Athletic Center on Tuesday night. The win was the teams fourth in a row after the Falcon’s season-opening loss.

Xavier slowly build a lead with a 1-3 finish in the 200-yard free and with Stephen Russo and Greg Brown finishing in the top two spots in the 200 IM, in 2:18.04 and 2:19.60 respectively. From there the Falcons seized control of the meet. Xavier earned first place in nine of the 12 events and also finished either second or third in seven of those events. The team found an impressive level of consistency that never left the contest’s outcome in doubt.

Xavier’s first place winners were Steve Russo in the 200 IM (2:18.04), Greg Brown in the 100 fly (1:01.46), Mike Pimer in the 100 back (1:05.46) and Matt Lyons in the 100 breast (1:08.97). Xavier was victorious in the 200 medley relay and 200 free relay with times of 1:54.49 and 1:39.97. Rob Doudenhoff was the Falcons multiple winner with victories in both the 50 and 100 free (24.68 and 55.06). In addition to their victories, Lyons, Pimer, Brown and Russo had second place finishes in the 200 free, 200 IM, 100 fly and 100 breast.

Head Coach Leandra Manos was happy not only with her team’s victory but especially with their strong start to the season. Xavier has beaten not only Hamden but also North Haven/North Branford, Foran and Shelton.

“We have steadily improved throughout the season,” said Manos. “We’re in a rebuilding year, but a lot of guys have stepped up and gotten better after the team lost some of its best swimmers before the season. Our strongest swimmers have taken on a big load.”

Manos cited freshman Mike Pimer and seniors Stephen Russo and Greg Brown as the swimmers who had carried Xavier, praising the trio for their versatility and ability to finish in the top three in any event. Each swimmer backed her proclamation up by winning a race and anchoring the first three legs of the 200 medley relay.

The Falcons schedule becomes much more challenging from here on out. After traveling to Notre Dame-next Wednesday, Xavier faces perennial standouts Glastonbury, Cheshire and Fairfield Prep in the remaining five weeks of the schedule. Manos understands that her team has some struggles ahead of them. But if they continue to exhibit the same growth they have shown up to this point, in the season, the coach can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“I am never satisfied with our performance,” said Manos. “I am always looking at the performance of other teams and the times of other top swimmers and comparing them to our team. We have a lot of room for improvement. But if they continue to improve physically, then we will continue to do well.”

Xavier and Middletown Swimming Built on Depth This Season

XAVIER

Xavier, already going through what could be a bit of a rebuilding year, was thrown for a loop late in November when Keith Nichols resigned as the team’s coach and Leandra Matos was named his replacement just before the 2011 season began. Matos, who has 14 years of coaching experience at the USA swimming level, did not have the most seamless introduction to Xavier. Nevertheless, she is very prepared to make her mark quickly.

“I think this will be a rebuilding year for our team,” she said. “We graduated a lot of talent and have a top heavy team. My focus will be on individual improvement and helping my swimmers work on their technique and race strategies.”

The Falcons have lost a lot of talent from last year’s squad, which finished seventh at the Class LL meet and ninth at the State Open. Kevin Kosciuk, who won the 200 yard IM at the Class LL meet and finished second at the same event at the Open while leading off the team’s potent relays, is gone. So are Kyle Newton, Will Loftus, Tom Rakowicz and John Maher, all of whom had strong performances at the two events.

But though a number of good swimmers have left the team, others are ready to step up in their place. Matos singles out sophomores Steven Russo and Andrew Eigner, freshmen Mike Timer, junior diver Spencer Beaulieu and senior Greg Brown, versatile swimmers who were able place in the end of the season tournaments, as the Falcons who will carry her team this season. When you couple their abilities with the overall leadership and experience of Xavier’s 15 seniors, the team is capable of coming close to the success Xavier swimming has had in recent years.

“With the number of swimmers we lost this is an exploratory year,” Manos stated. “But I would hope that the team could be as competitive as the last few years. Our swimmers must step up.”

Xavier opens the season on Thursday at home versus Sheehan at 7:30.

MIDDLETOWN

Middletown should be a very strong team this season. With a number of talented swimmers and a significant amount of depth, the Blue Dragons will be at the top of the Central Connecticut Conference.

Seniors Ronnie Vaughan and Ethan Cooke and juniors Michael Ciebielski and Andrew Gilliland each placed at the 2011 Class LL meet multiple times, and the remainder of the roster ain’t no slouches either.

Middletown went 10-5 last season before winning the CSS regular season and postseason titles and placing seventh at the Class LL meet. With the depth this year’s squad has, Head Coach Trevor Charles sees his team exceeding those accomplishments in this campaign.

“I’m pretty excited about the potential we have this year,” said Head Coach Trevor Charles. “We have swimmers who can finish first in every event and 10 or more kids who can be strong in each one. I expect our team to be better than last year nd win about 12 dual meets. We want to have a better showing in the class meet and to break a couple school records this season.”

The Blue Dragons will face off against a daunting schedule in the always competitive CCC. The team’s toughest opponents will be traditional powerhouses Glastonbury, Conard and Wethersfield. Despite the challenge in front of Middletown from the get go however, Charles is unconcerned. He is excited to see his team in the pool.

“These first few meets are very important,” he stated. “I want to see if we can match the hype and excitement our depth has generated.”

The Blue Dragons have their first meet when they face off Wednesday at home against East Lyme at 4:00.