TOWSON, Md. – The Towson University men's swimming and diving teams are back in action on Thursday, Oct. 10 when they travel to Washington, D.C. to face Georgetown.
The meet is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. inside Albert G. Mccarthy, Jr. Swimming Pool.
New Season
This season the Tigers have welcomed 11 new freshmen to the team who all bring much excitement to the program.
"We have a big group of freshmen that have immediately made an impact on our training," said head coach
Jake Shrum. "Not only do they push our returning athletes, but in some cases are setting the standard. Our seniors have done an amazing job supporting and incorporating all of them into our team."
Introducing the Depth Chart
The Tigers have numerous student-athletes competing in multiple events this year. To give you a glimpse they have the following:
Butterfly:
Nick McClure,
Patrick Flint and
Cody Stewart
Backstroke:
Owen Robinson,
Tommy Whitman and
Andrew Lapin
Breaststroke:
Noah Diacumakos, Ryan O'leary and
Alex Suehiro
Sprint Freestyle:
Matt Essing,
Michael Fazio, and
Ryan Baldino
Mid-Distance/Distance Freestlye: Andrew Munson,
Brendan Farrar,
Matt Kenney and
Hunter Wright
Individual Medley: Diacumakos, Flint, Wright
Diving:
Will Canny and
Ajani Dorner
Tigers on the Prowl
With so many newcomers, the keep a watch on the duo of senior
Matt Essing and freshman
Michael Fazio in the sprint relays. Noah Diacumkaos is going to be fun to try and keep up with because he provides so much versatility to the squad this year and can practically swim anywhere. On the diving side,
Ajani Dorner has shown much progress in the last six weeks that competition meets will be fun to watch. Lastly, don't forget about junior Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Diver of the Year
Will Canny who is not finished making huge impacts.
Swimming Spotlight
Before each meet, the swimming and diving program will introduce us to someone in the senior class who will share highlights and their expectations of the season. This meet we introduce you to senior
Ryan O'Leary. The exercise science major is from Gaithersburg, Maryland is beyond ready to show off the high energy and excitement that he and his teammates have for the season.
"The excitement level is above and beyond this year," O'Leary said. "Whether it is in the pool or in the weight room, we are always pushing each other and getting each other excited to get better. I plan to add to this level by supporting my teammates even when they are down."
With so many newcomers, O'Leary is looking forward to see how the team is building and working to get better each week. As most seniors he is already excited for CAA Championships.
"I am looking forward to conference championships because it's a chance to show how hard you worked that year," O'Leary said. "I also believe that this year the team will do better than last year."
Before O'Leary and the Tigers get to Virginia for the Championships they have to first stop in Washington, D.C. to face the Hoyas of Georgetown. He is looking forward to "bringing the ruckus (cheer)" before the meet because it is such a great way to get everyone hype.
Scouting Georgetown
The Georgetown men finished second in the 2019 Big East Championships. The Hoyas return seven men who earned All-Big East honors last season. Georgetown added six men to its roster.
The Meet Matchup
The Tigers defeated the Hoyas 172-126 last season.
Jack Saunderson and
Matt Essing won a pair of events and was a part of two winning relays.
Ryan O'Leary,
Will Canny and
Spencer Franklin all won their respective events.
Tigers in the Community
The Towson University athletics department deems community service as one of its highest priorities to give back to the Greater Baltimore area.
- For the 7th consecutive year, the department exceeded 10,000 hours of community service to the Greater Baltimore region, finishing with 11,162 hours of community service in the 2018-19 academic season.
- Towson ranked #1 nationally for community service and won the 2018 National Championship for Community Service through the Helper Helper NCAA Team Works Competition.
- Towson had a 97% participation rate, attended 118 community service opportunities and volunteered with 19 organizations.
- Towson won the 2018 Volunteer of the Year Award from Susan G. Komen of Maryland.
