Roger Williams University Wins first NEISDA Title

The pool was quiet Sunday night after finals finished; where moments before the deck had rung loudly with cheers for the 400 Free relay, it now lay still and listless. The Roger Williams University Swim and Dive team waited anxiously on the sidelines, every breath held and hearts racing loudly. Any second now they would announce the winners of the NEISDA championship and the anticipation of it hung in the air like fog.

The announcer picked up the mic; “In third place is Simmons College. In second place is Keene State University, and your NEISDA 2016 Swimming and Diving Champions are…”

And simultaneously the entire hawk’s team erupted into chaos.

If you ask Head Coach Matt Emmert what sets this team apart from all others, he would say it’s their tenacity and their team atmosphere. “There’s just something about this team that is unlike any team I’ve coached before. They know how to rally together and get stuff done.”

“You can always tell when a Hawk swimmer is swimming.” said one spectator at the NEISDA championships, “The whole pool echoes with cheers and yelling!”

The NEISDA Swimming and Diving Championships started Friday morning and continued till Sunday night, it’s a lot of swimming, but it’s a challenge that the RWU Swim and Dive team had trained for all year. The very first night of finals RWU had 36 entries in finals with over half of them in the A finals. By the time the first night ended the Hawks women already had a 20 point lead over Keene for first place and the men had a strong lead over Norwich, placing them in second.

Saturday morning the Hawks Swimming and Diving Team continued on their hot streak, taking first place in the 200 Medley Relay and third in the 800 Free Relay for women, and after placing second in the 1 meter Fridaynight, the diving team flipped their way into the 3 meter finals. Every time it seemed like they couldn’t get any better than they already were, the Hawks swimmers dialed in and found another gear. It was a night filled with energy and the evidence was in the results.

“I wouldn’t have wanted my last meet to be with any other group of guys.” said Captain Ryne Wallace
“Our team dynamic is like no other team,” said Captain Brian Hann, “Both men and women really upheld our team motto of ‘For the Team’ which brought the energy on the pool deck to a whole new level.”

But it wasn’t just the swimmers! It was the Hawks parents, too. The Roger Williams University Swim and Dive parents brought with them not only lunches for the entire team, but also an energy and enthusiasm that could be heard clearly from the bleachers both morning and night. RWU closed up Saturday having 17 entries in women’s finals and 11 entries in men’s; 19 of those entries having medaled.

“For myself and this team, this season has been the most memorable and successful. With all the sacrifices and hard work that went into this season, I am incredibly proud of what this team has become.” –Captain Hailey Martel

However, the real test of stamina and strength for any NEISDA competing team is Sunday night finals. In typical Hawks fashion, the RWU Swim and Dive team rallied together to support their teammates and bring home the Championship they had worked for so hard.

“We know what it means to work hard, and we were ready for Sunday night” said one Hawks swimmer, “Every time there is a hard practice, every time we do a set that hurts, every time we have a dry land practice that makes you want to cry, you just push yourself a little harder and remind yourself ‘This is for Sunday night finals’.”

And their training paid off, that night the RWU Swim and Dive team women’s 400 Free Relay won 2nd and the men’s won 3rd, Josh Seabrook placed 3rd for the men’s 3 meter diving and Jess Konkol placed 2nd. In all, they scored over 448 points that session, clinching the first place spot for the women’s team and the second place spot for the men’s. It had been a long weekend filled with great moments, but the best was still yet to come; and thus we come back to our beginning….

The announcer picked up the mic; “In third place is Simmons College. In second place is Keene State University, and your NEISDA 2016 Swimming and Diving Champions are…”

And simultaneously the entire hawk’s team erupted into chaos: Coaches were thrown in the pool, swimmers were screaming with joy, and parents were flashing their cameras like paparazzi from the bleachers above. Moments like these are what RWU Swim and Dive trains for, and this victory was the icing on the cake of a long and great season.

“Since my first day as part of this program, our goal has been to win NEISDA’s.” Captain Rachel Emmons said. “Closing out my career with that goal having been achieved brings me an endless amount of pride. I’m proud of how far this program has come in the past four years and the family that has been created in the process. I’m proud of my teammates and so thankful to them for allowing me to witness this goal come to fruition, four years later.”

To add an even sweeter touch to the night was the announcement that Head Coach Matt Emmert had won “NEISDA Swim Coach of the Year” for both men’s and women’s swimming.

“Being here for my third year at RWU,” said Captain Brian Hann, “I have really had the chance to see Matt form this team into (what) his dream (was) when he accepted the position as head coach four years ago. I am so proud of our family, our coaches, our school and I am happy to see what the team will be like next year as well.”

And so is everyone on the Hawks Swimming and Diving team. With one championship under their belt, the entire team now knows how much work it requires to claim the victory. They’ve tasted winning and are looking forwards to the 2016-2017 season, when they can once again put down the everyday work necessary to score well at NEISDA and hopefully claim the win again.

Here are some stats from the weekend:
• Every single one of the 32 RWU athletes brought to NEISDA’s earned a spot place in finals.
• Eleven RWU Swim and Dive records were broken that weekend
• Of the 16 athletes competing in the 200 Br A finals at NEISDA’s 8 of them were Hawks. (Hailey Martel, Sydney Borges, Abigail Sousa, Brittany Cuevas, Jonathon Chow, David Kitchen, Griffin Pelkey, and Matt McKenzie)
• Hawks won first place in ten events (Hailey Martel- 50 Br 29.97, Hunter Olsen- 200 Back 1:53.15, Andrea Almandoz – 200 IM 2:12.94, David Kitchen- 200 IM 1:56.21, 200 Medley Relay – 1:47.27, Mackenzie Webber -50 Fly 26.05, Hannah Nolte – 100 Back 1:00.07, Hailey Martel – 100 Br 1:06.63, Mackenzie Webber – 50 Back 27.16, Hailey Martel – 200 Br 2:25.23,) and second place in nine events (Ryne Wallace – 500 Free 4:48.48, Andrea Almandoz- 100 Fly 58.95, Shannon Earley- 200 Back 2:07.54, Mackenzie Webber- 50 Fr 23.65, Andrew Gillie- 200 IM 1:57.91, Shannon Earley- 400 IM 4:38.90, Andrew Gillie- 400 IM 4:13.52, Andrea Almandoz – 50 Fly 26.38, David Kitchen – 200 Br. 2:09.46,)
• Head Coach Matt Emmert won Coach of the Year for both Men and Women
• 18 swimmers qualified for ECAC’s
• Hawk’s won over 56 medals

Here are some times from the weekend:
Paul Marchese finished the 100 yard freestyle with a final time of 49.99. David Kitchen placed second in the men’s 200 yard backstroke with a final time of 2:09.46. Mathew Mackenzie also placed in the men’s 200 yard backstroke with a final time of 2:20.40 followed by John Chow with a time of 2:24.34. Andrew Gillie placed third in the men’s 200 yard butterfly with a final time of 1:57.21. The Hawks 400 yard freestyle relay; consisting of Christian Royer, Hunter Olson, Paul Marchese and Ryne Wallace, placed third with a final time of 3:14.68. Katherine Johnson finished the 100 yard freestyle with a final time of 54.89. Shannon Earley placed third in the 1650 yard freestyle with a final time of 18:22.89 followed by Gabrielle Pielka who placed fourth with a final time of 18:24.12. Mackenzie Webber received first place in the women’s 50 yard backstroke with a final time of 27.16. Hailey Martel also, walked away in first for all three of her events going a 29.97 for the 50 Br, 1:05.59 for the 100 Br and 2:25.23 for the 200 Br. Abby Sousa and Sydney Borges finished behind her with times of 2:37.38 and 2:37.41 in the 200 Br; 32.88 and 32.82 in the 50 Br; and 1:09.95 and 1:12.21 for the 100 Br. Abigail Kline finished in third in the women’s 200 yard butterfly with a time of 2:15.03 and Hannah Nolte placed third in the 100 yard IM with a time of 1:02 47. The Lady Hawks 400 yard freestyle relay team consisting of Mackenzie Webber, Andrea Almandoz, Katherine Johnson and Hannah Nolte finished in second with a final time of 3:39.74. The women’s swimming and diving team took home the championship for the NEISDA Championships with a final score of 1453.

The Hawks will continue their season by traveling to Annapolis, MD for the ECAC Championships February 27-March 1st.