Both the men’s and women’s swimming teams lost to Susquehanna University in their first Landmark Conference meet of the season on Saturday, Nov. 1.  The women racked up a total of 99 points to Susquehanna’s 157, while the men managed 52 points.

The Blue Jays were able to pick up one victory in the two meets, coming from fifth-year OT major Kimberly Cosgrove in the women’s 1,000-yard freestyle. She recorded a time of 11:30.24, an impressive 35 seconds ahead of the next swimmer.  Cosgrove also won in her 1000-yard freestyle race last week against York College.

Despite only one win, there were a few bright spots for the women. Juniors Amanda Long and Bonnie Lisk recorded new season-best times.  Long cut her time by nearly a second to 1:12.66 to claim second place in the women’s 100 breaststroke.  Lisk improved her time to 1:07.89 in the 100 back to third place for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays are hopeful about the future of their team.  First-year Dru Schneider was one of only a few Etown swimmers to come in second place.  Schneider recorded a time of 2:45.57 in the 200 breast, a mere five seconds behind the winner of the event.  She also managed a fourth-place finish in a very tight 100 breast race, coming in at 1:16.40.

First-year David Foery was another swimmer who showed promise in this weekend’s meet.  Coming in third in the men’s 100 free, Foery cut about half a second off his best for a time of 50.86.  He also came in third in the men’s 200 free with a time of 1:56.03.

First-year Kieran Koehler also starred for the men with second place finishes in both the 100 and 200 breast. He swam at 1:07.18 in the 100 race, just under two seconds slower than leader Eric Lawrence of Susquehanna.  Koehler also placed third in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.41 seconds, just ahead of sophomore and Etownian Photographer Shane Bahn.

Fellow sophomore Jacob Stonecipher is keeping a positive attitude about the result. “We all swam some events we don’t normally get to swim,” Stonecipher said.

He did not consider this as an excuse, but he stressed the importance of staying positive during meets.  “It’s a long season, and we need to remember that we can improve every meet.”  He also said, “I think a lot of us need to work on our endurance and stamina to finish out the long races.” This is especially important for those swimmers who participate in multiple events and for those in the 1,000-yard races.

Stonecipher also noted the great character of the swimmers on the other side. “The other team was really nice,” he said. “They cheered for all of our swimmers and were really good sports.” The teams they face this year might not have the same sportsmanship or camaraderie, but they hope to win as many meets as they can.

Both the men’s and women’s teams are 0-2 so far this season and will look to add their first wins as they travel to FDU-Florham University on Nov. 15.