2015-16 Roster
2015-16 Schedule
2014-15 Top Times
 
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – After making strides last year by finishing fourth at the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championships, the State University of New York at New Paltz men's swimming team is primed to improve upon that performance in 2015-16, as it returns 15 swimmers who scored at the conference meet last year.
 
With several impact newcomers and steady veteran leadership, the Hawks have as promising a season in front of them as they have had recent memory under the direction of eighth-year head coach Scott Whitbeck.
 
Senior co-captains Ethan Cooke (Middletown, Conn./Middletown), Will Koenig (Highland, Calif./Redlands East Valley) and Ryan Lindgren (Hurley, N.Y./Kingston) will all share the leadership duties and have positively impacted the team both in and out of the pool.
 
A butterfly and sprint specialist, Cooke scored points at SUNYACs last year in the 100 butterfly (seventh) and the 200 butterfly (ninth) and will be looked to as a key contributor once again this year, holding the second-fastest 200 butterfly performance in program history.
 
Koenig earned Second-Team All-SUNYAC honors in 2015, placing third in the 50 freestyle at the SUNYAC Championships with a time of 21.25, and he also scored points at the conference meet in the 100 freestyle (sixth) and the 200 freestyle (11th). One of the top sprinters in the conference, Koenig will be a large factor on several Hawk relays this season.
 
Finally, Lindgren shaved several seconds off his lifetime best in the 200 breaststroke at the conference meet and ended up finishing fourth with a time of 2:10.24. Also a threat in the 100 breaststroke, Lindgren won the consolation final with sub-minute performance of 59.38.
 
Beyond Koenig, Cooke and Lindgren, sophomore Caleb Treadwell (Cortland, N.Y./Cortland) and junior transfer Austin Kowalsky (Bellmore, N.Y./W.C. Mepham) also have the ability to impact the lineup in the sprint freestyle events.
 
Sophomore Tyler Newman (New Hartford, N.Y./New Hartford) is the lone middle-distance freestyle specialist returning, and he is joined by three newcomers: sophomore Matthew Kessler (Highland Mills, N.Y./Cornwall Central), sophomore Barrett Celecki (Barneveld, N.Y./Holland Patent) and freshman Griffen Camberdella (Ridge, N.Y./Longwood).
 
With the graduation of Jack Spader, junior Rob Cahn (Bellmore, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) takes over as the Hawks' top returning distance swimmer. Cahn placed sixth last year in the 1,650 freestyle at the conference meet and will look to be a championship finalist in his other two events—the 500 freestyle and the 200 butterfly—at the SUNYAC meet this year. Junior Thomas Whittico (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) has scored points at the conference meet the past two years and will look to fortify the distance group, while freshman Rory Neal (Bayonne, N.J./Bayonne) also adds depth to the Hawks' distance corps.
 
Sophomore Marc Piliero (Peekskill, N.Y./Peekskill) enjoyed a strong freshman campaign, qualifying for the consolation final at the SUNYAC meet in the 100 and 200 backstrokes. Freshman Yakhya Toure (Brooklyn, N.Y./International High School at Prospect Heights) also comes in as a talented backstroker and will help add firepower to the lineup in both backstroke events.
 
The Hawks' skilled breaststroke group remains intact, which includes six SUNYAC meet point scorers in Lindgren, senior Tom Anderson (West Islip, N.Y./West Islip), juniors Vitaut Gurskiy (Lindenhurst, N.Y./Lindenhurst) and Matt Alfultis (Waterford, Conn./Waterford) and sophomores Colin Duell (Glens Falls, N.Y./Glens Falls) and Chad Plante (Naples, N.Y./Naples).
 
Cooke, Treadwell, Anderson and junior Luke Zenir (Cherry Valley, N.Y./Cooperstown Central) all return for New Paltz in the butterfly events, with all four having scored points in either the 100 or 200 butterfly at the conference meet last year.
 
Finally, the team has grown markedly in the individual medley events, as returners Piliero, Plante and sophomore Nick Wills (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) are joined by three newcomers: junior Nolan Graziano (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Rhinebeck), sophomore Kevin Sales (Holtsville, N.Y./Sachem East) and freshman Joe Galante (Newburgh, N.Y./Newburgh Free Academy).
 
New Paltz begins its season on Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Union Relays. The SUNYAC Championships are set to run from Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 18-20, at Erie Community College's Burt Flickinger Aquatic Center in Buffalo, N.Y., while the NCAA Division III Championships are scheduled to run from Wednesday-Saturday, March 16-19, at the Greensboro Aquatic Center in Greensboro, N.C.