Head coach Paul Dotterweich (Buffalo St. ’97) enters his 13th season looking to extend Geneseo’s streak to 15 consecutive State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) men’s swimming & diving championships. Last year’s team posted a dual meet record of 8-4 and placed first in the SUNYAC meet, topping runner-up Cortland by 51 points.

            Geneseo returns two of the six swimmers who won individual conference titles last year – sophomore John Nasky (Rochester/Brighton), the champion in the 500- and 1,650-yard freestyle, and senior Frank Schiappa (East Amherst/Canisius), who took first in the 100-yard freestyle and swam on Geneseo’s winning 200-yard freestyle relay.

            Sophomore Brian Schaub (Blauvelt/Tappan Zee) recorded a pair of top-three finishes at the conference championships, finishing second in the 200-yard breaststroke and taking third in the 400-yard individual medley. Senior Austin Brennan (Stony Brook/Ward Melville), the 2011 SUNYAC Championships’ Most Outstanding Swimmer, reached the finals in two events last winter; he placed third in the 100-yard butterfly and eighth in the 100-yard backstroke. Junior diver Brandon Peifer (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) rounds out Geneseo’s returning SUNYAC finalists; he placed sixth in both the one- and three-meter events.

            Schiappa and breaststroke and individual medley competitor Greg Marks (Phelps/Midlakes) make up Geneseo’s senior class. Juniors Brian Dansa (Orchard Park/Orchard Park), Paul Jennings (East Northport/Elwood-John Glenn) and Eric Maldonado (Setauket/Ward Melville) return. Jennings should be one of the top competitors in the breaststroke and individual medley while  Dansa and Maldonado are top veterans in the breaststroke and freestyle events.
            Sophomore Kenny Athans (Victor/Victor) should be a top scorer in the breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley events and classmate Don McLoughlin (Waccabuc/John Jay) is a top returning freestyle swimmer for Geneseo. Fellow sophomore Branden Dahlem (Rhinebeck/Our Lady of Lourdes) returns in the backstroke and freestyle.
            Geneseo’s newcomers make up a strong and deep group that includes sophomore Jeff Hong (Hopewell Junction/John Jay) and eight first years: Jordan Gay (Henrietta/Rush-Henrietta), Ben Greenspan (Williamsville/Williamsville South), Yonghoon Jun (Nanuet/Tappan Zee), George Labarr (Watertown/Watertown), Justin Ongkingco (Watertown/Watertown), Tyler Roth (Fredonia/St. Francis), Andy Schunk (Ardsley/Ardsley) and Kristian Tialios (Mount Tremper/Onteora).

            The 2012-13 schedule includes home competition against three dual-meet opponents and the Geneseo Invitational before postseason opens with the SUNYAC Championships.