PSAC Swimming Championships Home Page

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. - The Shippensburg University swim teams have sights set high as each squad will send the full allotment of 18 swimmers to the 2009 PSAC Swimming Championships hosted by Cumberland Valley High School and California University of Pennsylvania.

Thursday’s action gets under way at 5:30 p.m., as both genders take part in one event – the 1,000 freestyle. Preliminary races are set for 10 a.m. each of the following days. Finals on Friday and Saturday begin at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

Adult tickets for the event will be $5 for preliminaries, $7 for finals or an all-session pass can be purchased for $35. Students from PSAC schools are admitted free with school-affiliated ID. Fees for non-PSAC students are $2 for each session and $10 for an all-session pass.

“We’ve been training very well since the end of January,” said Shippensburg head coach Tim Verge. “We’re doing good things in practice and we’re really excited.

The Raiders are strong across the board in a number of events, but in comparison to the conference, Shippensburg has thrived in several of its freestyle relays throughout the course of the season.

Heading into the championships, the men’s team holds the second-fastest times in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:23.81 at George Mason), and the 800-yard freestyle relay (6:48.46 at Akron) in addition to the third-fastest mark in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:08.69 at Akron).   

On the women’s side, the Lady Raider swimmers rank third in the PSAC for four of the five contested relays and fourth in the 800-yard freestyle relay. The squads will be looking to use these strengths to help bolster their performances while also completing some time trial swims with the hope of competing for the national championships.

Last season, Shippensburg finished third on the men’s side and sixth on the women’s side. Both teams are looking for improved performances while battling the likes of West Chester and Clarion for the top spots in the PSAC.

“We didn’t have the greatest meet last year and we’re excited to show people what we can do,” Verge said. “I think we have something to prove.”

Individually, junior Shane Wolter will be an expected contributor by heading into the tournament ranked second in the 400-yard IM, third in the 500 and 1,650-yard freestyle (both times rank 16th in Division II), fourth in the 1000-yard freestyle and sixth in the 200-yard freestyle with ‘B’ cut times.

Junior Nate Ryan ranks third in the 50-yard freestyle after his ‘B’ cut time of 21.13 seconds from George Mason, while senior Gabe Oropollo slots sixth after his ‘B’ cut time of 21.29 second at Akron. Sophomore Josh Nyce ranks third in the 200-yard IM and eighth in the 200-yard freestyle with ‘B’ cut times.

On the women’s side, junior Whitney Garner is ranked second in the 200-yard IM, fourth in the 200-yard freestyle, seventh in the 50-yard freestyle and eighth in the 100-yard freestyle with ‘B’ cut times this season and will be an integral member of the relays.

Senior Mandi Foltz slots second in the 100-yard butterfly and eighth in the 50-yard freestyle and will be looking to make a strong showing in her final season with the team. Foltz’s school-record time of 57.24 seconds at George Mason earlier this year is the sixth-fastest effort in Division II this season.

Due to league expansion, men’s and women’s teams from Gannon University will be part of the field for the first time this year. The Golden Knights join dual-gender programs from Bloomsburg, Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana (Pa.), Kutztown, Shippensburg and West Chester to form an eight-team men’s field. The 14-team women’s field is rounded out with participation from California (Pa.), East Stroudsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville and Slippery Rock.

According to a conference release, West Chester has won 10 straight championships, part of the school’s 21 overall titles, and figure to be the favorites for 2009. The 10 straight titles is the longest active streak for any PSAC Championship. Clarion, winners of 24 titles all-time, and Shippensburg (4), will pose the top competition for the Golden Rams.

Additionally, West Chester has won two straight titles on the women’s side and have been chosen as the favorites to win again in 2008-09. All six of West Chester’s crowns have come in the last eight years. Clarion boasts the most titles of any PSAC school, 26, which includes 23 straight from 1976-1998, and more recent efforts in 2006, 2004 and 2000. IUP (1999) is the only other school to win a PSAC Women’s Championship.