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2008-09 swimming & diving
MEN’S SWIMMING SEASON PREVIEW
The new optimism of the women’s team is also being echoed among the
UB men’s swimming and diving team. The Bulls have 10 new names to add
to their roster, all of which are expected to make an immediate impact, and
return a handful of veterans. The veterans come into 2008 having experienced
an increase in competition after the Mid-American Conference combined
with the Sun Belt Conference for their annual Championship meet. The Bulls
finished seventh out of ten, and third among MAC
schools, all while gaining valuable experience as
they faced a more quality group of swimmers.
Second-year head coach Andy Bashor is
enthusiastic about the season and thinks the
combination of an impressive freshman class and
last year’s top returnees will result in a powerful
season.
Heading the list of returnees are backstroke
and medley specialist Zach Ruske (Superior,
CO/Monarch) and butterflyers Kevin
Schuster(Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) and
Scott Woster (North Pole, AK/North Pole).
At last season’s MAC/SunBelt Championships,
Ruske was the conference champion in
both the 100 and 200 backstroke as well as the
200 IM and earned new school records in the
200 backstroke and 200 IM at the meet. Schuster
placed 14th overall in the 100 butterfly at the
MAC Championship meet, making a new school
record. In the 200 butterfly, Woster set a school
record, placing 10th overall.
Other All-MAC team returnees include
junior Connor Vander Zalm (Kelowna, British
Columbia/ Kelowna), junior Andrew Tamchyna
(Newmarket, Ontario/Newmarket) and diver
Michael McDowell (Rush, NY/Rush Henrietta).
McDowell bettered his own school records in
the one and three-meter events and was the first
male diver in UB history to qualify for the NCAA
meet.
Kevin Schuster
Connor Vander Zalm
and freshman Simon Proudfoot (Jacksonville, FL/Stanton College Prep)
should have an impact in the 200 and 500 freestyles as well. Proudfoot was
a 2007 Florida High School State Runner-up in the 200 free and placed third
in the 100 freestyle at the Flordia state meet in 2007 as well.
The distance freestyle events are where the Bulls lack depth, as Vander
Zalm and Beckinghausen are UB’s lone distance swimmers. Vander Zalm
swam a career-best time and placed 10th at
the MAC Championships in the 1650 freestyle.
Vander Zalm also swam a career best in the 1000
freestyle at the MAC meet, but fell just short of
making the finals.
BACKSTROKE
The backstroke events are expected to be one
of UB’s strongest disciplines in the 2008-09 campaign,
as they return record holder and conference
champion, Ruske, as well as Tamchyna, who
finished just behind Ruske at the championship
meet.
Freshman Jake Sangren (Ithaca, NY/Lansing)
comes to UB with the fastest time on the roster
and will make an immediate impact in the pool
for the Bulls.
BREASTSTROKE
Sophomore Kevin Song (Ottawa, Ontario/
Sir Robert Borden) goes into the season with
the fastest 200 breaststroke time, but the 100
breaststroke is still up for grabs as UB returns
junior Jordan Matthews (Burnt Hills, NY/Burnt
Hills-Ballston Lake) and picks up freshman
Drew Polhill (Brewster, NY/Brewster). Matthews
swam the breaststroke leg of the IM relays, but
Polhill joins the Bulls with a time that is just
tenths of a second behind Matthews. Polhill was
a junior national qualifier and a New York high
school state finalist in the 200 IM.
A breakdown of the Bulls by discipline.
FREESTYLE
Schuster is UB’s top returning sprinter,
coming into the season with the top times in
the 50 and 100-yard freestyles. Also in the sprint
freestyle hunt are returnees Sterling Gell (Lansing,
NY/Lansing) and Colin Wilbert (Albion, NY/
Albion).
Kevin Song
BUTTERFLY
The Bulls return two veterans in the butterfly
races, which should be consistently good
throughout and be the deepest of the disciplines
for the Bulls. In the preliminary round at the
MAC Championship meet, Woster swam the
100 butterfly first, breaking the school record
with a time of 50.29. In the next heat Schuster
beat that, claiming a new school record with a
Freshmen that are expected to make an
time of 50.13. Both men collected points for the
impact in the sprint freestyle events include
Bulls at the meet, as the battle for the school
Jared Heine (Corry, PA/Corry), Andrew Kuter
record should be continued into this season.
(Pittsford, NY/Pittsford Sutherland) and Chad
This is especially true with the new freshmen on
Miller (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool). Heine was a
six-time Pennsylvania high school state finalist
Zach Ruske
board. Chris Berloth (Ypsilanti, MI/Huron) is just
tenths of a second away from the record as well.
and placed second in the 100 and 200 freestyle
Berloth was a the 2008 Michigan high school
at the Pennsylvania high school state championship. Kuter was a three-time
state champion in the 100 butterfly. Freshman Alex Kral (Central Valley, NY/
New York high school state qualifier, while Miller was a 2008 New York state
Munroe-Woodbury) is likely to have an impact in the butterfly events as well.
finalist in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
Kral was a 2008 New York high school state finalist in the 100 butterfly.
Ruske along with sophomore Brandon Beckinghausen (Williamsville,
NY/Williamsville North) will lead the middle-distance freestyle events. Heine
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