MS&D Inks Five Newcomers for 2013
1/23/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Swimming and Diving
"Every class that we bring in changes the dynamic of the team," said Farina. "Between both teams, you're losing eight athletes and bringing in 12 new ones that will ultimately make up about 30 percent of the team. With that in mind, we look for a certain type of well-rounded student-athlete who can thrive in this environment and fit our program and university. We really feel like we have 12 kids that fit that profile."
Carlino, who currently attends John Jay High School in Hopewell Junction, N.Y., has been a force on both the high school and club level. He has appeared at the state finals in a number of events during his high school career and has traveled to the National Club Swimming Association (NCSA) Junior Nationals with the Red Fox Aquatic Club based out of Poughkeepsie, N.Y. With listed times that already surpass conference standards in a variety of disciplines, coach Farina believes Carlino can have an impact as early as next year.
"Keith is a guy who can step in and score at BIG EAST for us right away," said Farina. "Whether it is backstroke, butterfly, freestyle or playing a role on our relay teams, he brings a lot of talent to our squad. Keith comes highly recommended from his club coach, Jim Bellisimo, who is a good friend of mine and has coached a lot of very talented swimmers. We are very excited about the potential that Keith has for us next year and beyond."
Cooper Lindsley is a four-year letterwinner and two-time swim team captain from Penn Manor High School. The Lancaster, Pa. native took home Penn Manor's High Scorer Award in all of his first three varsity campaigns, a run that included an undefeated dual meet record for the team in 2011-12. Also in 2012, the 6-foot-2 freestyler captured Lancaster-Lebanon All-League honors and was a Pennsylvania state finalist in the 100-free. Swimming for his current club, the Diplomat Swim Club, Lindsley helped set a new 800-meter freestyle record with a strong anchor leg.
"Cooper is a very bright kid who is also an excellent freestyle swimmer," Farina said. "He's really going to help with all of our relays and he will be a BIG EAST qualifier in multiple freestyle events as well. Cooper is the type of kid that when you look at swimmers, it is clear that he has great size. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, if we can get him a little stronger as a sprinter, the sky is the limit for him."
Another freestyle specialist, Colin Machat will come to SHU from Northampton High School in Massachusetts. In his first two years at Northampton, Machat set four school records and entered his senior season within striking distance of several others. During his club career, he competed for Northampton Area Swimming before joining the Holyoke YMCA Vikings where he participated in the YMCA nationals. Like Carlino, his past performances suggest that he is primed to be a major factor for the Pirates when he hits the water for the first time next season.
"Colin is pretty much our straight-up freestyle from the 50 to the 100," said Farina. "We're looking for him to come in and really solidify the sprint freestyle along with Joey [Lacus], who will be a senior and you might see them bookending some relays as well."
Ian Campbell will make the cross-country trip to the Garden State after spending the past two years as a varsity swimmer for Corvallis High School in Oregon. As a freestyle/butterfly competitor at CHS, Campbell helped establish new school records in both the 200 and 400-freestyle relay as part of a team that sent three other members on to swim at the Division I level. A state-finalist on the high school level, he also spent eight years competing for his hometown club, the Corvallis Aquatic Team.
In addition to his success in the pool, Campbell is a member of the National Honor Society and served as the President of his senior class.
"Ian is much like Cooper in terms of his build, so that should work similarly in his favor," Farina said. "He can swim all the freestyles for us, fly and IM so he will be another multiple BIG EAST qualifier for us. You may even see him on some relays as well down the road. Being a distance swimmer, there is a lot of potential for him to improve and we're all looking forward to working with him."
A three-time high school All-American from Aurora, Colo., Zach Suter has been a star in the pool for a highly-successful Regis Jesuit High School squad that includes Olympic gold medalist Missy Franklin over the past four years. Now a senior captain, Suter earned All-American status in the 200 and 400-freestyle relay in 2011 and took home a repeat honor in the 200 in 2012. Both 200-freestyle relay teams also garned All-State honors after being crowned Colorado 5A state champions in the event, helping Regis Jesuit capture back-to-back state team titles over the past two years and finish third in the nation in 2012. As an individual, Suter has posted five top-15 finishes at the state championship while competing in the 100 and 200 yard freestyles and recently set the Colorado STARS Swim Team record in both the 50 and 100-freestyle.
"Zach is very consistent from the 50 through the 200 freestyle," said Farina. "We're very excited to have been able to add him to the group of kids we're bringing in."
"When you look at all the kids we have added, the can all swim freestyle," Farina continued. "When you add up all the events, freestyle accounts for almost 40 percent of a meet. Loading up and restocking that freestyle will help us become a stronger team and remain competitive moving into the future."
"This is pushing one of our largest classes," Farina said. "It's definitely our largest early signing class. To sign five guys and seven girls, a lot of times that is our entire class. That gives us the ability to go into the late signing period with more options and we can sort of focus in on what we may need based on what we see at BIG EAST."
Prior to the eventual arrival of these future Pirates, SHU will honor to four seniors currently on the roster. Austin Acheson (Olathe, Kan.), Ian Keyser (Petersburg, N.J.), Ryan O'Shaughnessy (Coral Springs, Fla.) and Brian Pauling (Sewell, N.J.) will all be honored for their contributions to the program prior to the meet this Saturday, January 26, against Marist College. The meet is scheduled to begin at Noon with senior ceremonies slated to commence at around 11 a.m. at the Arthur E. Imperattore Natatorium.
In addition to "Senior Day," the Pirates have teamed up with the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA) and will wear blue caps to help raise awareness in association with the "Swim for MS" initiative. For more information on the event and how you can get involved, click HERE.
