Wes Swimmers Take Fifth at NESCAC Championships

The men’s swimming team took home fifth place out of a field of 11 in this weekend’s NESCAC Championships, their second-best finish in the nine-year history of the meet. Held in the Wesleyan Natatorium, the three-day endurance trial was ultimately won by pool powerhouse Williams, which has historically dominated the event. The Ephs have won eight of the nine NESCAC meets that have ever been held, including the last seven.

It was a great weekend for the Cards, however, as individual strides complimented a strong team performance. The team’s strength was apparent on the boards, where Wesleyan was all over both the one-meter and three-meter dives, placing three Cards in the top six for each event. It was the epic combination of youth and experience that got the job done, as Gianfranco Galluzzo ’12 and senior co-captain David “Silky” Wilkinson ’09 both had weekends they won’t soon forget. While Galluzzo nabbed third on both the one- and three-meter dives with scores of 454.35 and 474.85, respectively, Wilkinson took home fourth place on both boards. J.P. Vallette ’10 also had a strong showing, taking fifth in the 3-meter dive.

“Diving has truly become our strongest event, and both [diving coach] Jeff Miller and [Wilkinson] deserve credit for that,” said co-captain Chris Becker ’09.

Wilkinson’s success at the meet caps off a long and illustrious four-year NESCAC career. Over the course of his time here, “Silky Wilky” has given his all as a diver, and his dedication and hard work has paid off in dividends as his performance this weekend earned him the NESCAC Senior Diver of the Year award, which is given annually to the senior diver who has accumulated the most career points in the annual championship meet. His commitment to the Wesleyan athletics program includes a three-year stint with varsity lacrosse as well, a testament to Dave’s commitment and abilities as an athlete. Both he and Galluzzo are under consideration to go the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Minnesota March 18-21.

The Cards held things down in the pool as well. Dan Storms ’10 set a Wesleyan Record in the 200-yard freestyle, notching a time of 1:42.27 and a fourth-place finish. Michael Bailey ’11 tied a Wes record, clocking in at 1:54.95 in the 200-yard individual medley. Both times provisionally qualify Storms and Bailey to go to the NCAAs.

The Cards earned another “B” cut, a qualification that does not guarantee selection to the Championships, in the 800 free relay, as the team of Jeff Arace ’12, Ryan Beck ’10, Becker and Storms took fourth place with a time of 6:55.90.

Becker and Beck also had strong showings individually, with Becker qualifying for the NCAAs with an eight-place showing in the 50-yard free and Beck earning a “B” cut during preliminaries with a time of 1:42.63 in the 200 free.

“Our team’s performance was unprecedented,” Bailey said. “Every single person on our team made a contribution this weekend. We had a lot of outstanding performances, from broken records to national cuts. Our team really came together and competed when it mattered the most over the long weekend, and it really showed in our overall ranking in the NESCAC.”

 While individual selections to the national dance are still up in the air, the Cards as a team can rest knowing that they’ve put another great season in the bag. Going into the NESCACs, Wesleyan enjoyed a 10-5 overall record, including 5-5 in duals. The strong season—capped off with one of the Cards’ best showings in the tournament to date—demonstrates the continued ascension of the Wesleyan swimming program and shows great promise for the future.

 “Overall, this past weekend has shown the potential of this team,” Becker said. “[We return] nine extremely dedicated and talented freshmen, [and] we are only graduating two seniors. I am sure that with the leadership of the junior and sophomore classes, next year’s team will exceed all of this season’s accomplishments.”