Five New Programs Double Conference Sponsorship
FOREST, Va. --- ODAC men's swimming has grown each year of its official sponsorship in the league, but the expansion for 2017-18 doubles the size of the conference contingent from a season ago. Five new programs are set to the join league ranks, bringing total sponsorship to 10 teams for the fourth full season of men's swimming under the ODAC banner.
Bridgewater College and Emory & Henry College add men's programs to their already well-established women's squads starting this season. Randolph College restarts it women's program while adding a brand new men's tier, and Roanoke College and Virginia Wesleyan University add a pair of men's and women's teams as both their overall sports sponsorships increase by two.
The history of ODAC men's swimming is short with just three previous official seasons, but the quality represents a talent-base well beyond its age. Washington and Lee University captured its third straight league crown in 2017 by 503 points following three days of competition at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, Va. Six championship records and four overall conference standards were set -- and in one instance reset a second time -- as times continue to improve over previous seasons.
RELATED: 2017 ODAC Championship Results
Former Randolph-Macon College standout Robert Redenz broke two marks before graduating as the reigning ODAC Swimmer of the Year, but the swimmers associated with the remaining four records remain in W&L athletes William Borst, Ben Brown, and Jared Nickodem. In the 500-yard freestyle, Borst set the meet record in the prelims and then broke both the meet and overall standards in the finals with at ime of 4:37.62. Brown set a meet record in the finals of the 1,650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:26.03, while Nickodem established new meet and overall marks in the 200-yard butterfly at 1:52.57.
Despite the number of new squads and swimmers in 2017-18, there will be no shortage of known star-power in conference pools as 27-of-35 All-ODAC honorees return. That includes 12-of-13 All-ODAC First Team award winners with Redenz as the only exiting standout.
RELATED: 2017 All-ODAC Awards
Washington and Lee features nine of those swimmers amongst its 14 overall All-ODAC holdovers. Joining Borst, Brown, and Nickodem as swimmers that placed either first or second in an individual event at the 2017 championships are Ethan Fischer, Patrick Lawrence, Sammy Logue, Noah Schammel, Michael Struk, and Tommy Thetford. The latter athlete, Thetford, is likely most recognizable to ODAC fans as he looks to return to the form that saw him win a pair of national titles in 2016. He won the 100- and 200-yard freestyles at ODAC's last season. Logue picked up victories in the 50-free and 100-fly, while Lawrence won the 100-backstroke and Schammel the 200-fly.
Randolph-Macon welcomes back six of its eight all-conference honorees from a season ago. That list includes a pair of first team honorees in Ivan Fadeyev and Ealon Mann. Fadeyev, a multi-even winner in his first three seasons in Ashland, captured the 200-backstroke title, while Mann placed second in the 50-free.
Hampden-Sydney College saw an uptick in success at the ODAC Championships last season under reigning ODAC Coach of the Year Betsy Leonard. The Tigers feature four All-ODAC honorees, including first team qualifier Hudson Elmore. Elmore earned his status after finishing second in the 100-backstroke.
Greensboro College and Ferrum College combine for three All-ODAC returners. The Pride is lead by second team finisher and reigning ODAC Rookie of the Year, Reilly Geise, who was third and fourth in the 100- and 200-backstrokes, respectively. The Panthers are led by third team honoree Taylor Darnell. Darnell finished fifth in the 200-fly.
For the new squads this season, expect competition to be at an all-time high as coaches and athletes alike learn to wade the competitive ODAC waters. Each has been recruiting for the past year-plus and continues with strong classes already in the works for next season. Below is a brief look at each of those programs.
Bridgewater and dual-program head coach Gwynn Harrison open with a 10-man squad with a breadth of backgrounds -- from the military with captain Troy Jackson to previous junior or high school experience with fellow co-captains Matt Young and Chris Hollie. Look for athletes like Tito Alcazar, Jarrett Davis, and Raphanel Stanek, among others, to find their bearings in a multitude of events and push towards scoring at the conference championships.
Emory & Henry kicks off its first season with a roster half the size of Bridgewater but not short on expectations. Head coach Cody Skinner's quintet features versatile swimmer Wilson Naff, who will provide a presence in all strokes, to go along with sprinter-swimmers Nick Barr, George Jones, and Evan Prillhart and mid-distance backstroke and breaststroke swimmer Nathan Hershey.
Randolph and head coach Taylor Steele have high expectations for their nine-man WildCats squad in 2017. Steele, a former assistant at Washington and Lee, expects his unit to challenge records up and down the scoreboard each week. Look for sprint-event swimmers Jeff Oliveri and Daniel Bennett-Blake to make an impact, along with Oscar Onoszko in the mid-distance and breaststroke disciplines, as well as others that should develop as the season progresses.
Roanoke opens its inaugural campaign with an 11-man squad under head coach Scott Thacker, who boasts a wealth of experience directing club and select programs throughout the Commonwealth. The Maroons have already gotten a glimpse of what they can do with an early season 103-74 victory over William Peace, the first in program history. Nick McGrath picked up two individual wins on the day, including the program's first in the 50-yard freestyle (0:22.23).
Virginia Wesleyan is under the direction of former W&L assistant and soon-to-be Hall of Fame swimmer Mike Ginder. The Marlins feature an eight-man squad split down the middle of first-year and upper-class talent, which is prime for steady progression throughout the season. The team will undoubtedly benefit from the senior leadership of a pair of dual-sport athletes in Wade Jernigan and Jake Morgan. Jernigan is a pole vaulter on the track team, while Morgan doubles as a tennis player.
For more on ODAC swimming, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com. Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook, follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.