FIGHTING TIGERS CAPTURE THIRD CONSECUTIVE MVC TITLE IN MEN’S
SWIMMING & DIVING

While the New England Patriots spent Sunday trying to down play their third Super Bowl victory in four years the SUNY Cobleskill men’s swimming & diving program were fully embracing their consecutive Mountain Valley Conference Swimming & Diving Championship after winning the 2005 league title at Delhi Tech in Delhi, NY on Saturday with a team score of 127 points. The Cobleskill women notched a fourth place finish in the event with an overall score of 28 points on the day.

The Fighting Tigers posted eight individual event championships and swept both relays to post the program’s sixth conference title since swimming was reinstated as an intercollegiate sport in 1995. Fighting Tiger Head Coach Mary Irving was honored for her team’s performance with her third consecutive Mountain Valley Conference Men’s Coach-of-the-Year Award.

Freshman Danny Porras, Great Neck, NY, Great Neck North High School, led the way for the Fighting Tigers winning the league’s titles in the 100 Yard Backstroke, 1:05.63, the 200 Yard Backstroke, 2:21.96, and the 200 Yard Freestyle, 2:20.53. Senior Rick Harbers, Amsterdam, NY, Amsterdam High School, was also a key player in the Cobleskill victory winning the 100 Yard Freestyle, 54.01 seconds, and the 100 Yard Breastroke, 1:12.26, while placing second in the 200 Yard Individual Medley, 2:20.85.

Senior Jim Degrosits, Schenectady, NY, Mohonasen High School, captured the 50 Yard Freestyle, 23.93 seconds, placed second in the 100 Yard Freestyle, 54.58 seconds, and third in the 100 Yard Backstroke, 1:10.96, for Cobleskill. Freshman Brian Fox, Clifton Park, NY, Shenendehowa High School, won the 200 Yard Breaststroke, 2:49.90, and placed second in the 100 Yard Butterfly, 1:07.38, while freshman distance ace Art Barnard, Staten Island, NY, Michael J. Petrides School, won the 500 Yard Freestyle, 6:07.95, and placed second in the 1000 Yard Freestyle, 13:38.31, in the victory.

Cobleskill also received solid performances from freshman diver Sam Deboer, West Winfield, NY, Mount Markham High School, who placed second on the One Meter Board with 177.25 points and from freshman Kiel Wilcox, Cobleskill, NY, Cobleskill-Richmondville High School, who was second in the 100 Yard Breaststroke, 1:14.95.

The Fighting Tiger relay team of Jim Dergosits, Rick Harbers, Danny Porras and Brian Fox won the 200 Yard Medley Relay in a time of 1:54.61 and the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay of Jim Dergosits, Rick Harbers, Danny Porras and Sam Deboer won the league championship in a time of 1:41.56.

On the women’s side senior Shizuki Terada, Shiga, Japan, Moryiyam High School, turned in the top performance for the Fighting Tigers placing third in the 100 Yard Freestyle, 1:07.55, and fifth in the 50 Yard Freestyle, 30.76 seconds.

Cobleskill will next travel to the Northeastern District Championships hosted by Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY on Friday February 11th thru Sunday February 13th.