FIGHTING TIGER SWIMMERS SHINE AT 2006 NJCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

The SUNY Cobleskill Swimming & Diving program made a strong showing at the 2006 NJCAA National Championships hosted by Palo Alto College in San Antonio, TX. The Fighting Tiger women posted a team score of 32 points in the event to place thirteenth overall while the Cobleskill men placed fifteenth with a score of 11 points in the meet.

The highlight of the meet for the Fighting Tigers was women’s swimmer Gabrielle Asay, Greenfield Center, NY, who was a three-time NJCAA Coach’s Association All-American honoree. The Cobleskill freshman earned her accolades by placing twelfth in the 200 Individual Medley, 2:29.30, sixth in the 200 Butterfly, 2:29.20, and fifth in the 400 Individual Medley, 5:16.46, in the championship meet.

On the men’s side, senior diver Sam Deboer, West Winfield, NY, Mount Markham High School, closed out his Fighting Tiger career in style earning NJCAA Coach’s Association All-American honors by placing eighth on the One Meter Board with a score of 247.85 points in the championship round. Deboer had earned his way into the final round by placing eighth in the preliminaries with a score of 269.25 points.

The pair’s performances gave a jubilant Fighting Tiger Head Coach Mary Irving much to speak about after the meet.

“I think that Gabrielle did extremely well, she was seeded twelfth in the 200 Butterfly and finished sixth and her fifth place performance in the 400 Individual Medley was remarkable considering the reputation of the Indian River and Lincoln programs who had people in the event,” said Irving. “Sam only started diving two years ago so for him to make Coach’s All-American at nationals is really quite an accomplishment.”