Anybody out there??
Most of the way through the first half of the season the Gettysburg and Swarthmore men are both undefeated and will meet on January 28 with the winner likely going undefeated in dual meets for the season. They will also meet at the invite hosted by Gettysburg on Dec 2-3. Gettysburg men have won the last 6 conference championships, defeating Swarthmore by 87 points in 2016.
The women of Swarthmore, Ursinus and Gettysburg are also undefeated at this point in the season. Ursinus has won the last 3 women's conference championships having easily won in 2016, just edging F&M in 2015, and sneaking by Gettysburg in 2014.
2016-17 Season
Moderators: Diesel471, ThePlowman
2016-17 Season
Once a competitive swimmer, you can become anything.
Re: 2016-17 Season
Good to see some activity here again!
Men's side
Swarthmore is perhaps the deepest they've ever been. They have the potential to make a serious run at winning it all this season. They may not beat Gettysburg in season, but they certainly have the manpower to rack up points at champs. This is their last legitimate chance before Hopkins joins the conference next season. Gettysburg still has a very good chance of winning it all as well. A deep freshman class keeps them in contention. Again, could possibly be their last year to win it all before Hopkins comes around. Washington looks to rebuild after an impressive few years. They are still quite talented. Ursinus looks stronger than last year with a promising freshman class. Franklin and Marshall adds major talent this year, particularly in the butterfly. Dickinson looks strong and returns a solid senior and junior class to lead the way. McDaniel continues to build upon the success they've had in recent years, and their recruiting efforts are paying off. Here's hoping they finally get a six lane pool, though there is a charm to the facility they currently have.
Women's side
Ursinus is still the favorite to repeat, but certainly faces competition from Swarthmore and Gettysburg, both of whom look very strong this year. Last chance for these teams to win the conference before Hopkins joins in on the fun. Washington and F and M look solid as well. Look for Dickinson to turn some heads this season, as there is unprecedented talent for them on the roster. They will continue to build.
Men's side
Swarthmore is perhaps the deepest they've ever been. They have the potential to make a serious run at winning it all this season. They may not beat Gettysburg in season, but they certainly have the manpower to rack up points at champs. This is their last legitimate chance before Hopkins joins the conference next season. Gettysburg still has a very good chance of winning it all as well. A deep freshman class keeps them in contention. Again, could possibly be their last year to win it all before Hopkins comes around. Washington looks to rebuild after an impressive few years. They are still quite talented. Ursinus looks stronger than last year with a promising freshman class. Franklin and Marshall adds major talent this year, particularly in the butterfly. Dickinson looks strong and returns a solid senior and junior class to lead the way. McDaniel continues to build upon the success they've had in recent years, and their recruiting efforts are paying off. Here's hoping they finally get a six lane pool, though there is a charm to the facility they currently have.
Women's side
Ursinus is still the favorite to repeat, but certainly faces competition from Swarthmore and Gettysburg, both of whom look very strong this year. Last chance for these teams to win the conference before Hopkins joins in on the fun. Washington and F and M look solid as well. Look for Dickinson to turn some heads this season, as there is unprecedented talent for them on the roster. They will continue to build.
Re: 2016-17 Season
Wow Hopkins finally aligning to the Centennial for swimming?! Is there an official release or statement on this?
Re: 2016-17 Season
There is no official statement as of yet. The twitter feed for the conference has mentioned it several times over the last few months. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but I am hopeful that this is a positive move.
Re: 2016-17 Season
Can you cite anything? Just did a quick search of the Conference twitter feed back to September and nothing mentioned it!
I think its great; as a Hopkins-less conference alum it only brings a higher level of swimming and attention to the conference. It will actually make it easier to recruit in when you can say you compete against the best every year at your conference meet. It could help grab recruits away from NESCAC or UAA. Am I upset that my alma mater won't win a championship in the next X number of years? Not really, it will only force current member institutions to invest more in their teams (and staffs) to compete against Hopkins. I do think this would be the end of Gettysburg hosting the championship meet; that would add 36 bodies to an already crowded pool deck.
I think its great; as a Hopkins-less conference alum it only brings a higher level of swimming and attention to the conference. It will actually make it easier to recruit in when you can say you compete against the best every year at your conference meet. It could help grab recruits away from NESCAC or UAA. Am I upset that my alma mater won't win a championship in the next X number of years? Not really, it will only force current member institutions to invest more in their teams (and staffs) to compete against Hopkins. I do think this would be the end of Gettysburg hosting the championship meet; that would add 36 bodies to an already crowded pool deck.
Re: 2016-17 Season
JHU will not be joining the conference - the move was discussed but at the end of the day it sounds like it wasn't a good fit for the Blue Jays.
Re: 2016-17 Season
Thank you for the clarification, gswim. I was a little sheepish to post again, since I'm unable to find the tweets in question (should've nabbed screenshots over the summer). Had nothing to show for pbr. Apologies to all- will know better to share source material in the future!
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[ Post made via iPhone ]
Re: 2016-17 Season
I didn't see the twitter feed but the potential move was out there and in no way a secret. As you all know, JHU is a CC member for most other sports.
CC has done pretty well these last few years. Good number of student-athletes at NCAAs (has always been there at some level) and fast times @ the conference meet. Adding JHU would for sure have had a positive impact on this aspect of the conference.
Regarding recruits - not sure if JHU would have made a significant impact in attracting students to other schools in the CC. There are so many factors that are out of the control of everyone other than the student-athlete (especially @ D3 level with no scholarship dollars or preferential FA); trying to predict where they may select to attend school is impossible.
When I think of investing in teams, not sure how schools increase that significantly more than the level we currently see. Pools and other facilities are rarely built. CC and D3 rules stipulate when the swim season begins and ends making scheduling additional potentially high profile opponents challenging. Athletic budgets as a whole are shrinking not growing; I think there are very few if any CC schools that would be able to increase coaching staffs.
The pool deck would have been extremely crowded at a conference meet that included JHU (not to mention the stands) - would have been pushing it at F&M as well.
CC has done pretty well these last few years. Good number of student-athletes at NCAAs (has always been there at some level) and fast times @ the conference meet. Adding JHU would for sure have had a positive impact on this aspect of the conference.
Regarding recruits - not sure if JHU would have made a significant impact in attracting students to other schools in the CC. There are so many factors that are out of the control of everyone other than the student-athlete (especially @ D3 level with no scholarship dollars or preferential FA); trying to predict where they may select to attend school is impossible.
When I think of investing in teams, not sure how schools increase that significantly more than the level we currently see. Pools and other facilities are rarely built. CC and D3 rules stipulate when the swim season begins and ends making scheduling additional potentially high profile opponents challenging. Athletic budgets as a whole are shrinking not growing; I think there are very few if any CC schools that would be able to increase coaching staffs.
The pool deck would have been extremely crowded at a conference meet that included JHU (not to mention the stands) - would have been pushing it at F&M as well.