Southern Connecticut State University Owls
vs. West Chester University, Shippensburg University
Date: Friday, Oct. 1, 2021
Location: Graham Natatorium (West Chester, Pa.)

Live Video

Southern Connecticut men's and women's swimming & diving will open the 2021-22 season at West Chester University against the Rams and Shippensburg University on Friday, Oct. 1, 2021.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME

• SCSU Swimming & Diving were one of the last Southern teams that competed before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown athletic competition in 2019-20.
• Andrew Buehler, Leo Laporte and Avery Fornaciari were preparing for preliminary competition at the NCAA Division I National Championships when it happened.
• As a team, the Owls were last together at the 2020 Northeast 10 Conference Championships on Feb. 9, 2020 – a span of 600 days since they last competed, or in swimming parlance: 51,926,400 seconds.

SCSU MEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING

• The Owls return six student-athletes from the 2019-20 team that finished as the runner-up at the 2020 NE10 Championships in Evan Bombery, Andrew Buehler, Tyler Cusano, Timothy Kanaley, Chandler Tucker and Jeffrey Varesio.
• Buehler won the NE10 1 Meter and 3 Meter Diving Championships before being named the Top Diver at the championship event. He was also recognized as the NE10 Diver of the Year.
• Bombery medaled in three events at the NE10 Championships, including a title in the 500 Yard Freestyle event, as well as a pair of second-place finishes in the 1,000 and 1,650 Yard Freestyle events.
• Tucker also medaled in three events including the 200 Yard Individual Medley Championship as well as third place finishes in the 200 Yard Freestyle and 200 Yard Backstroke.
• Tyler Cusano had a pair of sixth-place finishes to score for the Owls at the NE10 Championships, posting in the 200 and 50 Yard Freestyle Championships.
• Kanaley scored at the NE10's as well, finishing fifth in the 200 Yard Back and sixth in the 100 Yard back.
• "Newcomers" that joined the Owls in 2020-21, but did not compete due to the pandemic shutdown, include Jonny Colascione, Collin Doyle, Jack Gray, Bobby Hahn, Franklin Kuhn, Derek Melanson, Christopher Roewer, Connor Skarzynski and Henry Velazquez.
• First-year Owls include Mike Aiello, Kobe Dominguez, Rafael Masbad, Dylan Prescher, Matheus Silva and JT Tressel.

SCSU WOMEN'S SWIMMING & DIVING

• The 2020 Northeast Conference Champions return a solid core of contributors to the Owls last title including Nicole Cislo, Emily Darroch, Maddie Dean, Faith Littleton, Rebekah Lockery, Hannah Nyquist, Ashley Sloan, Olivia Strelevitz, Cecilia Vess and Loren Wurst.
• Middleton medaled in three events to lead the Owls to the title, capturing the 1,640 Yard Freestyle Championship, while also posting a second-place finish in the 1,000 Yard and third-place in the 500 Yard Freestyle events.
• Rebekah Lockery finished third in the 1,000 Yard Freestyle, and also posted a fifth-place finish in the 1,650 Yard Freestyle and an eighth-place finish in the 200 Yard Breaststroke event.
• Emily Darroch finished eighth in the 1,650 Freestyle event, while Maddie Dean had a pair of top-five finishes in the 200 and 400 Individual Medley Championship races.
• Olivia Strelevitz contributed with a fourth-place finish in the 200 Yard Backstroke.
• Newcomers to the Owls lineup include Arianna Arturi, Nicholle Denault, Mia Destefani, Bella Forte, Justice Glasgow, Jordan Herman, Brooke Keeney, Gracie Marsh, Ella Marzec, Lindsay McCawley, Hailey Nyquist, Abbey Piech and Natalie Weier.

UP NEXT
Following their season-opening meet at West Chester, the Owls return to action at the Fairfield Invitational on Oct. 8-9. The Owls' divers compete on Friday, Oct. 8 with the remaining competition being held on Saturday, Oct. 9.