October 22, 2007
The 2007-08 swimming season has just kicked off and the Maroons are poised for another record setting year.
The men’s team returns a number of talented swimmers that are looking to lead the team into the top of the UAA standings and break even more Chicago Swimming records. Alex Stabell (Godfrey, IL) begins his junior year as the top UAA returner in the 100 butterfly and has an excellent shot to bring home Chicago’s first individual UAA Title since 2005. He will be a cornerstone of our medley relays and is looking to make an impact at NCAAs this year.
All-around swimmers Shane Carlson (Houston, TX) and Zachary Ergish (Moreno Valley, CA) should once again dominate the breaststroke and individual medley events this year and also have shots at NCAAs.
Joining them in the IMs will be co-team captain Chris Whaley (Helena, MT) and sophomore Chase Bassignani (Fairfield, CA), who is also one of the toughest distance swimmers in the conference. Whaley, also a top butterflyer in the UAA, will team up with fellow senior Jason Azares (Denville, NJ) as they look to final again in the 200 fly, one of the deepest events in the league.
Our backstroke events will be anchored by sophomore Brian Young (Douglassville, PA) who was a top-3 finisher last year in the 100 back and also has an excellent shot at a UAA title and qualifying for NCAAs.
For our sprint and mid-distance freestyle events we will be relying on our international senior duo of Andrew Kent (Moscow, Russia) and Hiro Hayashi (Tokyo, Japan). Kent, co-team captain, excels in the 100 and 200 free events while Hiyashi will make an impact in the 100 and 200 freestyles as well as the 100 fly and 200 IM.
Our lone diver, Paul Accardi (Bristol, PA), has improved immensely over the past year and will be a huge contributor for us at conference as he looks to score top-8 in both the 1M and 3M boards.
A big part of our team success this year will be due to one of the deepest and most talented incoming freshmen classes in the history of the program. This class is led by a trio of talented swimmers: James Schlabach (Beverly Hills, MI) sprint free; Sebastien Davis-VanGelder (Falls Church, VA) backstroke; and Peter Visser (Cedar Rapids, IA) sprint free, fly and back. All three swimmers will challenge for the top spots at UAAs in their respective events and have excellent shots at qualifying for NCAAs.
First-year Dan Nichols (Vienna, VA) will become a valuable asset to the team with his versatility, having the ability to score at conference in the 200/500/1650 free, 200/400 IM, and 200 fly.
Our distance group will get a much needed boost from the additions of Phillip Bartels (Albuquerque, NM) and Jacob Hanebutt (Overland Park, KS) and we will be looking to newcomers Yeonjean Gahng (Edison, NJ) and Ed Wagner (Sheboygan, WI) to fill some big shoes in the breaststroke events.
I can hardly contain my excitement as our first competition of the year is quickly approaching. Our first two meets are away this year; swimming at Wheaton Saturday, Oct. 27 and at IIT on Friday, Nov. 2. Both schools have very strong programs so it will be a challenge for the guys to start off 2-0 again this year.
GO MAROONS! |
