Diving in to the season

With the smell of chlorine in the air and goggles donned, the Bearcat swimming and diving teams are getting ready for their 2011-2012 season, and their first match will not be an open swim.

Their first opponent this season will be the William Patterson Pioneers, a Division II school.

"We start out with them every year," said head coach Charles Lampasso.

"I like to start out against a strong team to see where we really need to work."

The team has built up a strong force, bolstering the ranks with new freshmen and women for each of the teams.

"We've got a good women's class and some good freshman guys," said Lampasso.

Concerning the performance of the new recruits, Lampasso replied:

"As I tell everybody every year how recruitment went, I'll tell you after the conference meet."

 The new swimmers may have been a bit rusty because they have not swam since the end of their high school seasons, but the new additions to the team have been training whenever they can, according to senior and team captain, Jeffrey Wong.

"It's a little difficult," admitted Lampasso. "Everybody has got kind of a mixed schedule so we are running around six work outs a day."

While individual swimmers will come practice whenever they can, Lampasso has found that utilizing club hours are key in getting the team together.

Although the skills of the team while under the gun have yet to be seen, the new and old players have been meshing really well according to Wong.

"Everyone comes to practice," said Wong. "We try to hang out even when we are not swimming to get to know each other."

Although the men competed well, the women's squad stole the show last season with an 8-3 standing for their entire season and not a single loss within the CUNY conference.

"Everyone's been working out hard, harder than last year," said junior and captain of the women's team Alyssa Lubrino.

She is hopeful for the team, but their competitive skill in the water has yet to be tested.

"It's something we will see at our first meet," she said.

The team starts their season on Thursday, Oct. 27 at 6:00 p.m. in Wayne, New Jersey.