Women’s Swim & Dive Set to Host UMass

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Coming off two wins over Binghamton and Vermont, the Army West Point women's swimming and diving team has its home opener at Crandall Pool Friday, Oct. 16, when the Black Knights host UMass at 5 p.m.

"I thought going up to Binghamton last week really set the tone for our competitive season," said head coach Mickey Wender. "The team was all business, they got right down to it and were tremendous. I was impressed with the attention to detail and the focus. Everyone took ownership of their races and they all seem to have a pretty good sense of what their roll is and what they need to do for us to be successful.

"I wasn't expecting that especially from all the plebes. They were tremendous. They got right to it and were really focused, it was great. I am really pleased with our team and I think we have great leadership. There is a real energy, enthusiasm and focus towards performance which is important. A lot of the peripheral stuff that we can't control are not nearly as important to this particular group, so I am excited."

Last weekend, Army earned two wins. The Black Knights defeated Binghamton 225-59 and skated past Vermont by a score of 167-131. Army placed first in 10-of-16 races and had multiple Cadets with three-plus wins.

"We traveled 29 cadets last weekend and 14 of them were plebes," said Wender. "They can have a big potential impact across the lineup, and I think they bring a level of competence and versatility to broaden our point scoring abilities in every area. With that group, we can do a lot of things. They have made an immediate impact, and there are some others that will step up."

Besides the 200 medley relay, Kelly Hamilton and Molly Mucciarone each had a hand in two other first place finishes. Hamilton placed first in the 100 back after clocking a 56.77, which was a pool record. She was also a member of the first place 200 free relay that closed the meet. Mucciarone touched the wall first in the 50 free (23.92) and 100 fly (56.98).

In the diving events, Jorie Mason represented Army on the 1-meter and earned 146.35 points in her first event as a Black Knight. The Black Knights closed the meet with another first place relay finish, this time in the 400 free relay.

This past week the team has trained side by side with the best in the world. Olympians Ryan Lochte, Cullen Jones, Nathan Adrian, Missy Franklin and Natalie Coughlin utilized Crandall Pool in their preparation stages for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio.

"It has been great to have Ryan, Cullen, Nathan, Missy and Natalie, the whole group at Crandall Pool," explained Wender. "They have brought an air of excitement and fun this week. They have been nothing but gracious and supportive, they even got up and raced some of our athletes at practice the other day. It has been fun to have them around."

For up-to-date information about Army swimming and diving, please follow @ArmyWP_SwimDive on Twitter and Instagram.

Women’s Swim & Dive Set to Host UMass

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kelly Hamilton

Jorie Mason

Molly Mucciarone

Army West Point Athletics