OCTOBER 22, 2015

KING'S SWIMMING TEAM SET TO OPEN 2015-16 SEASON FRIDAY AT SUSQUEHANNA DUALS

Schweikert Relays

WILKES-BARRE — The King's College swimming team will open the 2015-16 season Friday and Saturday with respective away and home contests. On Friday, King's will compete in the Schweikert Relays at Susquehanna University at 6:00 p.m.  On Saturday, King's makes its home debut with a 1:00 p.m. meet against Drew University in Scandlon Gymnasium.

The King's women come off one of its best seasons ever as the Lady Monarch went 9-3 in 2014-15 and placed sixth in the Middle Atlantic Conference.  The King's men, meanwhile, were 4-7 and placed eighth in the MAC.

 

The King's women return several swimmers who expect to lead the squad to another successful season. Leading the way for the women's squad is Rachel Jonas, the team's lone senior. Jonas, who missed the second half of he 2014-15 season studying abroad in Europe, will compete in breaststroke and freestyle events and will be asked to provide leadership on a young squad which includes six freshmen. 

Returning juniors include Katie Fitch, Brigid Wynn, and Gabrielle Pellicciotti.  Last season Fitch set a new school-record in the 1,650 freestyle and was part of King's record-setting 400-freestyle relay team.

Wynn was a member of King's 200-medley relay, 400-medley relay, and 400-freestyle relay teams that all set school records at the MAC Championships.  First-year junior Victoria Brown is a transfer from the University of Tampa and is the younger sister of former Lady Monarch star Macawley Brown who graduated from King's in May.

 

King's sophomore class features Gabrielle Corpuz, Hannah Oney, and first-year sophomore Anna Morgan.  Corpuz, who will miss the first part of the season with an injury, enjoyed a stellar freshman season. She set individual school records in the 100-backstroke and 200-backstroke, while being part of school-record teams in the 200-medley relay, the 400-medley relay, the 200-freestyle relay, the 400-freestyle relay. 

Oney swims breaststroke, individual medley, and freestyle events.  Morgan, who is also a member of King's field hockey team, will join the team after that season concludes, and competes in freestyle, breaststroke, and individual medley.

King's coach Matt Easterday is banking on six freshmen to make an impact on the women's program. Melina Good will swim in freestyle and breaststroke events while Nicole Mealey will compete in freestyle, breaststroke, and the backstroke. Mikayla Miller will swim freestyle and breaststroke while Lauren Phan will compete in the butterfly, backstroke, and breaststroke events. Danielle Thomas rounds out the rookies and will swim in the individual medley, backstroke, and freestyle.

 

On the men's side, the young Monarchs return only three swimmers with no seniors from last season and will bank on the efforts of seven freshman.  Junior Josh Shoemaker set a school-record in the 200-breaststroke in the 2015 MAC Championships and was part of school-record squads in the 800-freestyle relay, the 200-freestyle relay, and the 400-freestyle relay. 

Fellow junior Logan Kraus will compete in breaststroke and freestyle events.The third returning swimmer is sophomore Andrew Heilmann who will swim in the breaststroke and freestyle.

Freshmen being counted on to immediately contribute include Victor Arnold, a freestyle and butterfly swimmer. Randill DeAsis will swim in breaststroke and freestyle events while Nate Dubbs will compete in freestyle and butterfly. Aaron Griffith will swim individual medley, breaststroke, and butterfly while Bryce Groshardt will take to the pool in backstroke and freestyle. John Kwasizur will swim in breaststroke events while Chris Soutter will compete in butterfly, breaststroke, and the individual medley.

King's will compete in nine regular-season events, including King's-own Diamond City Invitation November 21-22. The Middle Atlantic Conference Championships are February 11-14 at the Graham Aquatic Center in York, Pa.