2008 Woodie Awards
Despite loss, swimming retains drive
Neal Day
Issue date: 11/14/08 Section: Sports
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Swimming at Ramapo in its season opener, the team put forth an impressive effort.
Jereon Fabricant ('12) won two events in his first meet as a Ranger.
Fabricant won the 1000 meter freestyle in remarkable fashion as he not only shaved 40 seconds off his previous best, but also finished almost two minutes ahead of his competition.
Later, Fabricant won the 500 meter freestyle, finishing three seconds ahead of everyone else.
"As a team, over 11 lifetime best times were swum on Saturday, and personally, I swam lifetime best times in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke," John Feniello ('11) said.
He ended the 100 meter backstroke in a close second, finishing only three seconds behind first place.
Along with Feniello, Tim Charpie ('09) recorded a personal best in the 200 meter IM.
Charpie finished second, completing the race in only 2:20.94. Nelson Melendez ('11) and Max Yochum ('11) also walked away with personal bests.
"I think the meet was a moral victory," Feniello said. "We have never performed this well in the past, especially this early in our season, and I think our performance is a prelude to a very successful season."
Though the team lost 114-68, the Rangers still walked away knowing they have a team loaded with talent.
On Wednesday night, the Rangers hoped to even out their 0-1 record, but Ursinus College had other plans.
Swimming for the first time this season in Drew's Kirby Pool, the men's squad had an exciting match, yet they walked away with a 94-67 loss. Charpie had another good day, as he finished first in the 200 meter fly with a time of 2:37.79.
Fabricant placed second in the 500 meter free, ending the race seven seconds behind an Ursinus swimmer.
Yochum also ended the day well, placing second in the 200 meter backstroke.
"Our team had amazing energy and motivation tonight," Jordan Maslin ('12) said. "We swam hard, cheered hard, and gave it 110 percent participation."
The men's next meet is in a week, as they look forward to the Gary Hall, Jr. Clinic and diabetes swim-a-thon tomorrow. Though the team may be 0-2, nobody has lost hope.
"It's not all about winning and losing, it's about the desire to improve and it's about us as a team," Maslin said. "We will only get better, and we'll have a greater bounce-back from these early meets."
Feniello echoed Maslin's remark. "The team's goals are definitely to finish the season with a .500 record, or win at least half our dual meets, to place in the top 3 at the Landmark Conference Championships in February, and to maintain a collective team GPA of 3.4," he said.
The swim-a-thon presents the perfect opportunity for the Rangers to not only compete, but to help out Gary Hall, Jr.'s Diabetes Foundation.
This is the second year the Rangers will be competing in the event.
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