Swimming and Diving Teams Ready to Compete
The Behrend men's and women's swimming and diving teams begin their seasons at home on November 5, at 5:00 p.m., against Buffalo State. Two more home meets quickly follow, with Fredonia coming into town on November 10, and Saint Vincent on November 13. The Wooster Invitational will be the main event in December for the squads. After Christmas break, Behrend will have an array of alternating home and away meets before competing in the Grove City Invitational and the ECAC Championships at the University of Pittsburgh.
The teams look for leadership from their returners. For the men's team, junior captain Steve Schleicher (Erie/McDowell) and sophomores Danny Ball (Smethport/Cairo American), Justin Ryder (St. Louis, MO/Parkway Central), Brandon Thiel (Ligonier/Ligonier Valley), and Patrick Bridenbecker (Skaneateles, NY/Skaneateles) look to guide the team to victory. There is good depth and versatility to this talented group of athletes. There are many new additions to this year's men's team. Freshmen include Rodolphe Acelor (Miami, FL/Miami Beach), Vincent Brewer (Fullerton, CA/Troy), Benjamin Dibble (Titusville/Titusville), Dustin Fairchild (Corry/Corry), Nathan Miller (Erie/Strong Vincent), Andre Pranckevicius (Miami, FL/Miami Beach), Alejandro Nieto (Lima, Peru/Franklin Delano Roosevelt), Drew Scheller (Fombell/Riverside), Matthew Schweizer (Middletown, NJ/Middletown), Matthew Seiferth (Allison Park/Hampton), Anthony Spoto (Birmingham, MI/Seaholm), Justin Bloyd (Jamestown, NY/Southwestern Central), and Dan Wiltrout (Fombell/Riverside).
As for the women, they are just as primed for the upcoming season. Sophomores Cara Ludwig (North Wales/North Penn), Whitney Marshall (Hummelstown/Hershey), Alexis Puhala (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop), and Brittany Yost (Pottsville/Pottsville Area) are back to help lead the Behrend Lions. The incoming freshman class includes Emily Bodie (Johnstown/Westmont Hilltop), Jennifer Conrad (Biss, NY/Pioneer), Ashlee Marchand (Londonderry, NH/Notre Dame Academy), Cyndi Morales (Mexico City, Mexico/Universidad del Valle de Mexico), Melissa Pilewski (Cranesville/Villa Maria), and Amanda Wiest (Arlington, IL/Buffalo Grove). Look for them to solidify the Behrend Lions this season. Rounding out the women's roster is first-year senior Catherine Franklin (Pittsburgh/North Hills).