By Nick Konotopskyj
Contributing Writer
The moment the men’s swimming team has been waiting for all year has arrived. A chance at a third straight conference championship is here at last, but Coach Sean McNamee knows the path to a title is no easy road. .
“It’s probably going to be the most competitive Atlantic 10’s ever for the top four to five slots,” McNamee said. “This meet is going to show character; everyone is going to have their problems, but I think this is going to be a four-team dog fight and we are going to find out who the toughest dog on the block is.”
The other three “dogs” that McNamee is referring to include last year’s runner-up University of Massachusetts, George Mason, and La Salle. This was the exact order of the top four from last year’s A-10 Championships.
Going into this meet, the Bonnies understand that they have had an edge over the last couple of years in the relays, which are worth double points compared to the other events.
“We definitely want to take advantage of the relay opportunities that are out there,” McNamee said. “We are a little weaker in the sprints than we were last year, but our best day is the second day, Friday. It tends to be where we gain momentum. I would anticipate that holding true to form.”
It won’t be just the swimming events that decide this championship, as diving will play a big role.
“I want to get top three on each board,” junior diver Alex Marra said. “I do six dives for prelims on each board, one meter and three meter, so I get twelve dives guaranteed. If I end up making it to finals, then I would get 12 dives all over again.”
Marra, a junior accounting major, is a hometown kid from Olean who plans to complete the MBA program for Accounting. Marra is one of only two divers on the men’s roster this season and he is going into this meet confident in himself and his teammates.
“I think if we do our best we will be fine,” Marra said, “As a team, we really need to work together and cheer each other on. Things can go our way. They might not go our way with other teams, but it’s just how we progress through the meet.”
Winning a third straight title would be huge for a program that has never had a three-peat in its history, according to McNamee.
“To accomplish something like that would be immense,” McNamee said. “It has been done here by the women’s swim team back in the 90’s under two different coaches, and that’s a mark we would like to get to.”
“I’m excited, I can only imagine what’s going to happen if we can come through and win,” Marra said.
With this being one of the closest races to an A-10 title in recent memory, it will take every single athlete to do well if the Bonnies want to bring home a title, McNamee said.
“It’s going to take production from one to eighteen in order for this to happen and it really doesn’t come down to any single person,” McNamee said.
The Atlantic 10 Championships will be held in Geneva, Ohio from Feb. 18-21.
konotonr12@bonaventure.edu
