Women's Swimming & Diving | 10/19/2016 8:30:00 AM

ROCHESTER, NY — The RIT women's swimming and diving team enters the 2016-17 season with high hopes, looking to build on a tremendous year in 2015-16.
 
As a team, the Tigers won seven dual meets, placed fourth in the Liberty League Championships, and seventh at the UNYSCSA Championship in 2015-16.
 
The Tigers graduated two seniors, including Natalie Snyder (Rockville, MD/Rockville), who became the first diver in RIT history to be named an All-American, after a fifth place finish at the NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships in the 1-meter event. She was also a CoSIDA Academic All-American selection, RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar, and Comeback Athlete of the Year.
 
"We graduated an All-American who's going to be hard to replace, but we've got good divers that will help balance out the whole team," said head coach Mike Cahill. "On the women's side I think it's the deepest, strongest team we've ever had here at RIT. We have the makings of an exceptional team."
 
With just 10 upperclassmen, the freshmen and sophomores will be looked upon to produce in 2016-17. Sophomore Amy Adams (Erie, PA/Collegiate Academy) will look to improve on a successful first year for the Tigers. She broke the 200-yard breaststroke record twice during the UNYSCSA Championships, breaking a 16-year old mark with a time of 2:26.76 in the preliminary round, before beating that with a time of 2:25.26 in the finals. She set a new record in the 100-yard breaststroke, breaking another 16-year old mark, with a time of 1:05.46.
 
Zbranak, Phillips and Evans — all sophomores — will be looked at along with Adams to make big strides for the Tigers in 2016-17. Sedera Zbranak (Austin, TX/Lake Travis) was a two-time Liberty League Swimmer of the Week in 2015-16 and placed in second in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events at the Liberty League Championships, before her season was cut short due to injury. Olivia Phillips (Louisville, CO/Fairview) won four backstroke events last season, and registered a fourth place finish in the 50- and 100-yard backstroke at the UNYSCSA Championships. Sarah Evans (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) improved late in the 2015-16 season, with victories in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle against Hamilton, Vassar and Nazareth.
 
Senior co-captain Genevieve Senecal (Westfield, MA/Westfield) had a strong junior year for RIT, including six victories, in the 100- and 200-yard butterfly. She was named a CollegeSwimming.com Division III Swimmer of the Week. At the UNYSCSA Championship, she finished in fourth in the 200-yard butterfly and sixth in the 100-yard butterfly.
 
Fellow senior co-captain Megan O'Connor (Spring City, PA/Owen J. Roberts) will be looking to add to a season in which she recorded a third place finish against Nazareth and a fourth place finish against Hamilton and Vassar in the 200-yard breaststroke. Senior Brenna Woodling (Williamsville, NY/Williamsville East) returns this season as the team's third co-captain after working on co-op in 2015-16. Classmate Rachel Kobel (Bergen, NY/Byron-Bergen) also added to last year's junior class contributions, with a third place finish against SUNY Oswego and a 12th place finish at the Liberty League Championships in the individual medley. Senior diver Amanda Drake (Endicott, NY/Maine Endwell) finished in second in the 3-meter dive against Oswego, and will be looking to add more in 2016-17.
 
"Our main goals are always to win a championship and set school records," said Cahill. "There's only 40 events at our state competition and we really think we have a chance at breaking somewhere around 15 of them. We are also looking at the possibility of making NCAAs. But they're very fast, so we have to be good, we have to be a little lucky, and have to make those top teams. It's going to be an exciting year."
 
The Tigers will compete at Judson Pool six times in 2016-17. RIT opens the season on Oct. 19 against Oswego State at 6 p.m. After a road trip to Rensselaer, the Tigers will return home to host Fredonia State on Oct. 29 and St. Lawrence on Nov. 5. The middle of the season will see three consecutive home events, as RIT hosts Alfred on Nov. 19, the Liberty League Championships on Dec. 2-3 and Hamilton College on Jan. 14. RIT closes the regular season on the road, including meets at William Smith on Jan. 17, along with nearby University of Rochester on Jan. 21 and Nazareth on Jan. 28. The postseason will begin with the UNYSCSA Championship on Feb. 15-18 and the NCAA Region 4 Diving Championship on Feb. 24-25. Both evens will take place at Ithaca College.