With the challenge of the conference championships looming, the men’s swimming and diving team is developing its strength in its unity and growth as a team.

In order to produce the best score as a team, both the swimmers and divers need to have top performances. The competitions combine the endurance of swimming and the precision of diving, and often teams struggle to create a cohesive unit outside of the pool. But the Bombers have used a common goal to bond them.  

“For a lot of teams, it’s hard,” junior diver Andrew Longcore said. “Our team really focuses on one team and not two separate teams. [The swimmers] cheer for us during home meets. They watch us, and we do the same for them. They take an interest in how our practices go. They put in the effort, and so do we.”

When Longcore began diving his freshman year, he was the only male diver. Now with five divers, the diving squad has been able to make an impact on the outcome of meets. This season the Bombers have finally established themselves as a threat on the boards and have been the deal breaker in close meets like the South Hill squad’s 126–117 victory over SUNY-Cortland on Nov. 8 and 126.5–116.5 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Jan. 17.

“When I came in freshman year, I was the only guy,” Longcore said. “It took me a while to actually become confident to be part of the team. ... Now that we do have a bigger team, it has helped us become a part of the overall team. ... Diving can finally be a potential moneymaker for us.”

Longcore said the diving team’s growth in size has also improved the cohesion of the swimming and diving team.

Freshman Derek Rand has led the divers with three first-place finishes in the 1-meter dive, and sophomore Mike Glicini has picked up two first-place finishes in the 3-meter dive, which has propelled the Bombers to a 12–5 regular season record.

For the swimmers, strong upperclassmen leadership and a hardworking freshman class have created a strong, overall team bond.

Sophomore butterfly swimmer and freestyler Justin Gainer said the team’s six seniors have helped to unify the team. “The leadership is different, and the fact that we are losing so many important guys, who are not only team leaders and role models, but fast swimmers, is a big deal.”

Seven seniors have led the Blue and Gold throughout the season, but freshmen, like freestyler Antoine Connors and backstroker Rand, have also secured many first-place finishes for the Bombers this season.

“Each year the team is different, and that usually starts with what the freshmen are like,” sophomore Bobby Gendimenico said. “We lost a lot of guys from last year, but fortunately the freshmen have made up for them in and out of the pool.”

Thanks to the growth in both parts of the team, the Bombers are a huge threat to Empire 8 front-runner Alfred in next week’s conference championship.

“Hopefully, the best is yet to come at the conference,” Longcore said. “It’s been a night-and-day difference from last year and definitely for the better.”