Susquehanna Men's Swimming

(11-0 overall, 4-0 Landmark Conference)

Crusaders Take Second at Landmark Conference Championships Meet Results

KINGS POINT, N.Y.-- Susquehanna University took second place at the Landmark Conference Swimming & Diving Championships, held from Feb. 15-17 at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, to mark the team's only non-first place finish of the 2007-08 season.

The USMMA scored a meet-high 633 points. Susquehanna followed closely behind with 566 points, while Catholic University came in third with 303.

The Crusaders, however, rewrote the school record book, erasing all five relay records among a slue of individual event record-breaking performances.

Senior Jeff Fornadley (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey) closed out his collegiate swimming career with three event wins, each in school-record time, and a Co-Swimmer of the Meet award shared with a Scranton athlete. Fornadley recorded a 21.56-second 50-yard freestyle on the first evening of competition, resetting his former 2006 standard of 21.60. He flirted with the NCAA Championships provisional cut time in his 200 freestyle (1:43.03), taking first in 1:43.90. Fornadley's time erased the 2005 school record of 1:46.29 that Adam Thurstlic set leading off Susquehanna's 800 freestyle relay at the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Championships that year. Fornadley nearly missed the 100 freestyle NCAA provisional cut time (46.55), swimming a 46.70. Fornadley eclipsed his 2007 47.66 record with his swim at this year's conference championship.

Freshman Joe Scheno (Berwick, Pa./Central Columbia) took home the Freshman Swimmer of the Meet honors for his 100 butterfly win (53.69), his second-place showing in the 100 backstroke (54.95) and his third-place effort in the 100 freestyle (48.90). Scheno also had the third-highest point total at the end of the meet next to Fornadley and Veselovsky.

Junior Derek Wolf (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) took first in the 100 breaststroke, covering the four-lap event in a time of 1:00.16. His preliminary swim of 1:00.10 overtook his 2007 school record of 1:00.67. Wolf also placed fourth in the 50 freestyle (22.67) and fifth in the 200 breaststroke (2:20.95).

Senior Alex Thurstlic (Chadds Ford, Pa./Garnet Valley) captured gold in the 200 backstroke, clocking a 2:00.79. Thurstlic reset his 2007 mark of 2:00.51 with a preliminary swim of 2:00.23. In addition to his 200 backstroke event win, Thurstlic took fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:03.24) and third in the 100 backstroke (55.04).

Junior Patrick Donegan (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg) provided Susquehanna's biggest surprise of the meet, placing third in the 1-meter diving event with a 319.35 score. Donegan, a goalkeeper for the men's soccer team, had practiced just three times leading up to the conference championships meet and defeated two divers from the USMMA.

Senior Andrew Lyon (Glenside, Pa./Cheltenham) lowered two school records in two of his individual events. Lyon, who took fourth in the 400 individual medley with a time of 4:26.39, erased Steve Fischer's 2000 mark of 4:28.61. Lyon also reset his 2005 1,650 freestyle standard of 17:19.17 with a 17:12.88 time, taking second in the event. Lyon also placed fifth in the 500 freestyle (4:58.30).

Freshman Alex Willcox (Dresher, Pa./Upper Dublin) erased Thurstlic's 2006 200 butterfly record (2:01.80) when he slipped under the two-minute barrier with a 1:59.92 swim in finals competition. His sub-two minute performance earned him a second-place finish. Willcox placed fourth in the 100 butterfly with a 55.42 time and fourth in the 1,650 freestyle (17:16.38) in addition to his second-place showing in the 200 butterfly.

All five relays lowered school standards with four of those relays taking first place.

The 200 freestyle relay contingent of Fornadley, freshman Jeff Kormanik (Allentown, Pa./William Allen), Wolf and Scheno touched first in 1:27.23. The former school record was 1:28.07, which was set in 2007.

At the end of the first day, the 400 medley relay (Thurstlic, Wolf, Scheno and Fornadley) cruised to a 3:35.31 gold-medal time, crushing the 2007 school standard of 3:38.35.

The only second-place finish that the Crusaders relays experienced was in the 200 medley relay, as the grouping of Thurstlic, Wolf, Willcox and Kormanik clocked a 1:39.03. Their time, however, bettered the 2007 record of 1:40.19.

Fornadley, Thurstlic, Lyon and Scheno joined up in the 800 freestyle relay, taking first again in 7:11.45. The time erased the 2007 school mark of 7:17.04.

Susquehanna closed out the meet in grand style, as Fornadley, Thurstlic, Kormanik and Scheno blitzed the 400 freestyle relay competition in 3:12.46. Their collaborative effort led to the falling of the final relay record of the meet, which was the 2007 standard of 3:13.66.

The Crusaders were able to keep up with the USMMA because of an incredible depth of role-playing swimmers. All 17 swimmers who competed for points qualified for either the championship final or the consolation final in at least one event.

Junior Rich Brinker (Niantic, Conn./East Lyme) responded after receiving a second alternate status after the preliminary heats in the 200 individual medley, advancing to the finals in each of the two backstroke events. Brinker placed fifth in the 100 backstroke (57.08) and the 200 backstroke (2:06.02).

Junior Jeff Gorcyca (Kennett Square, Pa./Kennett) also placed in the top six in two events. Gorcyca took fifth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:02.92 and sixth in the 200 breaststroke, clocking a time of 2:21.43.

Kormanik qualified for the championship finals in two events and the consolation finals in one event. He placed fifth in the 50 freestyle (22.72), sixth in the 100 butterfly (56.62) and seventh in the 100 freestyle (50.81).

Sophomore Liv Thran (Dalton, Pa./Abington Heights) had a strong showing, placing in the top six in two of his events. Thran came in fourth in the 500 freestyle with a 4:57.20, seventh in the 200 freestyle with a 1:53.62 and third in the 1,650 freestyle, clocking 17:13.32.

Freshman Arley Garcia (York, Pa./York Suburban) placed in the top 12 in all of his events, including a 10th-place finish in the 500 freestyle (5:14.24), 10th place in the 200 freestyle (1:54.09) and eighth place in the 1,650 freestyle (18:17.51).

Freshman Steve Grieb (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) dropped significant amounts of time from his in-season bests in each event he swam. Grieb snared seventh place in the 400 individual medley (4:39.94), eighth place in the 100 backstroke (57.84) and seventh place in the 200 backstroke (2:07.32).

Sophomore Rob Lombardi (Basking Ridge, N.J./Ridge), who joined up with the team for the second half of the season after being hampered by injury woes, placed in both events he swam. Lombardi won the consolation final heat in the 50 freestyle (23.41), taking seventh, and placed ninth in the 100 freestyle (51.19).

Freshman Bryan Watts (Bethlehem, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) roped in top 12 finishes in each of his events. Watts conjured up a ninth-place finish in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.82, a 12th-place finish in the 200 freestyle (1:57.74) and a 10th-place finish in the 100 freestyle (52.34).

Sophomore Andrew Cole (Wellsboro, Pa./Wellsboro) muscled his way to three top 12 finishes, taking eighth in the 100 butterfly (58.34), 12th in the 100 backstroke (1:01.95) and 11th in the 100 freestyle (52.43).

Sophomore Will Conway (Abingdon, Md./Bel Air) qualified for night swims in both breaststroke events, taking 11th in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.64) and 12th in the 200 breaststroke (2:29.72).

Senior Brian Savard (Berwyn, Pa./Conestoga) closed out his swimming career with an eighth-place showing in the 400 individual medley (4:40.45), a ninth-place effort in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.57) and a ninth-place finish in the 200 breaststroke (2:22.96).

Sophomore Jim Robichaud (South Portland, Maine/South Portland) and senior Sean Hogan (Plymouth, Pa./Wyoming Valley West) each competed in morning swims, but due to an NCAA rule limiting the number of swimmers eligable for points in a conference championship meet, neither could advance to finals since Susquehanna covered its quota of 18 swimmers.

All-Conference Honors:

1st Team:
Jeff Fornadley (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay)

Alex Thurstlic (200 backstroke, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay)

Joe Scheno (100 butterfly, 200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay, 800 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay)

Derek Wolf (100 breaststroke, 200 freestyle relay, 400 medley relay)

Jeff Kormanik (200 freestyle relay, 400 freestyle relay)

Andrew Lyon (800 freestyle relay)

2nd Team:
Alex Willcox (200 butterfly, 200 medley relay)

Joe Scheno (100 backstroke)

Andrew Lyon (1,650 freestyle)

Alex Thurstlic (200 medley relay)

Derek Wolf (200 medley relay)

Jeff Kormanik (200 medley relay)