By: Fabiola Cameau
York College Men’s Swim Team got their first win of the season against the College of New Rochelle on Tuesday, Nov. 15 in a dual meet against Queens College and New Rochelle, while the women lost to both teams. Despite losing the season opener Monday night with a doubleheader against Baruch College at home in the York College Natatorium, the Cardinals remain hopeful for the season.
York dominated when it came to the 200-yard freestyle relay, placing first which sealed the victory for the men’s swim team. The relay team consisted of Junior Javier Velasquez 21, Freshman Travis Rivers 21, Junior Justice McCain, 20 and Freshman Nicholas Bailey, 21 with a time of 1:53.12.
Notable swimmers include Senior Alarick Imperial, 21, who came first in the 100-yard breaststroke. Velasquez placed third in the 100-yard freestyle coming in at 1:00.87, while his teammate Freshman Joshua Clarke, 21 placed fifth with a time of 1:22.50. Freshman Austin Lam, 20 placed second in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 9:02.77. Freshman Shayan Khan, 21 who placed fourth in the 200-yard freestyle stated, “Our main objective is passion, we are a very close bunch and know each other very well . . . we are improving [since] the season has just begun. We compete to not to win but to learn to improve ourselves in a professional setting of the sport.”
The women’s swimming team lost to both the College of New Rochelle and Queens College but shined in relays and individually. In the 200-yard medley involving Freshman Mariela Rosario, 21, Junior Shantusha Kanhai, 21, Sophomore Romea M Noel, 21, and Sophomore Evelyn Del Rosario, 21 finished third overall with Queens College winning first and second place, respectively but came first against the College of New Rochelle with a time of 2:44.77. The same team placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 2:22.92. Individually, Kanhai, placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:37.22 and placed fourth in the 50-yard freestyle. Noel, placed fourth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:27.25.
This is Samantha Oyola’s first year as the Cardinals Head Coach. Coming from a background in swimming as well as coaching so far proves to make a difference. Shayan Khan, who came back to the team this year, also stated, “[Coach Oyola] is much more professional when it comes to documentation for physicals and title IX clearance for athletes. She does not care about winning but wants us to use the [swim meets] to set a standard for ourselves and beat that . . . not many people apply to play sports at York, so coaches are left people who have the desire but aren’t necessarily top of the game.”
Both the men and women’s swim teams have a layoff after their meet against Brooklyn College (Nov. 21) and will return in 2017. The women’s host CUNY John Jay College, Jan. 9 at 6p.m., in the York College Natatorium while the men head to the Bronx, NY on Jan. 17 to meet Lehman College.
