West Chester Men Seeking 19th Consecutive Conference Title
YORK, Pa. – West Chester University is on a mission as it opens up defense of its Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's swimming title on Thursday when the 59th PSAC Men's Swimming Championships get under way at the York County YMCA and Graham Aquatic Center in York, Pa. Doors will open at 8:00 a.m. for all morning sessions. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 3:30 p.m. on Sunday for evening sessions. Tickets to the PSAC Men's and Women's Swimming Championships are $5 for morning sessions and $7 for evening sessions for adults and single-session passes for students for $2. An all-session pass is available for $45 for adults and $15 for students. Students from PSAC member institutions with a valid ID are admitted free. Live results can be viewed by clicking HERE. The Golden Rams' long-standing success has been showcased during West Chester's head coach Jamie Rudisill's 29 years at the helm. West Chester has successfully won 18 consecutive PSAC Championships and 30 overall in program history. "We have enjoyed a lot of success," Rudisill stated. "Bloomsburg has been narrowing that gap for a few years now." Last year, West Chester accumulated 976 points to outdistance second-place Bloomsburg (801) for the conference championship. Indiana (Pa.) was third with 456 points while Gannon was fourth (321), Edinboro fifth (241), Shippensburg sixth (220) and Clarion seventh (177). Rudisill believes that it will be a tight meet, mentioning how he is hoping that the squad jumps out to a lead in the first two days. Two players to keep an eye on at the meet includes Victor Polyakov (Taganrog, Russia) and Michael Oliver (Howell, N.J./Freehold Twp.). Polyakov is the three-time reigning PSAC swimmer of the year for the Golden Rams. "Victor is the best and most versatile swimmer in conference history," Rudisill said. He won the national championship in the 200-yard individual medley at the 2016 NCAA Division II Swimming & Diving Championships in his junior campaign. It marked his fifth Division II national title in five different events during his college career to date. Polyakov added a runner-up finish in the 200 free and 500 free. Polyakov's teammate, who has had a tremendous senior season and continues to improve is Michael Oliver (Howell, N.J./Freehold Twp.). "He is the most improved swimmer in the conference for two-years straight," Rudisill added. "In his time, he will end up being a multi-time All-American, breaking two conference records and he was a walk-on. He has been a great success story." Oliver broke a pair of conference records, including the 200 breaststroke and 400 individual medley during his tenure. He posted a winning time of 1:57.38 in the 200 breaststroke this season and managed to produce a time of 3:51.97 for the individual medley back in 2015. The head coach believes that Polyakov is a favorite in four separate events, while Oliver should be in the 200 breaststroke. A few names on the men's squad include: Austin Doss (Hershey, Pa. / Hershey), Eric Long (Greensburg, Pa / Hempfield), Shota Nakano (Hummelstown, Pa. / Hershey), Timothy Tomsuden (Marriottsville, M.D. / Liberty), and Thomas McCormick (West Chester, Pa. / West Chester Henderson). A year ago in the 2016 PSAC Championships, Long produced third in the 200 freestyle (1:40.36). In the 1,650-yard freestyle, he finished fourth at 16:11.95 and fifth in the 1,000 freestyle (9:31.91). McCormick claimed third in the 200 breaststroke at 2:02.46 and fifth in the 100 with 56.84. For the 400 individual medley, he brought home second in 3:54.58. He also tacked on a third place finish in 200 individual medley with a time of 1:49.89. Rudisill credited his three assistants: Steve Mazurek (9th season), Henny Hiemenz (17th), and Scott Elliott (19th) for the team's success as well as getting most of the student-athletes. All the men on the squad qualified for the PSAC Championships in 2017.
