GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah men's swimming team is set to begin its season this Saturday, Oct. 30th, when it hosts Hood College, King's College (Pa.), and Widener University in Fredericksen Natatorium at 1:00 p.m. for a triple-dual. The Falcons will compete in their first full season since the 2019-20 campaign after finishing an abbreviated 2021 schedule with a 2-0 record.
Read below for a quick preview of the upcoming 2021-22 men's swimming season:
A Look Back
As mentioned above, Messiah finished its 2021 season with a record of 2-0. Beginning its season with a MAC Virtual Meet in which Messiah tied for second out of 11 teams, the Falcons defeated both Stevenson University (135-68) and Albright College (139-104) before competing in the MAC Championships on April 16th and 17th.
Messiah competed well in the conference championship event, finishing fourth out of 14 teams with a total team score of 814. The Falcons accumulated three medals as returner
Isaac McCabe contributed two, touching third in both the 100 breast (1:00.35) and 200 breast (2:12.79). McCabe earned his third All-MAC Conference honor of his career with his performance. A 200 freestyle relay team that included returners
Jacob Whipple and
Mark Lukens earned a second-place finish with a time of 1:27.31, proving to be the Falcons' best finish of the championship event.
Messiah's fourth-place finish in the MAC Championships was the team's best finish in the championship meet since the 2017-18 season.
In The Pool
The Falcons welcome four newcomers to their roster ahead of the fresh season. Freshmen
Ben Clarke,
PJ Cronauer,
Mitch DiFante, and
Sage Sobek will look to make immediate contributions. Messiah also welcomes back a total of nine returners, eight of the returners coming from the 2021 spring roster, as
Mason Kennedy returns to the men's swimming team after competing as a freshman and sophomore during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns.
McCabe, who returns for his third year as a Falcon, had team-best times in the 100 breast (1:00.35), 200 breast (2:12.79), and 200 IM (2:02.75) last season. Messiah returns
Andrew Roberti for his sophomore season after owning the top time on the team in the 200 fly (2:06.39), as well as
Brett Graff, who had a team-best time of 4:33.52 in the 400 IM. Other notable returners include Lukens, Whipple,
Joseph McGillen,
Michael Shoul, and Jonathon Lacayo.
On The Deck
Head coach
Katie McComb returns to the helm of Messiah men's swimming for her fifth season, who has led the Falcons to four-consecutive top-five finishes in the MAC Championships. Joining McComb on the coaching staff are assistant coaches
Katie Kurtz and
Joshua Clarke.
Be sure to follow the Falcons all season long right here at GoMessiah.com!
