GETTYSBURG, Pa. – The Gettysburg College men's swimming team kicks off the 2019-20 campaign under the guidance of a new head coach, but the change in leadership hasn't swayed the Bullets' goal away from reclaiming the top spot in the Centennial Conference.
In 25 seasons as a member of the CC, Gettysburg has laid claim to more team championships (15) than any other institution. After winning the title in 2018, the Bullets were upended by Swarthmore College last season, which marked long-time head coach
Mike Rawleigh's final campaign.
Taking over for Rawleigh is
Greg Brown, who spent the last four seasons coaching at the Division I level at Florida Atlantic University (2015-17) and Army West Point (2017-19). Brown, a former swimmer at Lycoming College and the first-ever head swimming coach at Marywood University (2010-15), returns to his Division III roots and looks to lead the men's program back to the top in the Centennial.
"The goal for the men's team is to win," said Brown. "This is a strong men's roster. Every guy on our team can score a lot of points. We do have a small margin for error, but if we go out there and do the small things well and they challenge each other every day, I think it's going to be really good."
The lineup is loaded with depth and experience with 15 returning competitors. Three first-years will add to the roster and help the Bullets fill the lanes this winter.
With Brown's arrival, the team has picked up its preseason training to include increased work in the weight room. The squad has also engaged in several competitive inter-squad races with the goal of going fast early and often.
"What you want to hope for there is this new training, the weight room, the way we're doing things in practice…you're hoping those things help no matter how fast anyone was prior to me getting here," noted Brown. "You hope the new training helps them take it up a notch."
Swarthmore claimed its second team championship in three years by beating out Gettysburg in its own pool last February. The Bullets set a pair of program records last year and return the top performers in 11 of the races from the conference meet.
Gettysburg was selected No. 2 in the CC Preseason Coaches' Poll behind Swarthmore, but Brown hopes the added training and underdog mentality will help the Bullets bump up the ladder and return to the apex of the league.
"I think with anybody, when you leave high school and come to college you see that bump. I'm hoping for that same bump. I'm here, I'm new and I think I've got some really good ideas that are going to help this more upperclassmen-led team to get that mid-college or late-college bump and just make this the best season they've ever had."
Freestyle
Gettysburg returns its fastest swimmer in each freestyle event except the 100. Junior
Duncan Proxmire (McLean, Va./Langley) ranks as one of the top distance competitors in the conference and hit a national qualifying time in the 1,650 last season. Proxmire was the conference silver medalist in the 1,650 free in 2018 and finished third in the event last season. Senior
Ogden Leyens (For Washington, Pa./Upper Dublin) is the program record holder in the 200 free (1:38.53), 500 free (4:31.56), 1,000 free (9:37.92), and 1,650 free (15:51.33) and was an All-American in the 200 in 2017. Senior
Josh Parker (Millington, N.J./Watchung Hills) holds the program's second-fastest time in the 500 free (4:38.09) and placed seventh at the league meet last season.
Juniors
Oliver Yancey (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) and
Aedan Collins (Westfield, N.J./Westfield) and sophomore
Sam Nonemaker (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg) return as the team's top sprinters. Nonemaker and Collins both made the finals in the 50 and 100 freestyle races at conferences a year ago, while Yancey was the team's top performer in the 50 with a fourth-place showing.
Junior
Danny Petrillo (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) set a new PR by going 1:42.73 on the way to a sixth-place showing at the conference meet in the 200 free last season. Nonemaker and Proxmire also add the 200 to their swimming repertoires.
Butterfly
The team's top flyers return in junior
Jack Edelson (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Senior) and sophomore
Oliver Pickering (Millburn, N.J./Millburn). The duo took turns holding the 200 fly record last year with Edelson setting the mark at the Gettysburg Invitational before Pickering bested it with a time of 1:52.32 on the way to grabbing the silver medal at the CC Championship. Edelson posted the team's fastest mark in the 100-yard race and will be joined by Collins. The pair finished fifth and sixth, respectively, at the conference meet in 2019.
Breaststroke
Senior
Adam Dias (Wilmington, Del./Charter School of Wilmington) holds the program record in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:04.16) and was the CC champ in 2017. He has made the conference finals in the 200 in each of his three seasons and will look to lead the Orange and Blue once again this season. Yancey claimed the bronze medal in the 100-yard race with a personal-best time of 58.42. Petrillo could factor into the breaststroke events as well after qualifying for the conference finals last year.
Backstroke
After studying abroad last fall, senior
Jeff Ragatz (Brookfield, Conn./Brookfield) returned to the team and promptly led the way in both backstroke races at conferences. He made the championship final in the 200, finishing seventh overall, and claimed the top spot in the consolation final of the 100. The versatile Collins also has experience in the 100.
Individual Medley
Dias, Edelson, and Pickering ranked second, third, and fourth on the program's all-time top-10 list in the 200 IM. Dias made the conference championship finals in the 200 in each of his first two seasons, while Edelson was the bronze medalist in 2018. Pickering won the consolation finals and placed ninth overall in the event last season. Parker holds the program's third-fastest time in the 400 IM at 4:09.89 and was the bronze medalist in the event in 2018.
Relays
The majority of competitors in the top relays from last season return to the fold. The Bullets just missed all-conference accolades a year ago with third-place finishes in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays and the 200 medley relay at the conference meet. The team's depth and experience will give Brown plenty of options to work with this season.
| Top Times from 2018-19 |
| 200 Free Relay |
Yancey, Collins, Sorenson, Nonemaker |
1:23.46 |
| 400 Free Relay |
Nonemaker, Yancey, Collins, Nieves |
3:05.73 |
| 800 Free Relay |
Edelson, Petrillo, Collins, Nonemaker |
6:57.26 |
| 200 Medley Relay |
Collins, Yancey, Edelson, Nonemaker |
1:32.63 |
| 400 Medley Relay |
Freeman, Yancey, Edelson, Sorenson |
3:27.72 |
| Bold indicates returning swimmer |
Schedule
The Bullets begin the year with three consecutive home duals, including the opener against Washington College this Saturday at 1 p.m. The biggest event of the opening semester is the two-day Gettysburg Invitational at the Bullets Pool on Dec. 6-7.
Some of the toughest duals await Gettysburg in the second semester, including a non-conference match up at 19-time Old Dominion Athletic Conference champ University of Mary Washington on Jan. 25 and a road trip to defending Centennial champ Swarthmore College on Feb. 1. The Bullets annual showdown with long-time rival Franklin & Marshall College will take place at home on Feb. 8.
After a last-chance invitational at Franklin and Marshall on Feb. 15, the Bullets host to the CC Championship for the second consecutive season on Feb. 20-23.
