Swimming and Diving to Open 2015-16 Campaign This Weekend

Saturday, October 10

1PM

Lehigh University

Boston University

Swimming and Diving to Open 2015-16 Campaign This Weekend

10/7/2015 3:59:00 PM | Men's Swimming and Diving, Swimming and Diving, Women's Swimming and Diving

BETHLEHEM, Pa. - The Lehigh men's and women's swimming and diving teams will open up their respective seasons this Saturday, when they welcome Patriot League foe Boston University to Jacobs Pool.

"We've been really really busy," head coach Rob Herb said of the preseason. "We've been working with Julie Ammary and the leadership group, so our team has been having sessions with her. We have our sports psychologists coming in and we've been doing our work (in the pool) as well. So I think that we're getting mentally prepared and physically prepared."

The Mountain Hawks welcome 10 newcomers on the men's side and five on the women's side to this year's squads. The women also welcome back six of their seven all-league performers from a season ago, while the men return all three second team All-League swimmers for their junior seasons.

"We had two great senior classes of men and women who graduated," Herb said. "But the crew that's still here is the main crew and still strong. Kaitlyn Ruffing, our Patriot League champion is back and setting the tone. Our sprints on the women's side are really getting strong."

On the women's side, Carolyn Koch and Courtney Patterson both return for their senior seasons after earning first team all-league accolades in 2015. Cora Summerfield returns after earning points in three individual events last year, capped off with a fourth place finish in the 1650 free. Kaitlyn Ruffing returns with a pair of Patriot League titles to her credit through her first two seasons, including when she set a new school record by winning the 50 free at the league championships in February, which also made the NCAA B-cut standard.

Melissa Feeney returns for her senior season after garnering second team honors last season, finishing fifth in the 200 yard breaststroke and setting school records as a member of the 200 and 400 yard medley relay teams. Junior Kelly Carroll led Lehigh's second teamers in points, winning the consolation finals of the 100 and 200 yard butterfly, and helping to set program records on the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams.

For the men, Jacob Moyar enters the season holding five school records, including the 200 yard butterfly, which he set with a runner-up performance at last year's Patriot League Championships. Moyar is a two-time all-league selection, including a first-team nod as a freshman in 2014. Sprinter Jamal Willis, a two-time all-league second team selection, also returns after a runner-up performance in the 50 yard freestyle last season. Justin White finished fourth in the 50 free and fifth in the 100 free at the championships, and was also on both of the school record-setting 400 and 800 yard freestyle relay teams.

NEWCOMERS
Ten newcomers will be joining this year's men's team, filling the void left by nine seniors from last season. Despite the large number of freshmen, the team has been impressed with the development and character of the freshmen.

"I think we have a really good freshman class," Herb added. "Jason Ewart is coming from (Lutherville-Timonium) Maryland...an Olympic qualifier already in the backstroke. And James Mauk, we are also expecting some real good things from in the IMs and the distance events."

Diver Croldy Veliz will join as the team's lone diver, filling the void left by departed senior Dan Bateman. Mauk (freestyle) joins following four all-state selections at Concord High School in Wilmington, Delaware. Ryan Morgan and Kian O'Brien both join the Mountain Hawks from Hillsborough High School in New Jersey, where Morgan helped lead the 400 freestyle relay team to a state title. Evan Riddell is a four-time YMCA National Qualifier, and Tristan Stritzel was recognized as an All-American in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Matt Wong, Connor Guilfoyle and Michael Kessler round out the list of newcomers in breaststroke events.

"The talent pool that the freshman bring in is pretty vast," said senior Jake Hassel. "We're looking to see what they can do because we've lost a lot of seniors from last year."

On the women's side, newcomer Kate Bergin will compete in backstroke and IM events. She comes to Lehigh after competing for the Red Fox Aquatic Club, where she qualified for the 2013 NSCA Junior Nationals as a high school sophomore. Courtney Ferreira (free/fly) joins the Mountain Hawks as a two-time USA Swimming Scholastic All-American, coming from Chelsea Piers Aquatic Club. Allison Morel (breaststroke) swam for Somerset Hills YMCA and was named a USA Swimming All-American, in addition to earning All-State and Academic All-State accolades. Melissa Segovia (breaststroke) is a two-time high school All-American and holds the Middletown High School South records in the 100 yard breaststroke and 200 medley relay. Diver Rayna Smilowitz enters as the team's only female diver this season, after finishing in seventh place at the New York State Swimming and Diving Championships last year, which followed an 11th place showing at states as a junior. She was also recognized as a USA Regional and AAU National Diver.

"Our freshman class in particular has done very well," said senior Courtney Patterson. "We've been very impressed with how they've been doing in practice so we're excited to get to watch them race this weekend."

PREVIEWING BOSTON UNIVERSITY
The Mountain Hawks will open up the season against the Terriers for the second straight year. On Oct. 11, 2014, Boston University swept the dual meet from Lehigh by scores of 178-113 on the men's side, and 169-125 in the women's matchup.

BU was predicted to finish third in both the men's and women's Patriot League preseason polls, after finishing third in each of the past two seasons at the league championships. Last season, Lehigh finished just eight points behind BU in fourth place at the women's championship draw.

The Terriers landed six men's swimmers on the all-league team last season, only three of whom return this year. That group includes junior Garrett Chin, who earned first team honors after setting a school record in the 400 IM at the PLC with a time of 3:52.29. Classmate Quinn Smith placed second in the 200 IM finals with a school record of his own, finishing in 1:48.18. Second teamer Adam Gross also returns after scoring his best one-meter dive of last year against Lehigh (291.15). The other three all-league picks - Andy Vasquez, BU's leading PLC scorer Mon Hun Lee returns, while Men's Swimmer of the Meet Connor Stuewe has graduated.

Four women's swimmers also landed on the all-league list, with divers Lizzie Tillo and Kalli Roebelen both returning. Tillo was the PLC three-meter diving champion and honored as the Women's Diver of the Meet. Roebelen scored a 236 to earn a spot on the Patriot League Second team. The men will look to improve on a 5-3 mark last season, while the women will look to continue the momentum of an 8-1 campaign.

Saturday's season-opener is scheudled for 1 p.m. at Jacobs Pool, located inside Taylor Gymnasium.