FIGHTING TIGER MEN’S SWIMMING CLAIMS MVC TITLE, WOMEN THIRD

The SUNY Cobleskill men’s swimming & diving team posted an overall score of 88 points to win the 2003 Mountain Valley Conference this past weekend at Delhi Tech in Delhi, NY. The Fighting Tiger won seven individual and two relay championships to cement their first conference title since 1997 and make first-year Head Coach Mary Irving the 2003 Mountain Valley Conference Coach-of-the-Year.

Freshman Justin Dufel, Fonda, NY, Fonda-Fultonville High School, led a potent Fighting Tiger attack as the top individual scorer in the men’s meet with 21 points. Dufel won conference individual championships in the: 50 Freestyle, 23.73, 100 Freestyle, 52.38, and the 100 Breaststroke, 1:07.52.

Dufel was joined in the winner’s circle by freshman Sunny Porras, New York NY, Great Neck North High School, who set a new MVC record by winning the 500 Freestyle with a time of 5:42.87. Porras also won the league title in the 100 Butterfly, 59.36, and placed second in the 50 Freestyle, 24.47. Freshman Matt Turner, Stoney Point NY, North Rockland High School, won the conference championship in the 1000 Freestyle, 12:44.32, while placing second in the 500 Freestyle, 5:59.38, and second in the 200 Freestyle, 2:10.32.

The Fighting Tiger relay team of Sunny Porras, Justin Dufel, Matt Turner, and freshman Adam Jurczynski, Schenectady, NY, Guilderland High School, won the 200 Medley Relay with a time of 1:59.09 and 200 Freestyle Relay in 1:44.69.

The Fighting Tiger women placed third overall in the meet paced by the effort of senior NJCAA All-American Heather Frees, Johnstown, NY, Johnstown High School, who was named the Mountain Valley Conference Female Swimmer-of-the-Meet after leading all individual scorers, male and female, with 28 individual points scored.

Frees won conference individual titles in each of the four events she was enter in winning the: 1000 Freestyle, 11:58.99, 500 Freestyle, 5:48.11, 50 Freestyle, 26.61, and the 100 Butterfly, 1:04.66. Frees closes her Fighting Tiger career as a seven-time Mountain Valley Conference Champion.

The Fighting Tigers will next travel to Rochester, NY for the NJCAA Region III Championships hosted by Monroe Community College from Friday February 14th thru Sunday February 16th.