CHAMPIONS! Men’s and Women’s Swimming Earn NEAC Titles

COBLESKILL, N.Y. – For the first time in Wells College history, both the men's and women's swimming programs have captured the 2012-13 North Eastern Athletic Conference Swimming and Diving Championships in the same year. With 534 total points, the women's swimming team claims their second-straight NEAC championship title while the men's swimming program secures their second overall conference championship with 477 total points. The men's team last claimed a league title in 2010.

With the victories on the campus of SUNY Cobleskill wrapping up three-straight days of competition, the Express become only the second school in conference history to collect titles in both men's and women's swimming (Gallaudet University, 2011). Since joining the NEAC prior to the 2007-08 season, Wells College boasts five conference championship teams – men's and women's swimming each have two to their credit while the men's basketball team secured a league title in 2010.

With his performance across the three day championship, junior Matthew Sleezer (Gloversville, N.Y.) was selected as the 2012-13 NEAC Men's Swimmer of the Year. In the Men's 50 Yard Freestyle on Friday, Sleezer posted an all-time program record time of 21.94 seconds, eclipsing his previous record of 22.48 set on Nov. 3, 2012. Sleezer also holds the program record in the Men's 1,000 Yard Freestyle with a time of 11:36.93, set on Oct. 11, 2012.

Additionally, Sleezer bested his own record of 50.17 seconds in the Men's 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 50.02 in today's final day of competition. On Saturday, Sleezer combined with three of his teammates to set the fastest mark in program history in the Men's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay with a time of 8:02.17.

Freshman Hilary Feudale (Coal Township, Pa.) was tabbed as the conference's Rookie Swimmer of the Year following her strong performance at the championships. In the Women's 100 Yard Backstroke on Saturday, Feudale set the program's top mark in both the preliminary heat (1:05.37) as well as the championship heat (1:03.63). Both of those times shattered the long-time record of 1:06.42 set by Jennifer Ingold against Oneonta St. on Nov. 19, 1991.

Feudale captured first place finishes in 16 of the 24 cumulative events that she swam in during the regular season and placed second or higher in 24 of those competitions. Additionally, Feudale was a four-time winner of the NEAC Student-Athlete of the Week award as a freshman. Earlier this weekend, Feudale led off for Wells in the Women's 800 Yard Freestyle Relay as she helped set the program record with a time of 8:56.37.

Head Coach Trish George, currently the longest tenured coach at Wells, was selected as the Women's Swimming Coach of the Year following a poll of her peers. George piloted the women's team to their best overall record dating back to the 1981-82 season and earned her third and fourth NEAC titles with the Express this evening. She is now tied with long-time women's tennis coach Peter Balbert for the most conference championships as a Head Coach – Balbert secured four-straight Private College Athletic Conference championships in the late 1970's and early 1980's.

George also becomes the first women's swimming coach at Wells to earn Coach of the Year honors dating back to 2001-02 – starting in 1999-00, Head Coaches Jim Parker, Kelly Peters and Michelle Moosbrugger each earned Atlantic Women's Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year recognition in each consecutive season.

To open the third day of action, sophomore Olive Touron (Cato, N.Y.) picked up 13 points with a second place finish in the Women's 100 Yard Freestyle with a time of 1:00.09, barely missing out on the 10th place time in program history in that event. Wells also placed second in the Women's 1,650 Yard Freestyle event as freshman Nina Daniels (Pittsford, N.Y.) posted a time of 20:26.57 to rank her fifth all-time in Wells history while also recording a personal best time. Freshman Stephanie Todd (Norwich, N.Y.) ranked third in the event while ranking ninth all-time in program history.

Feudale was at it again in the Women's 200 Yard Backstroke, drawing 16 points with a time of 2:21.19 to grant her a first place finish alongside the second fastest time in Express history. The foursome of freshman Meghan Terry (Delmar, N.Y.), Daniels, Touron and Feudale also turned in the fourth-fastest time in program history in the Women's 400 Yard Freestyle Relay with a time of 4:01.68. The time, which earned the team 32 points, was only the third time to crack the top-10 list in the past nine years.

Sleezer set his program record time in the Men's 100 Yard Freestyle with a second place time in the event, completing his laps in 50.05 seconds, shattering his old record of 50.17 seconds set on Feb. 18, 2012. Ranking third was captain Thomas Laier (East Nassau, N.Y.) who recorded a time of 54.26 seconds to place fourth all-time in the event while setting a personal best mark.

Freshman Matthew VanAmerongen (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) became only the third Wells swimmer in program history to partake in the Men's 1,650 Yard Freestyle and set the program record with a time of 19:19.60, eclipsing Chris Guard's time of 19:37.16 set on Feb. 18, 2011. Sophomore Alex Lamphear (Springfield, N.H.) also finds placement in the record books with his time of 20:40.88 in the event, ranking third all-time in the event.

Freshman Patrick Munroe (Williamsville, N.Y.) set the second place time in Wells history in the Men's 200 Yard Backstroke with a time of 2:16.70, placing him third at the championship. Combining for 29 points in one event, Dougherty and freshman Jacob Cohn (Upland, Calif.) placed first and second, respectively with times of 2:31.62 and 2:39.28 in the Men's 200 Yard Breaststroke to help elevate the team to the championship.

In the Men's 200 Yard Butterfly, freshman Tyler Fischetti (Weedsport, N.Y.) ranked second with a time of 2:29.06, trailing Logan Marshall of Cazenovia College who posted a first place time of 2:11.02. To round out action at the championship, the Wells foursome of VanAmerongen, Laier, Munroe and Sleezer combined for a second place time of 3:38.57 in the Men's 400 Yard Freestyle Relay, a time that places them fourth all-time in program history.

Through the 38 events, the Wells College women posted a combined score of 534. Cazenovia College ranked second with a score of 480, followed by the College of Saint Elizabeth (348), Gallaudet University (280) and SUNY Cobleskill (236). On the men's side, Wells tallied 477 points, followed by Cazenovia (448), Gallaudet (423) and SUNY Cobleskill (341).

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