WILKES-BARRE, PA (October 18, 2019) – The King's College men's swimming team in 2019-20 will be noticeably different then years past, as past standouts like Bryce Groshardt, Rhyce Hammaker, Daniel Weeks and Chris Soutter have departed.

The senior class that was honored last year was part of a huge improvement for the King's College men over the last three or four years, and not having them in the pool everyday this season will be difficult for the Monarchs. With any team though, adjusting to change and continuing momentum that has been building will be keys to the success this year.

The one thing that people will notice this year when looking at the Monarchs is that many of the 13 swimmers this year will be swimming multiple strokes and really getting involved in lots of different areas. With a somewhat smaller roster, it opens opportunities for people to make a big impact immediately this season, and that is exciting for head coach Matt Easterday.

"We did lose a significant class…when you lose 10 guys to graduation or attrition, that's a pretty big loss. The quality of that class was so high, you know also losing leadership. But with what you lose you gain in getting almost another new team. It's going to be a process this year, guys are really going to grow and get to where I think they could be."

Despite the obstacles that having a smaller, more inexperienced team may bring, it also gets the coaching staff of Easterday and assistants Abby Berger and Anthony Pompei excited to see how the hard work and dedication will pay off as some of the men's swimmers grow into larger roles.

"I'm really excited to see how we do with the 13 guys we have right now, just see where we finish," said Easterday. "I think we have the potential to have some individuals do some really nice things and as a team we'll finish the absolute best we can and we'll see what happens come February."

The good thing that Easterday does have is three captains that have really brought this group together, as captains Christopher Boucher, Christopher Dionne and Andrew Johnson are melding this team into one that will just grow each and every day. Talking to Johnson, he's excited about the climb and where this squad can go, not only this season but into the future.

"We have a smaller team this year, which is good because this is a building year," said Johnson. "Everyone is working hard and everyone knows what they need to do to improve themselves and a team as a whole. Even though we don't have as many people, we're still looking for a good placing at MAC's, working hard every day and just pushing each other."

The Monarchs finished fourth at the MAC Championships last season, and return many parts of that squad that helped score points in key moments. Below is a breakdown of the team by stroke.

FREESTYLE
The Monarch sprint freestyle group for the last few years had been led by school record holder Daniel Weekes. Not far off of him was Dionne, who's back this season ready to take on the role as the top sprint freestyler for the Monarchs. Last season, Dionne swam a 22.08 at the MAC Championships, a personal-best time and one that earned points for the Monarchs.

Dionne will be joined by returners Alex Schwartz and Joel Williams in the sprint free events, as well as sophomore Thomas Montvydas as well. Freshman Ryan Bixler has done well so far in preseason in the shorter events, and will be someone that the Monarchs depend on as well in the sprints. Also look for freshmen Kevin Clarke and Anthony Macko to swim some freestyle as well.

At the middle distance and distance events, freshman Jared Stephan will be a threat for the Monarchs. Junior Andrew Johnson will continue to be a strong leader this season, and will also be a mid-distance and distance competitor in 2019-20. Freshman Erik Aguero will also have a shot at the distance events as well for the King's, and Chris Boucher also has experience in the mid-distance and distance free events.

BACKSTROKE
The Monarchs were strong in backstroke for the last few seasons with the likes of Groshardt and Shawn Parrott, as well as Rhyce Hammaker filling out the lanes for King's. This year backstroke will be a tougher proposition for King's, but Easterday is hoping that some swimmers that specialize in other events will be able to help in this category.

Sophomore Joel Williams will likely do the heavy lifting in the backstroke, as he held a top three time for King's last year in both the 100 and 200 backstroke. Freshman Erik Aguero will also swim some backstroke for the Monarchs as well as possibly others throughout the year.

BREASTSTROKE
The breaststroke group for the Monarchs projects as a strength this season, thanks to the return of Kris Boxter. Boxter was King's top 200 breaststroke swimmer last season, posting a 2:12.82 at the MAC Championships, which was good for seventh in the conference. He also finished sixth in the MAC in the 100 breaststroke, and will look to improve on that this season.

Along with Boxter, sophomore Alex Schwartz will swim breaststroke for the Monarchs and comes back ready to make an impact. Freshman Jared Stephan is a talented breaststroker, and will play a big role as well this season. Also look for Matt Lowry and freshman Kevin Clarke to each swim breaststroke as well in what should be a deep couple of events for the Monarchs.

BUTTERFLY
King's will return both of their top 100 butterfly participants from a year ago, as Dionne and Montvydas were just .02 seconds separated from each other at the top spot. Look for Dionne to possibly stretch out and swim some 200 Fly this season, while Montvydas will be a mainstay in the event for King's.
Joel Williams will be another name to look out for this season in the butterfly events, and the pairing of freshmen in Erik Aguero and Ryan Bixler have shown promise and talent in both butterfly events as well. Chris Boucher is another name to look for this year in butterfly for King's.

IMs
The individual medley races will likely be highlighted this season by some new faces, as Jared Stephan and Erik Aguero will each featured in these events. They will join returner Kris Boxter as those likely to make a large impact in the IM races this season. Boxter held King's fourth-best time in the IM last year.

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King's will get its season started on Saturday, October 19 at 1 p.m., hosting Marywood University in Scandlon Gym.