By Mikael DeSanto
Sports Assignment Editor
Despite the size of the swimming facility at St. Bonaventure University, both the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams have maintained a high level of success, on par with Atlantic 10 programs with larger facilities.
The men’s swimming and diving team has won the Atlantic 10 Championship five times since 1993, and was the runner-up 14 times during that stretch. Meanwhile, the women’s team saw a stretch of three consecutive conference championships from the 1995-96 season to the 1997-98 season.
Brian Thomas, the head coach of the women’s team, said that the team’s goal is to not dwell on what they don’t have, but getting everything out of what they do.
“I try to not spend too much time focusing on could have, would have, should have,” Thomas said. “Our approach, at least since I started, is to really embrace what we have and maximize what we have. I want our facility to be an advantage for us and I think it is. I think when we swim at home, we have the advantage, and that is a really good thing.”
Thomas said while he feels that the teams do use what resources they have, he does want to give them the best available resources.
“One of my goals certainly is to provide necessary upgrades as time goes on,” Thomas said. “That will happen at any facility, at any pool. I have worked at three different universities and the facilities kind of vary from place to place as far as wear and tear, how old they are, how nice they are [and] all that stuff, and the approach doesn’t change.”
But it is most important to get what you need before moving into luxury items, according to Thomas.
“We like to update where we can, have the necessities first, [and] then add some things from there,” Thomas said. “But, first and foremost, I think my approach is we have water, [which] is a good thing, let’s use it and get better.”
Thomas explained some of the things he hopes to do as far as facility upgrades going forward, though the ground work is already there for him.
“The starting blocks [are] a step in the right direction, that is probably the best upgrade we have had in that facility since it opened,” Thomas said. “We will want to think about making little upgrades to the timing system, making sure it is functioning, equipment upgrades in terms of training upgrades we are fundraising towards, but I think that is kind of the priority now. A major overhaul of the facility is not something that is on the radar, I don’t think.”
Thomas said keeping the equipment up to date could allow the teams to do workouts in the best possible manner and that they are prepared for competition.
“I think in terms of making sure that we are training really efficiently,” Thomas said. “With the pool space we have Coach [Sean McNamee] and I really have to work efficiently and effectively together to get everybody in that needs to be in and a lot of those training aids can help us train more efficiently. You see some on the pool deck already, the power towers for example, [which] are those red buckets that you see at the end of the pool.”
To deal with any pool space that it may deal with, the local community has stepped up and given them access to other options.
“Something we have also done is utilize our friends in town,” Thomas said. “We have gone and done workouts over at Olean Middle School at the aquatics center there to help open up lane space here.”
Though they are not planning on many changes to the facility, Thomas said someday the Reilly Center will not be home to either program.
“If we are thinking the next 10 to 15 years, the goal is a new facility,” Thomas said. “It takes a lot of hard work, for sure. If it is something that all parties want to have happen, I think it is very likely. But I think part of that is highlighting the positive impact that it can have on a campus community.”
desantmj13@bonaventure.edu
