Pirates Return From Training Trip
1/14/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
"I think we had an excellent training trip," said head coach Ron Farina. "We were lucky enough to have some great weather and the setup down there allowed us to have simultaneous swim and dive practice. We got a lot of good work in that will definitely help us as we get back into the swing of competition."
Though more than two months will pass between competitive meets for SHU, the trip to Puerto Rico provided the Pirates an opportunity to supplement their regular training efforts in a variety of ways. In the pool, swimmers took part in long course training in the outdoor setting, while divers perfected their tower dive routines, an event that will be included in the scoring at February's BIG EAST Championship in Indianapolis, Ind.
Also helping break the monotony of training, the Pirates had the chance to square off with conference rival Georgetown in an exhibition meet as the Hoyas had also traveled to the island for training.
The program for the modified meet included a 100-meter race in each individual stroke as well as 400-meter medley and freestyle relays.
Among other results, junior Jane Ehret (Florida, N.Y.) took home the 100-fly for the women while freshman Tim Bosse (New Windsor, N.Y.) came out on top in the 100-free for the men.
In the women's 400-medley relay, the team of Cora Meehan (Noblesville, Ind.), Kerrie Kolackovsky (Franklin Square, N.Y.), Kelly Markwell (Old Bridge, N.J.) and Alie Zelenky (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) swam their way to a thrilling victory, out-touching the Hoyas at the finish.
"Swimming against Georgetown was a great experience for us," Farina said. "We have a real meet against them down the road, so it was good for the team to get an idea of where we're at right now and get a preview of what it takes to compete at that level."
"We've been going down to Puerto Rico for the last 15 years," continued Farina. "These last two trips have been some of the best we have ever had. It can be difficult because with the break, the kids are on their own for an extended period in the middle of the season. It was good to see us swim well down there and by the time we compete again, we will have had almost a full month of training, so I feel like we'll be ready to go."
Click HERE or use the link above to view photos from the trip.
Seton Hall will return to competition on Saturday, January 26 when they host Marist in the final home meet of the season, one which will serve as Senior Day for eight members of the program. The following day, the Pirates will travel to face the University of Connecticut in their last head-to-head matchup of the year.
The Hall will close the regular season with a trip to the Bucknell University Invitational (Feb. 2) and multi-team meet hosted by Rutgers on February 8-9. The men will compete against Georgetown and Villanova at RU, while the women will participate in a quad-meet that includes the host Scarlet Knights.
The 2013 BIG EAST Championship is a four-day event (2/27-3/2) that will be hosted by Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI) at the renowned IUPUI Natatorium.
