The Roger Williams University Swimming & Diving program has announced 12 new additions, with five new swimmers on the men’s side and seven on the women’s.
Jenna Bukowski (Andover, Mass.)
David Corio (North Smithfield, R.I.)
Jacob Daniels (North Attleboro, Mass.)
Allegra Iacovino (Chester Springs, Pa.)
Bharathi Kolluru (Berwyn, Pa.)
Eamon McKenney (Portsmouth, R.I.)
Christian Montanez (Rochester, N.Y.)
Catherine Oppenheim (Sudbury, Mass.)
Meg Peters (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)
Emily Slusarczyk (Charlestown, R.I.)
Hunter Wronski (Shelton, Conn.)
Momoka Yamashita (Tokyo, Japan)
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the Class of 2021 into the Hawks Swimming & Diving family,” said Head Coach Matt Emmert. “After a banner year for our program and graduating a legendary class, it was imperative we brought in a recruiting class of this caliber to keep our ship moving forward. Each one of these student-athletes will have a significant impact on the competiveness of our program, but more importantly they will be pillars of the RWU campus community as a whole. This class has high expectations to build upon the legacy left from our graduating class of 2017. We have the utmost confidence that they will continue to build upon the tradition of excellence that is becoming synonymous with Roger Williams University Swimming & Diving.”
Jenna Bukowski is a graduate of Andover High School, where her team was a three-time state champion. She chose RWU because of the location, size, and the Business program. She wanted a place that allowed her to continue her swim career but also still have time to focus on her studies and expand socially.
David Corio is a graduate of Bishop Feehan High School with career aspirations to be a music producer. Corio was sold on RWU for the lovely campus and the opportunities for many wonderful experiences.
Jacob Daniels is also a Bishop Feehan High School graduate and will study Mathematics, hoping to work in a math-related field, either as a teacher or statistician. At Bishop Feehan, he qualified for the New England Senior Championships. He chose RWU because of the family atmosphere he felt during visits and recruiting trips.
Allegra Iacovino is a Chester Springs, Pennsylvania native and graduate of Downingtown East High School. She hopes to own and operate a yoga/fitness studio. She was a four-time MVP on her club team and was an MA Senior Championship qualifier two years in a row. For her, Roger Williams is the perfect balance of academics and athletics in an extraordinary environment.
Bharathi Kolluru comes to RWU from Berwyn, Pennsylvania and Conestoga High School and plans to major in Marine Biology. She was team co-captain in her senior year and qualified for PIAA Districts in the 100 Yard Butterfly and 500 Yard Freestyle. Kolluru chose RWU for the outstanding academics, hardworking athletic program, and for the beautiful campus. She feels RWU is a place that has so many opportunities that she would not want to miss out on.
Eamon McKenney is a local product from Portsmouth, Rhode Island and a graduate of Portsmouth High School. McKenney plans to major in Engineering. He was a two-tme Short Course YMCA National Qualifier and a 2017 C-Finalist in the 100 Yard Backstroke. McKenney feels that Roger Williams is a phenomenal environment to be in, with a great team, great academics, top-notch food, and one of the best pools in the state.
Christian Montanez came to RWU from Rochester, New York and Churchville Chili High School, with plans to major in Construction Management. In Rochester, he was a two-time All Greater Rochester Athlete, two-time team captain, and four-time all-county honoree. Montanez knew that Roger Williams was the school for him after his first visit. It had everything that he was looking for: his major, small classes, accessible professors, location on the ocean, awesome food, availability to play the two sports he loves, and coaches who went out of their way to make being a two sport athlete a reality.
Catherine Oppenheim is a graduate of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, majoring in Educational Studies and hopes to work with children who have special needs after college. She capped off her high school career with her biggest accomplishment, capturing the 2017 Massachusetts Division I State Title in the 100-yard Breaststroke. Choosing Roger Williams was an easy decision for her, as she felt immediately at home the moment she stepped on campus. She felt that RWU was the right place where she could be challenged and grow as an athlete.
Meg Peters is from Cape Girardeau, Missouri and graduated from Notre Dame Regional High School. She is an English Literature major and hopes to earn a master’s in creative writing and hopefully become either a college English professor or work in the publishing industry. She was a Region VIII Sectional Qualifier and repeat finalist in the 200 Yard Butterfly in addition to holding five school records. She chose RWU because she loved the team’s positive and supportive attitude and the way they find so many different ways to have fun while still working hard, in addition to the team’s success in competition.
Emily Slusarczyk comes from Charlestown, Rhode Island and attended The Prout School. She is an Architecture major and wants to become a Residential Architect. She was a second team all-state and all-division swimmer in the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay. For her, Roger Williams feels like home in my first year of being away from home.
Hunter Wronski is a graduate of Shelton High School with plans to major in Business. At Shelton, he was team captain and MVP, as well as an all-conference and all-state swimmer and school-record holder in five events. He chose Roger Williams because it offers the best academic, business, and swimming curriculum along with a nearby, safe waterfront campus. He was impressed with Coach Emmert because of the motivating and challenging swimming environment he has established.
Momoka Yamashita crossed the waters from Tokyo, Japan to attend Roger Williams and major in International Relations. A graduate from The Perkiomen School, she competed at the Junior Olympic Cups six times, in addition to holding four high school records and three Japanese states records. When she visited RWU, she loved the campus and people and could see herself being RWU.
Press Release courtesy of Roger Williams Athletics.