“Our goal, as always, is to compete as a team at the highest level and earn our second Northeast Conference Title,” said the sixth-year head coach. “While this year is no different, our team has a completely new face to it, so we are looking forward to finding our strengths as a group and getting better every practice.”
Under Shannahan, the Seahawks have broken all but one school record, including 18 school marks that have been set in the last two seasons.
“There are always records we hope to break and titles to earn, but our true goal is finding how to do that as a group and supporting one another along the way,” he said.
The Seahawk whose name appears most frequently on the record board is senior captain Anu Nihipali (Honolulu, HI / Hawaii Preparatory Academy), who became the first Wagner swimmer to ever qualify for the U.S. Olympic Trials, finishing 23rd at the 2015 AT&T U.S. Winter Nationals.
In 2016, Nihipali set school records in the 100-Meter Backstroke, with a time of 1:02.77, after setting school records in the 50 Free and 100 Free the previous year. Nihipali was also a part of the 200 Medley Relay team that broke the NEC record with a time of 1:40.52 last year, as well as the 400 Medley Relay and 200 Free Relay teams that which Wagner school records in 2015-2016.
Also serving as a captain this season is junior Maddie McNichol (Downingtown, PA / Henderson), who is coming off of a fifth-place showing in both the 500 Free and 200 IM at last season’s NEC Championships. McNichol was also a part of the 400 Medley Relay team which set the school record last season.
Other returners for the Seahawks include senior Katja Claesson (Fullerton, CA / Troy High School), who also competed at the 2015 AT&T Winter Nationals in the 100-Meter Breaststroke, in addition to finishing third in the 100 Breast at the NEC Championships, as well as Dorian McMenemy(Northborough, MA / Algonquin Regional). The sophomore returns to Grymes Hill after representing the Dominican Republic in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games this past summer. As a frosh, McMenemy finished fifth at the NEC Championships in the 50 Free and will look to build on this performance in her second season at Wagner.
“It’s bittersweet knowing that this is our final season with Anu and Katja, as well as Marissa. Each of these women have been a part of Wagner Swimming and Diving History, as a part of the last class to have the feeling of our NEC Title in 2014”, Shannahan reflects. “Likewise, Dorian’s international success in last summer’s Rio Olympic Games was a culminating moment for her dedication and drive to this sport. More importantly, each of these young women are exemplary student-athletes that cherish their academics, community, family, and team with the utmost respect.”
Joining Nihipali and McNichol as the third captain of the team is junior diver Sam Lavrich (Audubon, PA / Mathacton), who, as a sophomore last season, finished fifth on the 3-meter board, and eighth overall on the 1-meter board, at the NEC Championships. While the Green and White lost Erica Curry, the school record-holder in both diving disciplines, to graduation, first-year head diving coachSamantha Russo believes that Lavrich is in store for a big year.
“Sam has a strong base of skills that will build the foundation for a successful season,” says Russo. “I expect that her leadership on the boards will motivate and inspire her teammates at practices and meets.”
The diving team is completed by junior Grace Solipaca (Philadelphia, PA / Bishop Eustace), who finished ninth on the 1-Meter board at the NEC Championships as a sophomore, and freshmanDaniele Polatnick (Huntingdon Valley, PA / Lower Moreland).
As a team, Wagner is joined by 10 first-year student-athletes, each of whom will be looking to make early impacts. Shannahan is confident that there are multiple first-year swimmers who will contribute to the team’s success right away:
“This freshmen class has been a fantastic group and we are anticipating great things from them. At practice, they seamlessly assimilated to our intensity and create a major fabric of our team,” Shanahan thinks. “With 10 new student-athletes, we have more flexibility in our lineup than ever, which makes our team especially valuable in a championship format.”
Wagner starts the season on October 22 at Iona, before facing off with CCSU, Bryant and Saint Francis U for three consecutive Northeast Conference (NEC) meets. The November 18 Frank Elm Invitational and the ECAC Championships, to be held in the first weekend of December, round out the calendar year. In January, the Seahawks will travel to Rhode Island for a dual meet before finishing the regular season with a pair of NEC meets, vs. LIU Brooklyn and St. Francis Brooklyn. The 2017 NEC Championships will take place from February 15-18.
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