Season Preview: Senior laden team ready to lead men's swimming team into new conference

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 2010-11 Gallaudet University men’s swimming team looks to improve on last year’s season. Junior Brian Bennett (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will captain the Bison men’s swimming team this season, as he looks to improve on his previous GU records in freestyle events. Bennett and his training partner, newcomer DJ Everton-Lovell (Norfolk, Va.), have loads of potential and have been swimming very impressively during practice. Senior Daniel DiDonna (Parsippany, N.J.) returns as one of the team’s top swimmers, having recorded a personal best 33.79 seconds in the 50-meter breaststroke at the 2009 Deaflympics. Fellow seniors Ben Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.), Dan Burton (Waukesha, Wis.) and Kyle Sexton (Peoria, Ill.) will provide some veteran leadership to the team as well. Junior Daniel Katz-Hernandez (Montgomery Village, Md.) and sophomore Kailob Miller (Ardmore, Okla.) look to improve upon their 2009-10 seasons.

Seventh-year coach Bill Snape fully believes that this team is deep with a rich team spirit.

“We win meets by using all the parts of our machine,” said Snape. “Our team goal for both teams is a winning record during the dual meet season something hasn’t happened for the men’s team. This could literally be the best Gallaudet swimming teams (men's and women's) we have ever had. We are loaded with seniors and other good swimmers. Time will only tell.”

Finally, Coach Snape would also like to compete for the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) swimming championship in February 2011 in Cobleskill, N.Y. This is Gallaudet’s first season in the NEAC after spending 20 years in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC). The Bison placed sixth at the CAC championships last season.

SCHEDULE
The Bison will host a flurry of meets this season beginning with a homecoming weekend matchup against Frostburg State University on October 29 at 6 p.m. The teams then head to St. Mary’s (Md.) College on November 6 for a double dual meet against St. Mary’s and Goucher College. A home event vs. SUNYIT on November 13 breaks up another double dual meet against York (Pa.) College and Penn St.-Altoona at York on December 3. The Bison then complete the season with five of its last six meets at home: Buff and Blue Meet (Dec. 11), College of St. Elizabeth (Jan. 23), College of Notre Dame (Jan. 26), and double dual meets vs. Hollins University and Marymount (Va.) University (Jan. 30). The Bison also have an away contest at Hood College on January 22. The NEAC championships then run from Feb. 18-20 at Cobleskill, N.Y., where Wells College looks to defend its 2009 championship.