Geoffrey Peitz & Drew Onken
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
2011-12 Men's Swimming Outlook
10/13/2011 3:36:00 PM | Men's Swimming & Diving
Two-time defending CCSA Champions, the Davidson Wildcat men's swimming and diving team will try to push the program to new heights during the 2011-12 season.
The Wildcat men's squad boasts a wealth of both talent and depth, led by 2011 CCSA Men's Swimmer of the Championship Geoffrey Peitz and 2011 CCSA co-Men's Swimmer of the Year Drew Onken. Peitz was honored after winning three individual titles and three relay titles, and Onken — who also won three titles at the league championships, was named co-Swimmer of the Year behind four CCSA weekly honors.
“The men's team has a chance to do really great things,” head coach John Young said. “We feel good that our line-up will be more complete than it has been in past years, and we return some folks whose performance trajectory is pretty remarkable.”
Along with Peitz and Onken, the men's team returns school-record holders Curtis Chaney, Joe Burquist, Wills Cooper and David Kerman, and Young has added some promising freshmen to the roster.
“There is a real legitimate chance that Drew and Geoff and Curtis and freshman Dylan Ludwick could all make runs at invitations to NCAAs, any one of which would be tremendous for the program,” Young said.
If things go as planned for the Wildcat men, they should once again be in the hunt for the league championship, which gets underway in Athens, Ga. on February 16.
“If I have a concern about the men, it's that they overestimate their potential and underestimate their need for performance,” Young said. “This is a team that could do remarkable things, but they need to be honest in their pursuit of their own potential.”
Sprint Freestyles
School-record holder Bryan Droll graduated in the spring, but the Wildcat men return a wealth of depth that should allow them to remain competitive in both the sprint freestyles and the sprint freestyle relays.
“Bryan did a great job of raising the bar, and his example helped elevate the level of performance and the level of training for all of our sprinters,” Young said. “We are fortunate that we had some great sprint relays and some solid depth behind Bryan, and I think there is a lot of appetite to step into those shoes and headline the sprint group.”
Cooper will get his chance to do just that in 2011-12. The school-record holder as a member of the 200 and 400 freestyle and 200 medley relays, he is also a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 50 (:20.76/4th), 100 (:45.83/6th) and 200 (1:42.96/8th) freestyles. Cooper also swam on three winning relays at the 2011 CCSA championship and was a championship finalist in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles.
“Wills Cooper will be great as the season unfolds,” Young said. “Wills was one of our better swimmers throughout our dual meets and had great swims in the conference championship and was important on our relays.”
Kerman will also be an important contributor for the Wildcat men in the sprint freestyles and sprint freestyle relays. He swam on the Wildcats' championship 200 and 800 freestyle relays and was a championship finalist in the 50 free at the 2011 CCSA Championships, in addition to being a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 50 free (:20.97/7th). Young also expects newcomer Brandon Kegley to make an immediate impact in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, while battling to anchor the 200 freestyle relay in his first season.
“We expect a lot out of David Kerman coming back,” Young said. “And we have a few freshmen that we think will be very good. Brandon Kegley is a really talented athlete, and I think the upside for Alex Lindroth is pretty considerable. They will be fun to watch.”
Peitz will primarily swim the 100 freestyle as part of the Wildcats' 400 freestyle relay, while freshman Ben Stewart-Bates is another newcomer that gives Davidson a lot of depth and upside in that event. In the 200 freestyle, the Wildcat men return another College record-holder in Chaney, the three-time defending CCSA champion in the event.
“In the short history of the CCSA, there haven't been many folks who can claim four consecutive event titles,” Young said. “Lindsey Martin, I think, is the only one. Drew has a chance in the 400 IM. But there aren't a lot of them, so Curtis has a chance to join some pretty elite company.”
Chaney is the school record-holder in both the 200 (1:37/2011) and 500 (4:26.89/2009) freestyles and as a member of the 400 medley and 400 and 800 freestyle relays. He is a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 100 freestyle, which he also won at the 2011 CCSA championships. Coming off a junior season that was capped with Mid-Major All-America Honorable Mention honors from CollegeSwimming.com, Chaney will be key for the Wildcats in the100, 200 and 500 freestyles and a critical cog in the team's relays.
Distance Freestyles
With a strong sprinting group and some supremely talented individuals returning in the strokes, the coaching staff spent the offseason addressing the remaining holes in the lineup, bringing in some talented performers in the distance events. Along with Chaney, Stewart-Bates and Ludwick will solidify the Wildcats' lineup in the 1000 and 1650 freestyles and make an immediate impact.
“Dylan is our first incoming athlete on either side, whose performance during his senior year would have been an NCAA provisional qualifying standard,” Young said. “The cut has gotten a little faster for this year, but we expect that Dylan will get a little faster as well.”
Ludwick is a USA National Open Water Qualifier in the 5K and 10K and was qualifier in both the 500 and 1000 freestyles at the 2011 USA Winter Senior Nationals. In addition to a 800-meter time (8:24.48) that was a YMCA national record, he enters with a best time in the 1000 freestyle (9:25.61) that is better than the school record and one that is just off the school record in the 1650 freestyle (15:56.18).
“He's got a great attitude,” Young said. “He makes it look easy. It's important for great distance swimmers to make it look easy, and he does.”
Chaney, Ludwick, Stewart-Bates and Onken are also likely relay members in the distance events, which also add depth in sophomores Will Fox and Quinn Waggoner.
Backstroke
The Wildcat men also have plenty of depth in the backstroke events, which of course feature College record-holder Peitz.
“Geoff Peitz is probably the most consistently focused and intense athlete in preparation that I have ever witnessed,” Young said. “And that explains his ability to have the type of transcendent swim meet that he did last year. It takes a lot to wholly redefine one's performance capacity, and Geoff has done that over his career.”
The 2011 Mid-Major All-America Honorable Mention selection (by CollegeSwimming.com )has been a force for Davidson in the backstroke events. After three impressive seasons, he put together an outstanding meet at last season's league championships, where he won the 200 IM, 100 back and 200 back, and also swam on the Wildcats' winning 200 and 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays to earn 2011 CCSA Men's Swimmer of the Meet honors.
School record-holder in both events (:48.02 and 1:45.67, respectively), Peitz also swept the backstrokes at the 2010 league championships, and is also the Davidson College record-holder in the 100 free (:45.00), 100 fly (:47.64), 200 fly (1:46.09), 200 IM (1:47.53) and as a member of the 200 and 400 medley and 200 and 400 freestyle relays. He is also a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 50 free and 400 IM.
“Geoff has continued to train at a high level,” Young said. “He views himself as capable of competing with anyone in the swimming pool and that is a powerful worldview to have."
The Wildcats will also rely on contributions from sophomore Ethan Levinson, Burquist, junior Marcus Carson, Kegley and freshman Adam Hunter.
Breaststroke
Onken headlines a deeper breaststroke group for the Wildcats this season. A two-time Mid-Major All-America Honorable Mention selection (by CollegeSwimming.com), Onken is the school-record holder in the 200 breaststroke (2:00.25) and a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 100 breaststroke (:56.29/3rd). The versatile, talented swimmer is also the school-record holder in the 400 IM and as a member of the 200 medley relay, and a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free, 200 back, 200 fly and 200 IM. He was named 2011 CCSA co-Men's Swimmer of the Year and the 2010 CCSA Men's Most Outstanding Freshman Performer and is a two-time defending champion in the 400 IM at the league championships. At last year's league championships, he also won the 200 breaststroke and swam on the Wildcats' winning 400 medley and 800 freestyle relays.
“The reality is Drew is an individual with a chance to final at Olympic trails,” Young said. “He is our closest athlete to making NCAAs. We are really proud of what Drew has done.”
Onken followed an impressive sophomore season with an even more impressive summer, capped off at the US Senior National Championships.
“Drew had another tremendous summer of training,” Young said. “He swam in a number of meets where his in-season performances were outstanding, and his summer season concluded with a trip to the US Senior National Championship, where he got second swims. That training puts him in a position to hit the ground running this season. He has been and will remain a leader in the pool, and is on track to continue to improve.”
The Wildcats will also rely on sophomores Thomas Bigham and Drew Glenn, and get a lift from the addition of freshmen Drew Gill, Spencer Gill and Alex Lindroth.
Butterfly
With Peitz, Kerman, Burquist and Bigham, the Wildcats pack plenty of punch in the butterfly events again this season.
Peitz is the College record-holder in both the 100 (:47.64) and 200 (1:46.09) butterfly events and will have plenty of opportunity to compete in those events this season. But should the coaching staff elect to use him in other spots in the lineup, the Wildcats return the second and third-place finishers in the 200 butterfly from the 2011 CCSA Championships in Kerman and Bigham.
Kerman, who finished second in the 200 butterfly and fifth in the 100 butterfly at the 2011 league championships, is a Wildcat Top-10 performer in both events as well, eighth and fourth, respectively. Bigham was also a championship finalist in both events at the conference championship a year ago, finishing third in the 200 and seventh in the 100 butterfly. The Wildcats also return 2010 CCSA Champion in the 100 fly, Burquist, who has the potential to repeat as event winner this season.
“Joe is already off to a great start in his training,” Young said. “And we expect great things from him.”
Individual Medley
Onken and Peitz provide a great one-two punch for the Wildcats in the 200 IM, as the two have shifted the top time in the event back-and-forth between them over the past several seasons.
The Wildcats will be challenged with overcoming the loss of two-time CCSA silver-medalist Ben Lucas in the 400 IM, but with Kerman and newcomer Ludwick in the mix, there is a lot of depth and flexibility on any given day in the lineup.
Diving
Senior Nick Taylor, who returns for one final season of competition for the Wildcats, and junior Tim Keating on the diving boards, will lead the divers.
“Nick will continue to be a leader for us in the diving events this season," Young said.
Taylor finished seventh in both the 1-meter (116.35) and 3-meter (115.55) diving events at the 2011 CCSA Championships and should once again earn valuable points in the Wildcats' championship pursuit.
Junior Tim Keating will also be focusing his energy full-time on diving this season. Keating finished fifth in the 1-meter diving event (149.60) and sixth in the 3-meter (134.90) at the 2011 CCSA Championships.
Schedule
Like the Wildcat women, the men's 2011-12 dual-meet schedule features home meets against Clemson (October 1), East Carolina (October 15), William & Mary (October 29) and Gardner-Webb (January 21) and a meet at CCSA-foe College of Charleston (November 5).
“We should have a chance in all of our dual meets, which is exciting,” Young said. “Certainly we expect that the competition will swim well. I don't know that my expectation is that we will go undefeated, but we will have a chance, which is an exciting spot to be in.”
On the march towards a third straight championship, the Wildcat men will once again compete at the Kenyon College Invitational (January 1-3) and host the CCSA Duals (January 28) for final preparation before the 2012 CCSA Championships get underway in Athens, Ga. on February 16.
“I think that the approach for the men's and women's teams is different,” Young said. “I hope that the men can be more excited to pursue great things, than they are to defend a title.”
The Wildcat men's squad boasts a wealth of both talent and depth, led by 2011 CCSA Men's Swimmer of the Championship Geoffrey Peitz and 2011 CCSA co-Men's Swimmer of the Year Drew Onken. Peitz was honored after winning three individual titles and three relay titles, and Onken — who also won three titles at the league championships, was named co-Swimmer of the Year behind four CCSA weekly honors.
“The men's team has a chance to do really great things,” head coach John Young said. “We feel good that our line-up will be more complete than it has been in past years, and we return some folks whose performance trajectory is pretty remarkable.”
Along with Peitz and Onken, the men's team returns school-record holders Curtis Chaney, Joe Burquist, Wills Cooper and David Kerman, and Young has added some promising freshmen to the roster.
“There is a real legitimate chance that Drew and Geoff and Curtis and freshman Dylan Ludwick could all make runs at invitations to NCAAs, any one of which would be tremendous for the program,” Young said.
If things go as planned for the Wildcat men, they should once again be in the hunt for the league championship, which gets underway in Athens, Ga. on February 16.
“If I have a concern about the men, it's that they overestimate their potential and underestimate their need for performance,” Young said. “This is a team that could do remarkable things, but they need to be honest in their pursuit of their own potential.”
Sprint Freestyles
School-record holder Bryan Droll graduated in the spring, but the Wildcat men return a wealth of depth that should allow them to remain competitive in both the sprint freestyles and the sprint freestyle relays.
“Bryan did a great job of raising the bar, and his example helped elevate the level of performance and the level of training for all of our sprinters,” Young said. “We are fortunate that we had some great sprint relays and some solid depth behind Bryan, and I think there is a lot of appetite to step into those shoes and headline the sprint group.”
Cooper will get his chance to do just that in 2011-12. The school-record holder as a member of the 200 and 400 freestyle and 200 medley relays, he is also a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 50 (:20.76/4th), 100 (:45.83/6th) and 200 (1:42.96/8th) freestyles. Cooper also swam on three winning relays at the 2011 CCSA championship and was a championship finalist in the 50, 100 and 200 freestyles.
“Wills Cooper will be great as the season unfolds,” Young said. “Wills was one of our better swimmers throughout our dual meets and had great swims in the conference championship and was important on our relays.”
Kerman will also be an important contributor for the Wildcat men in the sprint freestyles and sprint freestyle relays. He swam on the Wildcats' championship 200 and 800 freestyle relays and was a championship finalist in the 50 free at the 2011 CCSA Championships, in addition to being a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 50 free (:20.97/7th). Young also expects newcomer Brandon Kegley to make an immediate impact in both the 50 and 100 freestyles, while battling to anchor the 200 freestyle relay in his first season.
“We expect a lot out of David Kerman coming back,” Young said. “And we have a few freshmen that we think will be very good. Brandon Kegley is a really talented athlete, and I think the upside for Alex Lindroth is pretty considerable. They will be fun to watch.”
Peitz will primarily swim the 100 freestyle as part of the Wildcats' 400 freestyle relay, while freshman Ben Stewart-Bates is another newcomer that gives Davidson a lot of depth and upside in that event. In the 200 freestyle, the Wildcat men return another College record-holder in Chaney, the three-time defending CCSA champion in the event.
“In the short history of the CCSA, there haven't been many folks who can claim four consecutive event titles,” Young said. “Lindsey Martin, I think, is the only one. Drew has a chance in the 400 IM. But there aren't a lot of them, so Curtis has a chance to join some pretty elite company.”
Chaney is the school record-holder in both the 200 (1:37/2011) and 500 (4:26.89/2009) freestyles and as a member of the 400 medley and 400 and 800 freestyle relays. He is a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 100 freestyle, which he also won at the 2011 CCSA championships. Coming off a junior season that was capped with Mid-Major All-America Honorable Mention honors from CollegeSwimming.com, Chaney will be key for the Wildcats in the100, 200 and 500 freestyles and a critical cog in the team's relays.
Distance Freestyles
With a strong sprinting group and some supremely talented individuals returning in the strokes, the coaching staff spent the offseason addressing the remaining holes in the lineup, bringing in some talented performers in the distance events. Along with Chaney, Stewart-Bates and Ludwick will solidify the Wildcats' lineup in the 1000 and 1650 freestyles and make an immediate impact.
“Dylan is our first incoming athlete on either side, whose performance during his senior year would have been an NCAA provisional qualifying standard,” Young said. “The cut has gotten a little faster for this year, but we expect that Dylan will get a little faster as well.”
Ludwick is a USA National Open Water Qualifier in the 5K and 10K and was qualifier in both the 500 and 1000 freestyles at the 2011 USA Winter Senior Nationals. In addition to a 800-meter time (8:24.48) that was a YMCA national record, he enters with a best time in the 1000 freestyle (9:25.61) that is better than the school record and one that is just off the school record in the 1650 freestyle (15:56.18).
“He's got a great attitude,” Young said. “He makes it look easy. It's important for great distance swimmers to make it look easy, and he does.”
Chaney, Ludwick, Stewart-Bates and Onken are also likely relay members in the distance events, which also add depth in sophomores Will Fox and Quinn Waggoner.
Backstroke
The Wildcat men also have plenty of depth in the backstroke events, which of course feature College record-holder Peitz.
“Geoff Peitz is probably the most consistently focused and intense athlete in preparation that I have ever witnessed,” Young said. “And that explains his ability to have the type of transcendent swim meet that he did last year. It takes a lot to wholly redefine one's performance capacity, and Geoff has done that over his career.”
The 2011 Mid-Major All-America Honorable Mention selection (by CollegeSwimming.com )has been a force for Davidson in the backstroke events. After three impressive seasons, he put together an outstanding meet at last season's league championships, where he won the 200 IM, 100 back and 200 back, and also swam on the Wildcats' winning 200 and 400 freestyle and 400 medley relays to earn 2011 CCSA Men's Swimmer of the Meet honors.
School record-holder in both events (:48.02 and 1:45.67, respectively), Peitz also swept the backstrokes at the 2010 league championships, and is also the Davidson College record-holder in the 100 free (:45.00), 100 fly (:47.64), 200 fly (1:46.09), 200 IM (1:47.53) and as a member of the 200 and 400 medley and 200 and 400 freestyle relays. He is also a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 50 free and 400 IM.
“Geoff has continued to train at a high level,” Young said. “He views himself as capable of competing with anyone in the swimming pool and that is a powerful worldview to have."
The Wildcats will also rely on contributions from sophomore Ethan Levinson, Burquist, junior Marcus Carson, Kegley and freshman Adam Hunter.
Breaststroke
Onken headlines a deeper breaststroke group for the Wildcats this season. A two-time Mid-Major All-America Honorable Mention selection (by CollegeSwimming.com), Onken is the school-record holder in the 200 breaststroke (2:00.25) and a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 100 breaststroke (:56.29/3rd). The versatile, talented swimmer is also the school-record holder in the 400 IM and as a member of the 200 medley relay, and a Wildcat Top-10 performer in the 200 free, 500 free, 1000 free, 200 back, 200 fly and 200 IM. He was named 2011 CCSA co-Men's Swimmer of the Year and the 2010 CCSA Men's Most Outstanding Freshman Performer and is a two-time defending champion in the 400 IM at the league championships. At last year's league championships, he also won the 200 breaststroke and swam on the Wildcats' winning 400 medley and 800 freestyle relays.
“The reality is Drew is an individual with a chance to final at Olympic trails,” Young said. “He is our closest athlete to making NCAAs. We are really proud of what Drew has done.”
Onken followed an impressive sophomore season with an even more impressive summer, capped off at the US Senior National Championships.
“Drew had another tremendous summer of training,” Young said. “He swam in a number of meets where his in-season performances were outstanding, and his summer season concluded with a trip to the US Senior National Championship, where he got second swims. That training puts him in a position to hit the ground running this season. He has been and will remain a leader in the pool, and is on track to continue to improve.”
The Wildcats will also rely on sophomores Thomas Bigham and Drew Glenn, and get a lift from the addition of freshmen Drew Gill, Spencer Gill and Alex Lindroth.
Butterfly
With Peitz, Kerman, Burquist and Bigham, the Wildcats pack plenty of punch in the butterfly events again this season.
Peitz is the College record-holder in both the 100 (:47.64) and 200 (1:46.09) butterfly events and will have plenty of opportunity to compete in those events this season. But should the coaching staff elect to use him in other spots in the lineup, the Wildcats return the second and third-place finishers in the 200 butterfly from the 2011 CCSA Championships in Kerman and Bigham.
Kerman, who finished second in the 200 butterfly and fifth in the 100 butterfly at the 2011 league championships, is a Wildcat Top-10 performer in both events as well, eighth and fourth, respectively. Bigham was also a championship finalist in both events at the conference championship a year ago, finishing third in the 200 and seventh in the 100 butterfly. The Wildcats also return 2010 CCSA Champion in the 100 fly, Burquist, who has the potential to repeat as event winner this season.
“Joe is already off to a great start in his training,” Young said. “And we expect great things from him.”
Individual Medley
Onken and Peitz provide a great one-two punch for the Wildcats in the 200 IM, as the two have shifted the top time in the event back-and-forth between them over the past several seasons.
The Wildcats will be challenged with overcoming the loss of two-time CCSA silver-medalist Ben Lucas in the 400 IM, but with Kerman and newcomer Ludwick in the mix, there is a lot of depth and flexibility on any given day in the lineup.
Diving
Senior Nick Taylor, who returns for one final season of competition for the Wildcats, and junior Tim Keating on the diving boards, will lead the divers.
“Nick will continue to be a leader for us in the diving events this season," Young said.
Taylor finished seventh in both the 1-meter (116.35) and 3-meter (115.55) diving events at the 2011 CCSA Championships and should once again earn valuable points in the Wildcats' championship pursuit.
Junior Tim Keating will also be focusing his energy full-time on diving this season. Keating finished fifth in the 1-meter diving event (149.60) and sixth in the 3-meter (134.90) at the 2011 CCSA Championships.
Schedule
Like the Wildcat women, the men's 2011-12 dual-meet schedule features home meets against Clemson (October 1), East Carolina (October 15), William & Mary (October 29) and Gardner-Webb (January 21) and a meet at CCSA-foe College of Charleston (November 5).
“We should have a chance in all of our dual meets, which is exciting,” Young said. “Certainly we expect that the competition will swim well. I don't know that my expectation is that we will go undefeated, but we will have a chance, which is an exciting spot to be in.”
On the march towards a third straight championship, the Wildcat men will once again compete at the Kenyon College Invitational (January 1-3) and host the CCSA Duals (January 28) for final preparation before the 2012 CCSA Championships get underway in Athens, Ga. on February 16.
“I think that the approach for the men's and women's teams is different,” Young said. “I hope that the men can be more excited to pursue great things, than they are to defend a title.”
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