Gallaudet Aqua-Bison finish season at CAC Championships
ST.MARY'S CITY, Md.--Led by a talented group of freshmen and
inspired by their three graduating seniors, the Gallaudet
University Swim Team finished the 2007-2008 campaign on a very high
note at the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Swim Championships at
St. Mary’s College February 15-17. Nine team records
were broken, numerous personal bests were turned in, and the
foundation prepared for an even better 2008-09 season.
“It’s been a challenging road, but our swimmers are now
competitive in a fast conference. They deserve a lot of
credit and I am incredibly proud of them,” said head
coach Bill Snape, who was named the 2007-08 CAC men’s swim
Coach of the Year.
Freshman Jimmy McGowan led a men’s team that finished in
sixth place overall and smashed all five relay team records:
200 Medley Relay (1.49.52); 400 Medley Relay (4:01.70); 200 Free
Relay (1:36.44); 400 Free Relay (3:36.46); and 800 Free Relay
(8:13.49). McGowan was joined by teammates Ryan
Kobylarz, Daniel DiDonna and Kris Lauderbaugh on the relays.
In addition, McGowan not only led off two relays with individual
team records (50 Free in 22.67 and 100 Free in 50.60), but also
placed in the finals in his two individual backstroke events: (100
Back in 55.96 and 200 Back in 2:03.10). Also placing
individually were Tyler DeShaw (400 IM and 200 Fly), Daniel DiDonna
(100 Breast), Ryan Kobylarz (100 Fly) and David Torres (100
Fly). Scott Cohen and Joseph Lopez narrowly missed
making finals in several events as alternates.
On Sunday evening February 17, the CAC honored all senior
conference swimmers and Gallaudet said a tearful goodbye to seniors
Kandace Morris, David Torres and Ryan Kobylarz – all of whom
had the finest meets of their outstanding collegiate careers as
co-captains (along with junior co-captain Marissa
Larson).
“We are all taking a deserved break,” continued Snape,
“before we start water polo club and voluntary (student led)
dry-land off-season conditioning.” Many of the
Gallaudet swimmers will also train independently for the Summer
2008 tryouts to compete in the 2009 Deaflympics in Taiwan.
“Only 200 days until our next Gallaudet swim practice,”
joked Snape, who pointed out that many Bison swimmers have already
logged well over 100 miles in the pool since the start of
2008. “You need to be a little crazy and a lot
tough to be a top swimmer, and our team has definitely taken it to
the next level of excellence with that combination.”
All told, an historic eleven Gallaudet swimmers made the CAC finals
in at least one relay or individual event.
The Aqua Bison open their 2008-09 campaign at home against
perennial CAC powers University of Mary Washington and Salisbury
University on Saturday October 25, 2008 at 1pm.
